ThePortolan

Issue 101 SPRING 2018 J O U R N A L O F T H E W A S H I N G T O N M A P S O C I E T Y

Page 7
In This Issue
2017 Ristow Prize for Academic Achievement in the History of Cartography
page 22
Mapping Public Health In Mapping German “Tsingtau”
by Ryan Moore
Nineteenth-Century Oxford page 34
by Lauren Bouchard Killingsworth Meriwether Lewis’s Survey
at Cumberland Gap
by Lorna Hainesworth

page 45
The First Cartographic
Representations of
Transylvania,
1325/1330–1520
by Andrei Nacu

page 54
Depiction of Tbilisi (Tiflis) Georgia,
on 4th–18th century European maps
by George Lobzhanidze

page 72
Ruderman Conference on Cartography
by Katherine Parker

page 75
Remembering Barbara McCorkle
by Ed Dahl

Page 80
Introducing Leah Thomas
Compiler, Recent Publications
By Tom Sander

www.WashMapSociety.org

(Detail) Dr. Acland’s “Map of Oxford to illustrate Dr. Acland’s report on cholera in Oxford in
1854, showing the localities in which cholera and choleraic diarrhoea occurred in 1854, and
cholera in 1832 and 1849” in “Memoir on the cholera at Oxford, in the year 1854: with
considerations suggested by the epidemic.” London: J. Churchill; Oxford: J.H. and J. Parker,
1856. Courtesy Stanford Libraries.
The Washington Contents
Map Society President’s Spring 2018 Letter 2
Washington Map Society Meetings, March–May 2018 3

OFFICERS, 2017–2018 Exhibitions and Meetings 4

Edward Redmond Ristow Prize Competition 2018 6
President
Eliane Dotson Mapping Public Health in Nineteenth-Century Oxford  Lauren Bouchard Killingsworth 7
Vice President Winning article, Ristow Prize 2017
Peter Porrazzo Mapping German “Tsingtau”  Ryan Moore 22
Treasurer
Harold Meinheit Meriwether Lewis’s Survey at Cumberland Gap  Lorna Hainesworth 34
Secretary
The first Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520  Andrei Nacu 45
Jeffrey Katz
Membership Depiction of Tbilisi (Tiflis), Georgia, on 4th–18th century European maps  George Lobzhanidze 54
Leigh Lockwood Voorhees Lecture at the Library of Virginia, Richmond, April 28, 2018 58
Webmaster
[email protected] Book Reviews Cyprus: The Book of Maps. Annotated Catalogue of the
Printed Maps of Cyprus, Volume 1: 15th-16th Centuries  Bert Johnson 61
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2017–2018 An Architect Paints  Leah Thomas 63
Robert Hansen, Mapping the Philippine Seas  Hal Meinheit 64
Bert Johnson, Jeffrey Katz,
Chas Langelan, Hal Meinheit, Remapping Modern Germany after National Socialism,
Tony Mullan, Peter Porrazzo, 1945–1961  Ryan Moore 66
Iris Taylor
Exploring Africa with Ancient Maps  Jocelyn Coulon 68
Thomas F. Sander
Editor, The Portolan Oxford Atlas of the World, 24th Edition  John Rennie Short 70
9501 Burke Rd., # 10793
Burke VA 22009-8036 USA Barry Lawrence Ruderman Conference on Cartography, Oct 19–2, 2017  Katherine Parker 72
[email protected]
Spotlight on the WMS Membership 74
SEND ALL NON-PORTOLAN
CORRESPONDENCE TO: Remembering Barbara McCorkle  Ed Dahl 75
John W. Docktor Letters to the Editor 76
3158 Gracefield Rd, Apt. 103
Silver Spring MD 20904-0187 USA Cartographic Notes  Thomas Sander 78
[email protected] Introducing Leah Thomas, Compiler, Recent Publications  Thomas Sander 80
Cyrus Ala’i
Recent Publications  Leah Thomas 81
Imre Josef Demhardt
Ralph E. Ehrenberg
John R. Hébert
Peter van der Krogt
Richard Pflederer
Editorial Advisory Board
From the Editor
The Word Express, Inc The busy Winter season of meetings, Fairs, and exhibits is well underway, and Spring is near. In
Portolan Design and Layout early February the Miami International Map Fair was held for the 25th time. Many WMS mem-
bers from around the country are happy each year to take a several-day break from often cold
The Portolan (ISSN 1096–1925) is pub- hometown weather to enjoy the warmth of the weather and mixing with many map friends as
lished three times per year by the Wash- they feast on a multitude of maps. Congratulations to the organizers of the Fair for many years
ington Map Society. Annual subscription
rates: US: $45 (1st yr student rate $25); well-done!
Canada $50; All other countries: $65; This Portolan opens with the paper which won the Society’s 2017 Ristow Prize. Inclusion
Single Copy to U.S: $14.00; Canada $17; of the Prize article that has become a standard part of the Spring issue. From that article’s look
Other countries: $21. All payments are to at 19th century Oxford, the issue continues to articles about China, Transylvania, the country of
be made in U.S. currency. Internet Address: Georgia, and the US’s Cumberland Gap. A summary appears inside about a new conference
http://www.WashMapSociety.org
series beginning in California, and tribute is paid to past member Barbara McCorkle, a stalwart
Address all editorial correspondence to the in the history of cartography.
Editor. Viewpoints of the authors do not While this issue is coming to you a few weeks early, the next issue will be back on schedule
necessarily reflect those of the Society. to arrive in late August 2018.
© 2018 Washington Map Society. Tom
The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 1
 The First Cartographic
Representations of Transylvania,
1325/1330–1520*
by Andrei Nacu

