Philipp Clüver (also Klüwer, Cluwer, or Cluvier,

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

ized as Philippus Cluverius) (1580 – 31 December 1622) was an

Early Modern The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

German

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

Life

Clüver was born in Danzig (Gdańsk), in Royal Prussia, a province of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. After spending some time at the Polish court of Sigismund III Vasa, he began the study of law at the University of Leiden (

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

), but soon he turned his attention to history and geography, which were then taught there by Joseph Scaliger. Clüver received science education from his father, who was ''Münzmeister'' at Danzig (coin master), but when Clüver went into different studies, his father stopped supporting his studies. He therefore travelled from Leiden across

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, where he did military service for a few years. While in Bohemia, he translated into Latin a defense by Baron Popel Lobkowitz, who was imprisoned. Upon his return to Leiden, he faced sanctions by the imperial ( Habsburg) authorities for this, which however he could avoid with the help of his Leiden friends. Clüver also travelled in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He did all travel on foot, finally returning to Leiden, where (after 1616) he received a regular pension from the university. He died in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

Work

Clüver was an antiquary, who was given a special appointment at Leiden as geographer and put in charge of the university's library, but his life's project, it developed, was a general study of the geography of Antiquity, based not only on classical literary sources, but – and this was his contribution – supplemented by wide travels and local inspections. He became virtually the founder of historical geography. Clüver's first work, in 1611, concerning the lower reaches of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

and its tribal inhabitants in Roman times (''Commentarius de tribus Rheni alveis, et ostiis; item. De Quinque populis quondam accolis; scilicet de Toxandris, Batavis, Caninefatibus, Frisiis, ac Marsacis'') touched a source of national pride among the Seventeen Provinces, for the Dutch were enjoying a twelve years' truce in their

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

of liberation. Clüver's ''Germaniae antiquae libri tres'' (Leiden, 1616) depends on

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

and other Latin authors. A volume on the antiquities of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, with notes on

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

and

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

(''Sicilia Antiqua cum minoribus insulis ei adjacentibus item Sardinia et Corsica''), published at

by Louis Elsevier in 1619, is a useful source, with many reference from writers of Antiquity and maps that are often detached and sold to map collectors. His ''Introductio in universam geographiam'', totally 6 parts, (published posthumously from 1624) was the first comprehensive modern geography, and became a standard geographical textbook. Clüver was also a prolific a writer on mathematical and theological subjects. He is remembered by collectors and historians of

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

for his edition of

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

's ''Geographia'' (based on Mercator's edition of 1578) and for miniature atlases that were reprinted for most of the 17th century. Many of his maps were etched for him by Petrus Bertius.

Bibliography

*''Germania Antiqua'' (1616) *''Siciliae Antiquae libri duo'' (1619) *''Sardinia et Corsica Antiqua'' (1619) *''Italia Antiqua'' (1624, posthumous) *''Introductio in Universam Geographiam'' (1624–1629)

Gallery

Image:Germaniae antiquae, Plate 11, Clüver.jpg, ''Germania antiqua'', Pl. 11 Image:Germaniae antiquae libri tres, Plate 17, Clüver.jpg, ''Germania antiqua'', Pl. 17 Image:+Germaniae antiquae libri tres, Plate 18, Clüver.jpg, ''Germania antiqua'', Pl. 18 Image:Germaniae antiquae libri tres, Plate 24, Clüver.jpg, ''Germania antiqua'', Pl. 24

Notes

References

*
Philipp Clüver in ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie''

External links

*
Maps by Philipp Cluver
note on Philipp Cluver {{DEFAULTSORT:Cluver, Philipp 1580 births 1623 deaths 17th-century writers in Latin German geographers 17th-century German historians Leiden University alumni Academic staff of Leiden University Writers from Gdańsk German male non-fiction writers 17th-century German male writers Writers from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 17th-century geographers