Historic Map : De Fer Map of Spain and Portugal, 1701, Vintage Wall Art

This is a beautiful 1701 map of Spain and Portugal by Nicholas De Fer. It covers the Iberian Peninsula as well as adjacent parts of France and Africa and prominently displays the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza. The map renders the entire region in extraordinary detail offering both topographical and political information with mountains beautifully rendered in profile.

Spain at this time was witnessing the War of the Spanish Succession. After the death of the Spanish Habsburg King Charles II, the Spanish crown passed onto his successor Prince Philip of Anjou. Fearing that a union between France and Spain would threaten the balance of power in Europe, the Grand Alliance of the Holy Roman Empire, Portugal, Dutch Republic and the Duchy of Savoy declared war claiming the Spanish throne for Archduke Charles of Austria instead of Philip. In 1711, when the Austrian Emperor Joseph I died leaving Archduke Charles as his successor, an even greater threat of an Austrian-Spanish Alliance loomed if Charles were to claim the throne to both Austria and Spain. The war would end in 1714 with the signing of the treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt and Baden. Philip would become King of Spain after all, on the condition that he is removed from the French line of succession. Spain lost many of its territories and granted Great Britain asiento. This map was engraved by Harmanus van Loon and created by Nicholas De Fer for his 1701 Atlas.