T he present article will examine the cartographic rep-

resentation of the region of Transylvania (central
Romania) from its first mention in a portolan chart
in the 14th century until ca. 1520. I will highlight the most
relevant maps published before the Tabula Hungariae
(1528)1 and the Chorographia Transylvaniae (1532)2.
Transylvania is situated in East-Central Europe and is
confined by the Carpathian Mountains from all sides, ex-
cept for a small gap in the north-west. The main rivers of
Transylvania are the Olt and the Mureș. The Olt is a tribu-
tary of the Danube, while the Mureș flows into the Tisza,
another Danube tributary. The province was the eastern-
most part of the Kingdom of Hungary after the 11th centu-
ry and enjoyed a certain degree of self-government. In the
12th to 14th centuries, German colonists (later known as the
Transylvanian Saxons) were invited to settle in the region
by the Hungarian kings. Most of the cities and their hinter-
lands were inhabited by Germans in the Late Middle Ages,
while the rest of Transylvania had a mixed Romanian and
Hungarian population3. The major urban settlements in
this period were Brașov (Kronstadt in German, Brassó in
Hungarian), Sibiu (Hermannstadt, Nagyszeben), Bistrița
(Bistritz, Beszterce), Cluj (Klausenburg, Kolozsvár), Alba Figure 1. Transylvania in the portolan of A. Dulcert/
Iulia (Weissenburg, Gyulafehérvár), Sebeș (Mühlbach, Dalorto (1325/1330)—fragment (facsimile reproduc-
Szászsebes) and Turda (Thorenburg, Torda). tion). Source: The portolan chart of Angellino de Dalorto,
The medieval realities in Transylvania are not depicted MCCCXXV, in the collection of Prince Corsini at Florence/
in the more complex mappaemundi created between the with a note on the surviving charts and atlases of the
fourteenth century by Arthur R. Hinks, (London: Royal
11th and 13th centuries, such as the Hereford and Ebstorf
Geographical Society, 1929). Map image: National Library
maps. The first explicit mention of the province can be
of Australia, YYef 2014–561, accessed June 17, 2017,
found in the famous navigational maps of the Later
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-233480924/view.
Middle Ages, the portolans4. Although portolans mainly
represent coastal areas, some of them, especially those
produced in the Kingdom of Majorca, are nautical as well
as geographical maps.
An early portolan, made by Angelino Dalorto (or Because of the inclusion of numerous features in the interi-
Dulcert) in 1325 or 13305, is the first to name Transylvania. or of the continent (mountains, rivers, names of kingdoms
and regions), the Dalorto map is regarded as the oldest
surviving Catalan-style chart6. The portolan is oriented to
* This article was firstly published in Romanian as the south and has Transylvania labelled as Regio septem
“Primele reprezentări cartografice ale Transilvaniei (1325/ castra/sive ergiuul7. This short description is accompanied
13301520)”, Revista Transilvania, 10 (2016), 88–96. by a symbol resembling a fortified town. (Figure 1).

© 2018. Andrei Nacu

The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 45

The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

46 | The Portolan | Spring 2018

 The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

Figure 2. Transylvania in the portolan of A. Dulcert/

Dalorto (1339)—fragment. Map image: Bibliothèque
nationale de France, département Cartes et plans,
GE B-696 (RES), accessed on June 17, 2017, http://
gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52503220z/f1.item. Figure 4. Mappamundi, Fra Mauro (1459)—frag-
r=Angelino%20Dulcert.zoom. ment (facsimile reproduction). Source: Mappemonde
dressée en 1459 par Fra Mauro, cosmographe vénitien,
par ordre d’Alphonse V, roi de Portugal, publiée... par
le Vle de Santarem, (Paris: imp. de Kaeppelin, 1854).
Map image: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection,
11177.000, accessed on June 17, 2017, http://www.
davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~
289827~90061349:Composite-map--Mappemonde-
Pl--1–6?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_
date%2Cpub_list_no&qvq=q:fra%2Bmauro;sort:pub_
list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_
no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=0&trs=14.

