Images of the Medieval City

Source: http://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/...ampaign=buffer

Jerusalem (6th century)



The city of Jerusalem is probably one of the most widely depicted images from the Middle Ages. This view is the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the city - it can be found on a mosaic in the Byzantine church of Saint George at Madaba, Jordan. The map depicts Jerusalem on how would have looked in between the years 542 and 570.


London (13th century)



Created by Matthew Paris in the 1250s, this is the earliest depiction of the city of London.


Constantinople (15th century)



Florentine cartographer Cristoforo Buondelmonti created this map of the Byzantine city of Constantinople in 1422. It is the oldest surviving map of the city, and the only one that predates the Turkish conquest of the city in 1453.


Siena (14th century)



The fresco 'Effects of Good Government in the City' was painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in either 1338 or 1339. Scholars are not sure if this was meant to be a depiction of the Italian city of Siena or more of a metaphor for the city.


York (15th century)



This image was part of a manuscript from the early-15th century. It depicts the northern English city of York.


Nuremberg (15th century)



The Nuremberg Chronicle, created in Germany in 1493, contains over 1800 woodcut illustrations, including many depicting cities all over Europe. This includes a double-page illustration of the city of Nuremberg.


Florence (14th century)



Dating from 1342, this is the oldest known image of the Italian city of Florence.


Gloucester (14th century)



This manuscript from the early 14th century depicts a few English towns, including Gloucester.


Rhodes (15th century)



Written around 1487, this pilgrimage guide from Constance to Jerusalem depicts several of the cities along the journey, including the port of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea.


Paris (15th century)



From the Chronicles of Jean Froissart, this image shows Queen Isabeau of France being welcomed to the city of Paris.


Baghdad (15th century)



This 15th century image depicts the Mongol siege and conquest of Baghdad in 1258.


A 15th century city and harbour



This unnamed town was depicted in a German account from 1467 that told of a journey from Venice to the Holy Land and Egypt.


Troy (15th century)



The story of the Trojan War was very popular in medieval literature, which led to many images of the city of Troy. Here is one made in Bruges in the later half of the 15th century.


Divided City (15th century)



This early 15th century French manuscript shows a city that has been divided by a crevice.


The Ideal City (15th century)



Created by the Italian artist Fra Carnevale around 1480, this imaginary city square exemplifies Renaissance ideals of urban planning.