A New and Accurate Map of the Netherlands or Low Countries [and] A Plan of the City of Mons

Strategic overview of Mons published while the city was a battleground in the War of the Austrian Succession.

This double image map presents a detailed overview of the southern Netherlands, then under Austrian control, as well as a plan of the fortifications at the city of Mons. In both images, particular emphasis is given to details of military relevance.

Roads, rivers (major impediments to armies), and fortified cities are noted on the map, while the lower plan strictly focuses on Mon’s defensive capabilities. These include “low marshy lands which may be laid under water” – a common tactic in wars on Dutch soil throughout the centuries.

When Emanuel Bowen published this map in 1747, the city was under French control, having fallen to the armies of Louis XV the preceding year. The battle was part of the larger ongoing War of Austrian Succession, one of the final continental wars related to the dynastic conflicts of the Hapsburgs and Bourbons.