The associated text, Hec est pars…, is very similar with the
Figure 3. Transylvania in the Catalan Atlas (1375)—frag-
one found on the Dalorto/Dulcert portolan of 1339.
ment. Map image: Bibliothèque nationale de France,
The Catalan Atlas of 1375, attributed to Abraham
Département des manuscrits, Espagnol 30, accessed
Cresques of Majorca10, depicts the region of Transylvania
on June 17, 2017, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bt-
v1b55002481n/f8.image, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/
as seven fortresses or fortified towns. Strangely, the church
btv1b55002481n/f9.image.
bell towers of these towns resemble the ecclesiastical ar-
chitecture of Orthodox Eastern Europe and not the style
prevalent in the Catholic regions of Western and Central
Europe. As the Catalan Atlas is badly deteriorated in this
Another portolan attributed to Dalorto/Dulcert8 portion, most of the explanations corresponding to the
was produced in Majorca in 1339. In this document, symbols can no longer be recorded11. (Figure 3).
Transylvania is labelled as Regio septem castra and is in- In the field of cartography, the Renaissance was
dicated by seven fortresses. Next to the symbols there is a marked by the rediscovery and republication of Ptolemy’s
small description: Geography (or Cosmography) at the beginning of the 15th
century12. The adoption of Ptolemy’s data and methods was
Hec est pars transsilvana, quae a theotonicis dicitur/septem accompanied by the evolution of some techniques previ-
castra ungari vero vocant ipsam ergiul9 ously known in Medieval Europe. Parcel measurements or
(Figure 2). the use of geographic coordinates to precisely represent
places were already documented before the 15th century13.
Again, illustrated as a single fortification, we find the The next two maps attest a synthesis between the
Regio septem castra in the 1367 portolan created by the medieval world vision and the more accurate and secu-
Venetian brothers Domenico and Francesco Pizzigani. lar Renaissance cartographic style. The first is a 1448

The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 47

The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

mappamundi, made in Konstanz, South Germany, by the dated to ca. 1490 (first redaction) and ca. 1470–1491
Benedictine monk Andreas Walsperger. It contains tradi- (second redaction). Nicolaus Cusanus (1401–1464) was
tional elements of the medieval orbis terrarum (T and O) an important German humanist, active in diverse fields,
maps alongside several innovations14. The map is southup from philology and theology to astronomy. He studied in
oriented, has a circular shape and places Jerusalem in the Heidelberg, Padua and Cologne and was ordained a priest
center of the world. On the other hand, Walsperger includ- in 1425. From 1432 he was a member in the Council of
ed new information based on the Portuguese discoveries Basle. Later, as an official of the Roman curia, Cusanus
along the African coast15. In Transylvania, red circles16 in- was involved in the negotiations of the Holy See with the
dicate the cities of hermanstat (Sibiu, Hermannstadt) and Byzantine Empire and the German sovereigns. He was
nossen (Bistrița, Bistritz, archaic Nösen). Sibiu is errone- appointed cardinal in 1448 and anointed Archbishop of
ously positioned, too close to the Black Sea, beyond the Bressanone (Brixen in South Tyrol) in 145027.
rivers altus (Olt) and dornechus (Prut)17. The maps of Cusanus cover a significant portion of
Another well-known mappamundi was produced Europe, from Flanders to the mouths of the Danube and
around 1459 by Fra Mauro, a monk from Murano (near from the Adriatic Sea to Southern Scandinavia. The first
Venice) belonging to the Calmadulian order, and his as- redaction was preserved in the form of three manuscripts
sistant, Andrea Bianco18. The cartographic information edited by the cartographer Henricus Martellus Germanus
is based on several sources: portolan charts, Ptolemy’s (Heinrich Hammer). The maps were included in the
Geography and knowledge provided by the travels of works published by Martellus around 1490: an edition of
Marco Polo and the new voyages of discovery19. As in Ptolemy’s Geography (where it is counted as a tabula mod-
the case of the Walsperger mappamundi, the circular erna) and two copies of the Insularium illustratum28. The
shape and southern orientation of the manuscript are original of the first redaction was completed by Cusanus
due to the influence exerted by Arab cartography. The between 1455–146029.
map includes numerous illustrations and up to 3000 The so-called Eichstätt map, printed in 1491 in the
place names and legends20. In the section roughly cor- town of Eichstätt in South Germany, is considered to cor-
responding to Transylvania, south of the Mons hovas respond to the second redaction of the map of Central
(snowy mountains)21, the unusual placement of the Europe. The map was revised by the cartographer Nicolaus
town of Campo longo (Câmpulung in Wallachia, southern Germanus and amended with information provided by
Romania) can be noticed. Another town symbol, labelled members of Cusanus’ entourage. The original manuscript
as Sete cast(elli) (seven fortresses) is located nearby. Braso was probably completed in the early 1460s30. Between ca.
and Bresolo (possibly Brașov doubled), Provincia sechel22 1470–1480 the copper engraving of the map was supple-
and Provincia cognat/Sebin23 appear only as place names mented in Rome with a southern section encompassing
unassociated with a graphic symbol. An adjacent river territories south of the Danube and the Po Valley. The sec-
is named Flumen grisiun close to its discharge into the ond redaction represents an improvement over the first
Danube. The Flumen moros (Mureș river) is figured to the and was printed well into the 16th century31.
west. Regardless of all its inaccuracies, Fra Mauro’s work The Eichstätt map32 was made using a trapezoidal pro-
must be appreciated for the large number of toponyms, jection. This can be easily deduced form the shape of the
hydronyms, embedded explanations and the elaborate graticule. The mountains are represented as rather sharp
artistic details. (Figure 4). mounds of variable sizes. Transylvania is mentioned both
The number of cartographic materials in circulation in as SEPTEM CASTRA and as TRANSILVANIA (this name
Europe increased dramatically in the second half of the is used twice). The labels TRANSILVANIA are placed in
15th century. This evolution was largely determined by the today’s western Romania, while SEPTEM CASTRA is re-
development of the printing press24. Ptolemy’s Geography/ corded in the proper place, within the historical confines
Cosmography was originally printed in Vicenza in 1475. of Transylvania. Amongst the illustrated settlements we
In 1477, the first edition accompanied by maps was pub- find CRON (Brașov, Kronstadt), H. (most probably Sibiu,
lished in Bologna25. As a supplement to the maps drawn Hermannstadt), ROTETORE33 (Turnu Roșu, Rothenturm),
after Ptolemy’s data26, the following editions included an TOLMET (Tălmaciu, Talmesch34), VNZEMBORG35 (possi-
increasing number of regional maps showing the modern bly Vințu de Jos-Vurpăr, Winz-Burgberg36 or Orlat, Wins-
territorial configuration (known as the tabulae modernae). berg37), GROSESTEVA (possibly Cincu, Groß-Schenk38)
Likewise, modern maps are now issued for diverse publi- and TEONBORG (Turda, Thorenburg). The symbol used to
cations and are printed separately. mark towns is a circle with a dot in the middle, alongside
The first modern map of Central Europe was made by representations of key buildings—most often churches—
Nicolaus Cusanus in the second half of the 15th century. Two surrounded by fortifications. Such a town, depicted be-
redactions of this map are known through reproductions tween GROSESTEVA and ROTETORE, is not accompanied

