Antoine-Augustin Bruzen de La Martinière
Encyclopedia
Antoine-Augustin Bruzen de La Martinière or de la Martiniere, born at Dieppe
in 1683 and died in The Hague
on 19 June 1746, was a French polymath. His main work was the Grand Dictionnaire Geographique Et Critique published in ten volumes between 1726 and 1739.
Thanks to the munificence of his patrons, he lived at the court of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, then Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
. He was also employed by king Philip V of Spain
.
with his uncle, the theologian and historian Richard Simon.
In 1709 he went to the court of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg. After Friedrich Wilhelm's death in 1713, La Martinière entered the service of Francesco Farnese, the Duke of Parma, who sent him on a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands
.
In Amsterdam
he undertook many translations and compilations.
As Secretary of the Philip V, King of Sicily and Spain, La Martinière received a pension of 1,200 ECU.
After several years in the Netherlands, La Martinière moved to the Hague, where he lived until his death in June 1746.
On the advice of the Marquis Beretti Landi, Ambassador of Spain to the States-General of the Netherlands
, La Martinière dedicated the work to the Spanish King Philip V.
In Germany, the work was translated and expanded under the title Historical and Political-Geographic Atlas of the whole world. The alphabetical volumes of the German edition were published in 1744-1749, and a supplementary volume in 1750. The publisher was Johann Samuel Heinsius
of Leipzig
, but the translation and expansion project was initiated by his partner Johann Heinrich Zedler
.
The Grand Dictionnaire Geographique Et Critique was published in several editions after La Martinière's death, such as a six-volume revised edition in Paris in 1768.
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
in 1683 and died in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 19 June 1746, was a French polymath. His main work was the Grand Dictionnaire Geographique Et Critique published in ten volumes between 1726 and 1739.
Thanks to the munificence of his patrons, he lived at the court of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, then Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma
Francesco Farnese reigned as the seventh and penultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1694 until his death...
. He was also employed by king Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
.
Life
La Martinière was born in Dieppe in 1683 and grew up in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with his uncle, the theologian and historian Richard Simon.
In 1709 he went to the court of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg. After Friedrich Wilhelm's death in 1713, La Martinière entered the service of Francesco Farnese, the Duke of Parma, who sent him on a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
he undertook many translations and compilations.
As Secretary of the Philip V, King of Sicily and Spain, La Martinière received a pension of 1,200 ECU.
After several years in the Netherlands, La Martinière moved to the Hague, where he lived until his death in June 1746.
Work
La Martinière's main work is the 10 volume Grand Dictionnaire Geographique Et Critique, of which the first volume appeared in 1726 in the Hague. It is one of the most extensive geographical works of the 18th Century.On the advice of the Marquis Beretti Landi, Ambassador of Spain to the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
, La Martinière dedicated the work to the Spanish King Philip V.
In Germany, the work was translated and expanded under the title Historical and Political-Geographic Atlas of the whole world. The alphabetical volumes of the German edition were published in 1744-1749, and a supplementary volume in 1750. The publisher was Johann Samuel Heinsius
Johann Samuel Heinsius
Johann Samuel Heinsius was a German bookseller and publisher based in Leipsig, best known for the works he published in collaboration with Johann Heinrich Zedler.Heinsius founded his firm, also named Heinsius, in Leipzig in 1725....
of Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, but the translation and expansion project was initiated by his partner Johann Heinrich Zedler
Johann Heinrich Zedler
Johann Heinrich Zedler was a bookseller and publisher. His most important achievement was the creation of a German encyclopedia, the Grosses Universal-Lexicon ,...
.
The Grand Dictionnaire Geographique Et Critique was published in several editions after La Martinière's death, such as a six-volume revised edition in Paris in 1768.
Further reading
- La Martinière (Antoine-Augustin Bruzen de), in: Jean Chrétien Ferdinand Hoefer, Nouvelle biographie générale, Band 29: La Liborlière – Lavoisien, Paris 1859, pages 94–98.