Nicolas Sanson (20 December 1600 – 7 July 1667) was a French
cartographer who served under two kings in matters of
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
. He has been called the "father of
French cartography
The history of French cartography can be traced to developments in the Middle Ages. This period was marked by improvements in measuring instruments and also by an upgrade of work in registers of all types. What is thought to be the oldest land map ...
."
Life and work
He was born of an old
Picard family of
Scottish descent, at
Abbeville
Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
, on 20 (or 31) December 1600, and was educated by the
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
at
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
.
In 1627 he attracted the attention of
Richelieu by a map of
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
which he had constructed (or at least begun) while only eighteen. Sanson was royal geographer.
He gave lessons in geography both to
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
and to
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
; and when Louis XIII, it is said, came to Abbeville, he preferred to be the guest of Sanson (then employed on the fortifications), instead of occupying the lodgings provided by the town. At the conclusion of this visit the king made Sanson a councillor of state.
Active from 1627, Sanson issued his first map of importance, the "Postes de France", which was published by
Melchior Tavernier
Melchior Tavernier (1594 – May 1665) was a French engraver, printmaker and print publisher.
Heritage, early life, and training
He was the son of Gabriel II Tavernier (1566–1607), an engraver, who in 1573 moved with his father Gabriel I Tav ...
in 1632. After publishing several general atlases himself he became the associate of Pierre Mariette, a publisher of prints.
In 1647 Sanson accused the Jesuit
Philippe Labbe
Philippe Labbe ( la, Philippus Labbeus; 10 July 1607 – 16 or 17 March 1667) was a French Jesuit writer on historical, geographical and philological questions.
Born in Bourges, he entered the Society of Jesus on 28 September 16 ...
of
plagiarizing him in his ''Pharus Galliae Antiquae''; in 1648 he lost his eldest son Nicolas, killed during the
Fronde
The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. King Louis XIV confronted the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law cour ...
. Among the friends of his later years was the great
Condé. He died in Paris on 7 July 1667. Two younger sons, Adrien (d. 1708) and Guillaume (d. 1703), succeeded him as geographers to the king.
In 1692
Hubert Jaillot
Alexis-Hubert Jaillot (1632 – 2 November 1712) was a geographer and French cartographer, publisher at Paris, from the late 17th century and beginning of the 18th century, in the service of King Louis XIV.
Biography
Born in Saint-Oyand-de-Jou ...
collected Sanson's maps in an ''Atlas nouveau''. See also the 18th century editions of some of Sanson's works on
Delamarche under the titles of ''Atlas de géographie ancienne'' and ''Atlas britannique''; and the ''Catalogue des cartes et livres de géographie de Sanson'' (1702).
Sanson's maps were used as a model by his son, Guillaume, and, at least initially, by
Duval, his nephew, in his 1664 folio map and 1660 atlas minor map. Outside of France, Sanson influenced the Italian mapmakers
Nicolosi
Nicolosi ( scn, Niculùsi) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about northwest of Catania.
Nicolosi borders the following municipalities: Adra ...
,
De Rossi De Rossi () is an Italian surname, and may refer to:
Actresses
* Alessandra De Rossi (born 1984), Philippine actress
* Assunta De Rossi (born 1983), Philippine actress
*Barbara De Rossi (born 1960), Italian actress
*Portia de Rossi (born 1973), A ...
(1677), and
Petrini. In England,
Blome Blome is a surname of:
* Fanny Blomé (born 1990) is a Swedish model
* Gert Blomé (born 1934), Swedish ice hockey player
* Heinz-Jürgen Blome (1946–2012) German football player
* Kurt Blome
Kurt Blome (31 January 1894 – 10 October 1969 ...
(1669) used his map. Sanson continued to influence later mapmakers to 1700 through his association with Jaillot and, to a lesser degree, Duval.
Principal works
Sanson's principal works are:
*''Galilee antiquae descriptio geographica'' (1627);
*''Graeciae antiquae descriptio'' (1636);
*''L'Empire romain'' (1637);
*''Britannia, ou recherches de l'antiquité d'Abbeville'' (1638), in which he seeks to identify
Strabo's
Britannia
Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...
with
Abbeville
Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
;
*''La France'' (1644);
*''Tables méthodiques pour les divisions des Gaules'' (1644);
*''L'Angleterre, l'Espagne, l'Italie et l'Allemagne'' (1644);
*''Le Cours du Rhin'' (1646);
*''In Pharum Galliae antiquae Philippi L'Abbe disquisitiones'' (1647–1648);
*''Remarques sur la carte de l'ancienne Gaule de César'' (1651);
*''L'Asie'' (1652);
*''Index geographicus'' (1653);
*''Les Estats de la Couronne d'Arragon en Espagne'' (1653);
*''Geographia sacra'' (1653);
*''L'Afrique'' (1656)
*
*
''Tables geographiques des divisions du globe terrestre''(1677). Paris: H. Jalliot. 26 p.
References
Footnotes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanson, Nicolas
People from Abbeville
1600 births
1667 deaths
French cartographers
17th-century French people
French people of Scottish descent
17th-century cartographers