48 | The Portolan | Spring 2018

 The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

Figure 6. Map of Central Europe by Hyeronimus

Münzer (1493)—fragment. Source: The Nuremberg
Figure 5. The Eichstätt map (1491), fragment (fac- Chronicle, 286v/287r. Map image: Wikimedia
simile reproduction). Source: Otto Henne am Rhyn, Commons, accessed on June 17, 2017, https://com-
Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Volkes, first volume, mons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_
(Berlin: Baumgärtel, 1897), 420–421. Map image: map_2.png.
Wikimedia Commons, accessed on June 17, 2017,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%84lteste_
Deutschlandkarte.jpg.

named Scames flus overlaps with the course of the Olt

and—later—the Mureș. Another river, depicted south of
Sibiu and Sebeș, follows the course of the Olt between the
by a name39. The CATARABON FLV. (Jiu) and the ALUTAS Southern Carpathians and the Danube. The mountains
F. (Olt) are the only rivers displayed in the region. Both between Transylvania and the rest of Hungary are termed
are represented in line with the Ptolemaic cartographic as Mons hobas.
tradition40. The CATARABON FLV. is mixed up with the In 1493, the milestone publication Liber chronicarum
course of another river in the section close to its source, appeared in Latin and German editions. This historical-
most probably with the Cibin. (Figure 5). geographical description of the world is also known as the
Francesco Rosselli, an Italian painter, miniaturist and Nuremberg Chronicle, after the city where it was published,
engraver, published a noteworthy print derived from the or the Schedesche Weltchronik (Schedel’s World Chronicle).
first redaction of the Cusanus map in ca. 149041. Rosselli The editor and main author of the texts was the physician
was active in Florence and was probably the first successful and bibliophile Hartmann Schedel. Hyeronimus Munzer
commercial map maker. He worked for a time as a min- is considered the author of the two woodcut maps in-
iaturist at the court of King Mathias Corvinus of Hungary cluded in the book: a Ptolemaic world map and a mod-
in Buda42. The Rosselli map is almost identical to the map ern map of Central Europe based on Rosselli and—for
of Central Europe from the Leiden copy of the Insularium the northern regions—the 1482 Ulm edition of Ptolemy’s
illustratum43. The mountains that surround Transylvania Geography45. The map of Central Europe is simplified
from three sides (west, south and east) are represented as compared to the Rosselli print (no city or town was includ-
mounds with shadowing hatches. SEPTEM CASTRIVM, ed in Transylvania). Despite this, it accounts for the first
also labelled as TRANSILVANA below, has a small associ- time the German place names Sibenburg (Siebenbürgen,
ated note: Isti sunt theotonici (“These are Germans”). The Transylvania) and WVRTZLANT (Burzenland46). Both la-
towns are graphically suggested by small fortifications bels are wrongly placed east of Transylvania, in the terri-
flanked by towers and, in some cases, a central tower or a tory between the Carpathians and the Danube. (Figure 6).
bell tower behind the walls. The following names are re- The two redactions of the Cusanus map of Central
corded: Sibigno (Sibiu), Sabesus (Sebeș), Brassco (Brașov), Europe remained influential in the first decades of the
Styr (?), Rotetorim (Turnu Roșu) and Groschen (Cincu, Groß- 16th century. An important derivate was a map annexed
Schenk). Sibiu and Sebeș are misplaced, the former town to a 1507 Rome edition of Ptolemy’s Geography printed
being positioned west of the latter. Rotetorim and Groschen by Marco Beneventano: Tabula Moderna Polonie, Ungarie,
are incorrectly positioned south of the Carpathians, Boemie, Germanie, Russie, Lithuanie47. There is almost no
close to another two out-of-place towns: Pross (possibly difference in the portrayal of Transylvania between this
Orăștie, Broos) and Hermstat44 (Sibiu, Hermannstadt, du- map and the one published by Rosselli some 15 years
plicated). Streaming from eastern Transylvania, the river before. The only novelty is the overhauled representation

