1552 Munster Leaf Hungary Huns Attila Battle of Chalons

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1552 Description of Hungary from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster
The kingdom of the Huns, Attila, the invasion of Gaul, the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains
One Woodcut Picture

Single authentic woodcut leaf from "Cosmographia" by Sebastian Münster. French edition; Basel printing house of Sebastian Heinrich-Petri 1552. Book III pages 1063-4.

Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and Hebrew scholar whose Cosmographia (1544; "Cosmography") was the earliest German description of the world and a major work - after the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 - in the revival of geographic thought in 16th-century Europe. Altogether, about 40 editions of the Cosmographia appeared during 1544-1628. Although other cosmographies predate Münster's, he is given first place in historical discussions of this sort of publication, and was a major influence on his subject for over 200 years. Cosmographia contained not only the latest maps and views of many well-known cities, but included an encyclopaedic amount of detail about the known - and unknown - world and undoubtedly must have been one of the most widely read books of its time. Aside from the well-known maps and views present in the Cosmographia (including the first separate printed map of the Western Hemisphere), the text is thickly sprinkled with vigorous woodcuts: portraits of kings and princes, costumes and occupations, habits and customs, flora and fauna, monsters and horrors.

Click here for more information about Münster and Cosmographia, including the content and list of editions and artists

This most interesting authentic leaf from the early French edition of Cosmographia is devoted to ancient history of Pannonia (Hungary). Hungary came into existence when the Magyars, a Finno-Ugric people, occupied the middle basin of the Danube River in the late 9th century AD. Parts of its territory had formed the ancient Roman provinces of Pannonia and Dacia. When Rome lost control of Pannonia at the end of the 4th century, it was occupied first by Germanic tribes, then by Slavs. The central plains had formed the bases of nomadic immigrant peoples from the steppes north of the Black Sea - Huns, Bulgars, Avars - some of whom extended their domination farther afield.

Attila was king of the Huns from 434 to 453. He was one of the greatest of the barbarian rulers who assailed the Roman Empire, invading the southern Balkan provinces and Greece and then Gaul and Italy. The Hun kingdom was centered in modern-day Hungary. In 451, Attila invaded Gaul. He announced that his objective in the West was the kingdom of the Visigoths (a Germanic people who had conquered parts of the two Roman empires) centred on Toulouse. When Attila had already entered Gaul, the Roman general Aetius reached an agreement with the Visigothic king, Theodoric I, to combine their forces in resisting the Huns. Many legends surround the campaign that followed. It is certain, however, that Attila almost succeeded in occupying Aurelianum (Orleans) before the allies arrived. Indeed, the Huns had already gained a footing inside the city when Aetius and Theodoric forced them to withdraw. The decisive engagement was the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains (Chalons). After fierce fighting, in which the Visigothic king was killed, Attila withdrew and shortly afterward retired from Gaul. This was his first and only defeat.

The leaf contains one woodcut picture: Attila's portrait, carrying an inscription "Attila flagellum Dei" ("The Scourge of God"). See scans for more details; click image to view larger version.

Page measures 7.2 x 11 inches. Printed on laid paper. The leaf is in good condition. Imperfections: minor browning; margins slihtly trimmed; small marginal repair. This is a rare and exceptionally interesting historical document which will look great with a mat and frame.

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