Teacher’s comments on the map page 29

Cf. page 29 of your class textbook (2de classes européennes History Geography, HATIER)

What is a map?

Maps are pictures of the Earth's surface.

Different types of map:

A general reference map documents landforms, national boundaries, bodies of water, the locations of cities, and so on.

A thematic map emphasizes a special topic such as the average distribution of rainfall in an area, or the types of religion practiced by the inhabitants. Normally, the map's specific theme is "layered" onto a general reference map.

A political map does not (normaly) show topographic features like mountains. It focuses solely on the national and regional boundaries and often includes urban areas (i.e. centres of decision-making).

A physical map shows the landscape features of a place such as mountains, rivers, and lakes. Bodies of water are shown in blue. Mountains and elevation changes are usually shown with different colours and shades to show relief (normally, green shows lower elevations while browns show high elevations).

A topographic map is similar to a physical map in that it shows different physical landscape features. Unlike physical maps, a topographic map uses contour lines instead of colours to show changes in the landscape. Contour lines on topographic maps are normally spaced at regular intervals to show elevation changes (e.g. each line represents a 100-foot (30m) elevation change). When lines are close together the terrain is steep.

A climate map shows information about the climate (i.e. the normal weather conditions) of an area, such as the temperature, the amount of snow, or the average number of cloudy days. These maps use colours to show different climatic areas.

An economic or resource map shows the specific types of economic activity or natural resources present in an area through the use of different symbols or colours.

A road map is one of the most widely used map types. It shows major and minor roads as well as things like airports, city locations and points of interest such as parks and monuments. Major highways on a road map are generally shown larger and in red, while minor roads are a lighter colour and a narrower line.

What type of map is the one on page 29?

It is a thematic map (the theme is religion).

What does it show (i.e. what is its "theme"; what is it "about")?

The title indicates that the map shows a particular place (Europe) at a particular time (the latter part of the 16^th century) with a particular theme (the religious situation).

We need to know the historic context to understand the map well...

The 16th century went from 1501 to 1600.

In this century, many Europeans visited or moved to the newly-found Americas.

Some Europeans also searched for new routes to Asia.

There was much change in Europe, notably the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648).

In England and Wales, the political separation of the Church of England from the pope under King Henry VIII sparked Anglicanism (which was part of the broad Protestant movement).

The legend (aka the key) is essential to helping us understand the map (it uses symbols and colours)...

Using the legend, the map (including the WORDS on the map), we can answer the following questions:

1) Which is the most widely practiced religion at the time?

Catholicism is the dominant religion of the time (most countries are mostly Catholic).

2) Where was the papal seat (what are the other Catholic centres of power)?

It was in the Papal States (north of Italy). The other Catholic centres of power are France and Spain (symbolized by the crowns of Catholic monarchs) and (we can suppose) the Holy Roman Empire (since we know the Emperor was Catholic).

3) Which countries, named on the map, were entirely Catholic?

Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Papal States, Austria, Bohemia, Poland.

4) Which countries or regions, named on the map, were Protestant or included (a large number of) Protestants?

Scotland, England (and the north of Ireland), the north of the Low Countries, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the north and the centre of the Holy Roman Empire, France, Hungary.

5) Where were the Protestant centres (i.e. centres from which Protestantism spread)?

Wittenberg (in “Germany”) was the centre of Lutheranism. Geneva (in “Switzerland”) was the centre of Calvinism.

6) To which countries did the religious beliefs of the Protestant centres spread?

Lutheranism spread to the German states of the Holy Roman Empire, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Calvinism spread to parts of the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, the Low Countries, Scotland (and then to parts of England as Puritanism), France (in its Huguenot form).

7) What other monotheist religion is shown (in what countries was it practiced)?

Islam (the Muslim faith) is the other major monotheistic religion shown on the map (it was practiced in the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim States of North Africa).

We need to analyse further the map. A map does not simply convey information; we need to think about that information: what does it tell us about the situation shown? The map maker (cartographer) has chosen to show us information in a particular way to make us think about the situation shown...

Analysis

This map shows the centres of religious power (Catholic and Protestant) and the growing Protestant religious movements (they were spreading within Catholic countries) at that time. So, the map is not just about the religious situation at the time but also about power. It is therefore also a political map: the political boundaries of countries and of countries within the Holy Roman Empire are shown, as are the centres of power (i.e. the papal seat, the Catholic kings, the Protestant centres, the Huguenot and Puritan centres, and the Church of England which was controlled by the English monarchs). The map makes us think about the link between, on the one hand religious belief and practice, and, on the other hand, political power. The rise of the Protestant movements surely undermined the power of the Pope, the Catholic kings and the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire? Did this lead to conflict (religious war)?

Conclusion

Religious change (reform) in the 16^th century started with individuals (Luther, Calvin, and others like Huldrych Zwingli and John Knox) who influenced people around them; “change” then became a movement (i.e. more and more people followed the new doctrines). The importance of each movement can be measured by the extent of its territorial spread (hence the use of a map, showing, with arrows and colours, the extent of the Protestant influence from the original centres of Protestant reform); we can speculate (“supputer”, c’est à dire prévoir l’évolution d’une situation) from the map the political “threat” the movement of religious reform posed to the dominant religion (Catholicism) and to the political order (which was based largely on the control of religious belief and practice). The map maker’s “message” is that spreading new religious beliefs and practices is also about challenging the powerful...

Homework

Learn by heart the TIMELINE (for an exam!).

You need to be able to explain (very briefly) what each element of the timeline means (you will have to carry out research!).