Author: Antoine Philippe Houze
Year: 1844
This is a reproduction print of the historical map “L’Espagne avant la chute du Royaume de Grenade 1212 à 1492”, created by Antoine Philippe Houze in 1844 and published in Paris by P. Duménil as Carte VI of the Atlas historique et géographique de l’Espagne.
The map depicts medieval Spain and Portugal between 1212 and 1492, during the final centuries of the Reconquista. It illustrates the political geography of the Iberian Peninsula before the fall of the Kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim-ruled kingdom in the region, in 1492.
The Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, along with other historical territories, are distinguished through delicate hand-coloring. Detailed inscriptions identify important cities, rivers, mountain ranges and political boundaries, offering a clear view of the complex territorial divisions of late medieval Iberia.
Originally measuring approximately 28 × 24 cm and produced at a scale of 1:4,800,000, the map features a Paris-based prime meridian and explanatory notes along its lower margin. Its elegant engraving and colored borders make it a distinctive example of 19th-century historical cartography documenting medieval Spain and the Reconquista.
