1720 Accurater Grundriß und Prospect Der Kön. Schwed. Reichs. u. Hauptstadt Stockholm

This superb early eighteenth century map of Stockholm in full original hand colour is from Homann’s Maior Atlas Superiore.  The map depicts Stockholm as it was at the time of the Great Northern War, when Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland challenged the supremacy of Sweden in the Baltic area. Sweden had enjoyed an era of economic and territorial expansion in the Baltic area throughout the 16th and 17th centuries which ultimately antagonized most of its neighbors, who formed various coalitions and alliances in order to gain military advantage. The war ended in 1721, with Sweden ceding significant territories and with Russia emerging as a major power in the region under Peter the Great, when it became known as the Russian Empire rather than the Russian Tsardom as it had been known previously. Stockholm had significantly benefited during the time of Sweden’s expansion, and though the map was drawn toward the end of the conflict, it reflects the prosperity and growth which preceded