From mimesis to metric: The changing awareness of space as a category of administration caused by cartography in Northern Germany during the late 16th and early 17th century

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The research project systematically examines the development of the awareness of space in politics and administration in the early modern period and focuses the process of drawing borders on a cartographic basis in Northern Germany between 1570 and 1620. In this period of peace countless border disputes were settled in order to find clearly defined territories. In the 16th century the linear representation of borders proved to be the solution and gave consideration to both the already developed measuring technology as the princely administration. This transformation of the border - as the most important figure of space and fundamental in order to appreciate awareness of space - from borderland to a linear border was based on maps which helped to visualise the matter in dispute, to design clearly defined spaces and to constitute territories for the purpose of administration. Linking these maps to their corresponding files provides the basis for an analysis of this negotiation process on its way to a space based ruling. Therefore, maps should not be considered as a passive element of representation which just visualises space, but as an acting instrument which rather produces space. Based on a central principality in Northern Germany in its interaction with numerous neighbouring territories in a total of 23 border disputes, this research project should make its contribution to aspects as concept of ruling and exercise of power at the beginning of the early modern period.