The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 49

The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

Figure 8. Map of Central Europe by Giovanni

Figure 7. Map of Central Europe by Marco Andrea Valvassore (1520)—fragment. Map image:
Beneventano (1507)—fragment. Source: Ptolemy’s Universitätbibliothek Basel, UBH Kartenslg AA 137, http://
Geography (Rome: Marco Beneventano, 1507). Map dx.doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-12839.
image: Muzeum Polskie w Rapperswilu [The Polish
Museum in Rapperswil], Roman Umiastowski collec-
tion, CARTOGRAPHIA RAPPERSVILIANA POLONORUM:
00100–04939, accessed on June 17, 2017, http://mapy.
muzeum-polskie.org/katalog-map-crp/wiat-europa-i-
sarmacja-europejska/239--tabvla-moderna-polonie-vn-
garie-boemie-ger-manie-rvssie-lithvanie.html.

of the border region between the Kingdom of Hungary

and the Kingdom of Poland. This is due to the contri-
bution of the Polish cartographer Bernard Wapowski48.
The CARPATVS MONS (Carpathian Mountains) are now
properly flanking Transylvania from the north. (Figure 7).
In about 1520 a new map of Central Europe is
published by the Venetian engraver Giovanni Andrea
Valvassore (Vavassore)49. Valvassore’s map conveys some
new information related to Transylvania. However, most Figure 9. Transylvania in Martin Waldseemüller’s
of the data comes from the two Cusanus redactions. The Carta marina (1516)—fragment. Map image: Library
mention Isti sunt theotonici appears again under the label of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Schöner
Septem Castrum/Transiluania50. The river network com- Sammelband, G1015.S43 1517, accessed on June 17,
prises the Catarabon fl. (roughly the lower course of the 2017, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3200m.gct00046.
Olt) and the Scames flus (a combination between the up-
per course of the Olt and the lower course of the Mureș).
The rivers are depicted as in the maps of Rosselli and Pross, Rotetorem and Tolmet. Albaula/Albauila is positioned
Beneventano. Mons hobas designate once more the moun- far to the west, close to Zaades (Cenad, now in western
tain chain between Transylvania and Hungary proper. The Romania), while Cron (Brașov, duplicated) is misplaced
newly illustrated settlements are Albauila or Albaula (Alba in the north of Transylvania. Furthermore, the city of
Iulia), Contondin (?) and S. Ladislao (Laslea). The other Colosnar (Cluj) is sited west of the Tisza, in the Pannonian
locations correspond to those from the Eichstätt map and Plain. Unfortunately, Valvassore did not include the ad-
the already mentioned maps of Rosselli and Beneventano: justments brought to the Carpathian and Polish regions
Grosesteua, Vuzenborg, Teonborch, Cron, Stir, Sibigno, Brassco, by the map of Marco Beneventano. (Figure 8).

