Cf. page 29 of your class textbook (2de classes européennes History Geography, HATIER)
What is a map?
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 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 16th 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 16th 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!).