50 | The Portolan | Spring 2018

 The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

For approximately half a century, the cartographic scale of the Carta marina only allowed a generalized depic-
work of Nicolaus Cusanus was the main reference used tion of Central Europe, yet the level of precision achieved
for illustrating the eastern Carpathian Basin. Only the for Transylvania is surprising. (Figure 9).
Lazarus-Tannstetter map of Hungary (1528) and par- Subject to many rulers in its long history, Transylvania
ticularly the Johannes Honter map of Transylvania is known for its scenic Carpathian Mountains, and as the
(1532) will mark a considerable improvement in the car- realm of vampires due to Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
tographic depiction of the province. Nonetheless, there This geographic region, home to different nationalities,
were maps based on different sources in circulation be- has been on charts and maps since at least 1325/1330. It
fore 1528/1532. Such an example is a renowned print is worthy of continued cartographic exploration.
dated to 1516.
The Carta marina is a world map produced by Martin ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Waldseemüller, a prominent German Renaissance car- Andrei Nacu is a PhD student, “Lucian Blaga” University
tographer. Waldseemüller (ca. 1470–1520) studied in of Sibiu and Research Assistant, Institute for Social
Freiburg im Breisgau and was active until 1508 within the Sciences and Humanities, Romanian Academy, Sibiu.
humanistic circle known as the Gymnasium Vosagense in E-mail address: [email protected], [email protected].
Saint-Dié, Lorraine51. From 1514 until his death he was All maps courtesy of the author.
the canon (priest) of Saint-Dié. The most celebrated maps
by Waldseemüller are the the 1507 Universalis cosmograph- ENDNOTES
ia52 (the first to apply the name “America”), the Carta itin- 1 The first regional map of the Kingdom of Hungary
eraria Europae (a road map of Central Europe published made by Lazarus Secretarius, with additions by Georg
in three editions in 1511, 1520 and 1527) and the Carta Tannstetter and Johannes Cuspinianus. It was printed
marina of 1516. in Ingolstadt by Peter Apian.
Unlike the Universalis cosmographia, where Waldsee- 2 The first regional map of Transylvania, engraved by
müller tried to accommodate the Ptolemaic tradition Johannes Honter and printed in Basle.
with the geographical information made available by the 3 Ioan-Aurel Pop, Thomas Nägler, The history of Tran-
new discoveries, the Carta marina offers a modern, more sylvania, vol. I (until 1541) (Cluj-Napoca: Romanian
detailed image of the whole known world. It resembles Cultural Institute, 2005), 227–231, 253–260; Ernst
the style of a nautical map due to the rectangular projec- Wagner, Geschichte der Siebenbürger Sachsen. Ein Über-
tion and the compass lines. The sources include a porto- blick (München: Wort+Welt+Bild, 2009), 19–20, 37.
lan created by Nicolo de Caverio around 1503 and the 4 László Gróf, “Maps and Mapmakers of Transylvania”,
reports provided by European travelers and navigators53. in Descriptio Transylvaniae, ed. Klára Petelei (Sfântu
It was printed as 12 sheets intended to form a single wall Gheorghe: Art Printer, 2013), 14.
map of about 128 x 233 cm54. 5 The map of Dalorto preserved in the private library
The Carta marina illustrates the analyzed area differ- of Prince Corsini in Florence incorporates a Roman
ently from the maps derived after Cusanus. The name date that has been read as MCCCXXII, MCCCXXV or
of Transylvania appears both as TRANSSILVANIA and MCCCXXX. 1325 and 1330 are the most widely ac-
as SEPTEM CASTRA. Small circles represent the cities of cepted variants. See Tony Campbell, “Portolan charts
Clausenburg (Cluj), Wissenburg (Alba Iulia), Hermenstat from the late thirteenth century to 1500”, in The his-
(Sibiu) and Crona (Brașov). These cities are positioned tory of cartography, vol. one, Cartography in Prehistoric,
correctly within the province, even if we take the hydro- Ancient, and Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean,
graphic network into account. Only the town of Tolmet is ed. J. B. Harley and David Woodward (Chicago-
placed in the center of Wallachia (VALACHIA)55, close to London: University of Chicago Press, 1987), 409.
Longaw (Câmpulung, Langeneau). The Marisus fl. (Mureș) 6 Campbell, “Portolan charts”, 393.
and the Alt fl. (Olt) are figured with relatively accurate 7 septem castra relates to the German name of the prov-
courses. The Eastern Carpathians are represented by ince (Siebenbürgen). The “Seven Fortresses” refer
rounded hill profiles. Another feature of this map is the to the seven principal fortified towns founded by
dotted line, located east of Vardin (Oradea) and Tomelsperg German settlers in the 12th and 13th centuries. The
(Timișoara), separating Transylvania from the rest of Hungarian name of the province, “Erdély”, is present
Hungary. The marking highlights regional boundaries but here in the form of ergiuul.
is only used in Europe in the eastern part of the continent 8 Because of the similarities between the two portolans
and in Scandinavia. and the identical first name (Angelino), Dalorto and
Waldseemüller’s map stands out amongst the carto- Dulcert are often considered to be the same person.
graphic publications of the early 16th century. The small See Campbell, “Portolan charts”, 452 and Monique

The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 51

The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

Pelletier, “Le portulan d’Angelino Dulcert, 1339”, Falchetta, “Il mappamondo (scomparso ?) di Fra
Cartographica Helvetica, 9–10 (1994), 27. Mauro”, Studi Veneziani, 62–64 (2011), 241–243.
9 Translation: “This is the Transylvanian part, named 19 Woodward, “Medieval Mappaemundi”, 315–316.
septem castra by the Germans, but called ergiul by the 20 The list compiled by Piero Falchetta identifies 2921
Magyars”. names and legends. See Piero Falchetta, Fra Mauro’s
10 Campbell, “Portolan charts”, 434, 452. Map of the World, (Turnhout: Brepols, 2006). Online
11 The single copy of the Catalan Atlas is preserved in transliterations accessed June 15, 2017: http://ge-
the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. oweb.venezia.sbn.it/cms/images/stories/Testi_HSL/
12 David Woodward, “Cartography and the Renaissance: FM_iscr.pdf.
Continuity and Change”, in The history of cartography, 21 “Havas” means snowy in Hungarian. All names on
vol. three, Cartography in the European Renaissance, ed. Fra Mauro’s map are reproduced per the list of Piero
David Woodward (Chicago-London: University of Falchetta. They may slightly differ from those found
Chicago Press, 2007), 6, 12. on older facsimiles of the map.
13 Peter H. Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands, 22 “Székely Province” (The mostly Hungarian-inhabited
1450–1650”, in The history of cartography, vol. three, portion of eastern Transylvania). On Fra Mauro’s
Cartography in the European Renaissance, ed. David map, the label Provincia sechel is also used for an area
Woodward (Chicago-London: University of Chicago outside Transylvania, near Varadin (Oradea, now in
Press, 2007), 1177. A measured survey of the lands western Romania).
in the new town of Paganico was carried by the city 23 The label could be translated as “The province per-
of Siena in the 13th century. See Victoria Morse, “The taining to Sibiu (?)”. It may refer to the Saxon dis-
Role of Maps in Later Medieval Society: Twelfth to tricts in Southern Transylvania forming the Province
Fourteenth Century”, in The history of cartography, of Sibiu (Die Hermannstädter Provinz).
vol. three, Cartography in the European Renaissance, ed. 24 Woodward, “Cartography and the Renaissance”, 20.
David Woodward (Chicago-London: University of 25 Patrick Gautier-Dalché, “The Reception of Ptolemy’s
Chicago Press, 2007), 50. In the 13th century Roger Geography (End of the Fourteenth to Beginning of
Bacon described a device for plotting places using the Sixteenth Century)”, in The history of cartography,
latitude and longitude values. See John P. Snyder, vol. three, Cartography in the European Renaissance, ed.
“Map projections in the Renaissance”, in The history David Woodward (Chicago-London: University of
of cartography, vol. three, Cartography in the European Chicago Press, 2007), 324.
Renaissance, ed. David Woodward (Chicago-London: 26 It is not known if Ptolemy created maps from the data
University of Chicago Press, 2007), 366. published in his Geographia. See Oswald A. W. Dilke,
14 The map is kept in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana “The culmination of Greek cartography in Ptolemy”,
in the Vatican City. in The History of Cartography, vol. one, Cartography
15 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1180. in Prehistoric, Ancient, and Medieval Europe and the
16 The red circles mark Christian towns, while the black Mediterranean, ed. J. B. Harley and David Woodward
circles correspond to heathen towns. See Meurer, (Chicago-London: University of Chicago Press,
“Cartography in the German Lands”, 1180. 1987), 190.
17 For transliterations see Uwe Kleim, “Namengut 27 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”,
und identifizierte unbenamte Örtlichkeiten in der 1183–1184.
Weltkarte des Andreas Walsperger von 1448”, online 28 Preserved in the Condé Museum in Chantilly
paper, accessed June 15, 2017: https://www.unibw. (France) and the University Library of Leiden (the
de/inf4/professors/vc-en/staff/kleim/activities/wals- Netherlands).
perger-en/index_html, 36–37. 29 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”,
18 The preserved map probably represents a copy of 1184–1186.
the original manuscript sent to King Alfonso V of 30 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1187.
Portugal in 1459. See David Woodward, “Medieval 31 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1188.
Mappaemundi”, in The History of Cartography, vol. 32 The full title of the map is: Quod Picta Est Parva
one, Cartography in Prehistoric, Ancient, and Medieval Germania Tota Tabella: Et Latus Italiae Gelidas Quod
Europe and the Mediterranean, ed. J. B. Harley and Prospicit Alpes: Sauromatum Que Truces Populi: Gentes
David Woodward (Chicago-London: University of Que Profundo Vicinae Adriatico: Pelopis Regnum Que
Chicago Press, 1987), 315. Piero Falchetta consid- Vetusti: Pannonios Et Findit Agros Qua Frigidus Hister:
ers that only a single map existed, namely the one Atque Licaonios Terrarum Quicquid In Axes Vergit: Et
kept in the Biblioteca Marciana of Venice. See Piero Aequoreas Rhodanus Qua Verberat Undas: Et Multe

52 | The Portolan | Spring 2018

 The First Cartographic Representations of Transylvania, 1325/1330–1520

Punctis Urbes Ville Que Notate: Gracia Sit Cusae records an important settlement close to Cluj, felex
Nicolao: Murice Quondam Qui Tyrio Contectus Erat: (Fealeacu).
Splendor Que Senatus Ingens Romani: Nulli Explorata 45 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”,
Priorum: Et Loca Qui Modico Caelari Iussit In Aere. 1193–1194.
33 Turnu Roșu was a major border fortress south of 46 The historical name of the south-eastern corner of
Sibiu. Transylvania, an area where the Teutonic Knights
34 Tălmaciu appears as Tolmach or Tolmacz in documents were active between 1211–1225. The corresponding
published between the 13th and 15th centuries. Romanian name is Țara Bârsei and the Hungarian is
35 Recorded as Wirzpurg on two of Henricus Martellus Barcaság. The major Transylvanian city of Brașov is
Germanus’ reproductions (the tabula moderna located within this region.
from Ptolemy’s Geography and the map from the 47 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1187.
Insularium illustratum edition preserved in Chantilly). 48 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1187;
It also appears as Vuzenborg in the map of Giovanni Török, “Renaissance Cartography”, 1816.
Andrea Valvassore analyzed below. 49 Quot picta est parva Germania tota tabella…
36 Vințu de Jos and Vurpăr are treated as a single ur- 50 The name Transilvania appears again south of Albauila
ban entity in the privileges granted by the king (Alba Iulia, erroneous placement).
of Hungary, Sigismund of Luxembourg, at the 51 The Gymnasium Vosagense was patronized by Duke
end of the 14th century and in the first half of the René II of Lorraine (1460–1508) and functioned un-
15th century. See Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der til his death in 1508. It was headed by Vautrien Lud
Deutschen in Siebenbürgen, vol. 3 (1391–1415), ed. (the duke’s secretary after 1490) and had geography
Franz Zimmermann and Carl Werner (Köln, 1902), as its main research field. More details in Monique
56–57; Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Deutschen Pelletier, “Le globe vert et l’œuvre cosmographique
in Siebenbürgen, vol. 4 (1416–1437), ed. Franz du gymnase vosgien”, Bulletin du Comité français de
Zimmermann and Gustav Gündisch (Köln, 1937), cartographie, 163 (2000), 17–31.
398–399, 551–553. 52 Full tile is Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholo-
37 Orlat is recorded as Vinczburg in a 1476 docu- maei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque
ment. Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Deutschen lustrationes.
in Siebenbürgen, vol. 7 (1474–1486), ed. Gustav 53 Chet Van Duzer, “Waldseemüller’s World Maps of
Gündisch (Köln, 1991), 84–86. 1507 and 1516: Sources and Development of his
38 A settlement named Groschen/Groschena is displayed Cartographical Thought”, The Portolan, 85 (2012), 17.
in approximately the same area in reproductions af- 54 Measurements per the online catalog of the Library
ter the first redaction of Cusanus’ map. See the map of Congress, accessed on June 16, 2017, https://www.
of Franceso Rosselli analyzed below. loc.gov/item/2016586433/.
39 This “town” might be in fact a fortification, possibly 55 This time Tolmet may designate a town in Wallachia
the Landskrone fortress near Tălmaciu. (possibly Târgoviște) and not Tălmaciu.
40 See for example the representation of Dacia (the
Roman province that covered most of Transylvania)
in the Nicolaus Germanus’ editions of Ptolemy’s
Geography (ca. 1460–1482).
41 Meurer, “Cartography in the German Lands”, 1187.
42 David Woodward, “The Italian Map Trade”, in The HONORS AT THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA
history of cartography, vol. three, Cartography in the Dr Sandra Treadway, Librarian of Virginia, was cho-
European Renaissance, ed. David Woodward (Chicago- sen last December as one of Richmond’s Persons of
London: University of Chicago Press, 2007), 773; the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper.
Zsolt G. Török, “Renaissance Cartography in East- LVA is a consistent supporter of the history of car-
Central Europe, ca. 1450–1650”, in The history of tography, with the annual Voorhees Lectures in the
cartography, vol. three, Cartography in the European History of Cartography and numerous other events
Renaissance, ed. David Woodward (Chicago-London: throughout the year. Congratulations Dr. Treadway!
University of Chicago Press, 2007), 1811. For more, see http://www.richmond.com/discover-
43 Török, “Renaissance Cartography”, 1811. richmond/rtd-person-of-the-year-honoree-sandra-tread-
44 The city of Hermstat is placed in the same location way-librarian-of/article_3133d60e-60f6–5b13-baa9–
in the map of Central Europe from the Chantilly 0fa0e88ad759.html.
copy of the Insularium illustratum. This map also

The Portolan | Spring 2018 | 53