地图绘制与17世纪不列颠共同体观念的塑造——以《大不列颠帝国大观》为中心

Map Making and the Shaping of the Idea of the British Community in the 17th Century--Centered on The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine

从17世纪初开始,英格兰与苏格兰两王国同处一位君主的统治之下,从而在两国建立起一种独特的复合君主制度。斯皮德出版的地图集《大不列颠帝国大观》适时满足了英格兰国王詹姆斯一世兼苏格兰国王詹姆斯六世大力宣扬不列颠共同体观念的愿望,不仅将所绘地域范围从原先的英格兰、威尔士和爱尔兰扩大至苏格兰,而且通过突出王室纹章的手法,以显示英格兰与苏格兰共戴一君的新政治格局,并以展现王家系谱、彰显历史上的战争胜绩等方式,进一步明确了一个以国王为首的等级制社会,初步营造出一种具有“不列颠性”的共同体意识。在此意义上,斯皮德出版的不列颠地图集通过地图绘制中的诸多非技术性手段,重构了两王国的时空叙述,在历史权利层面增强了复合君主制的合法性,从而为18世纪初大不列颠联合王国的诞生奠定了必要的观念基础。

Since the beginning of the 17th century,the two kingdoms of England and Scotland have been ruled by the same monarch,thus establishing a unique composite monarchy system in both countries.Speed’s atlas,The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine,met the desire of James Ⅰ of England and James Ⅵ of Scotland to promote the idea of Britain by extending the geographical scope of maps from England,Wales and Ireland to Scotland,and by highlighting the royal coat of arms to show the new political pattern of England and Scotland sharing the same king.Meanwhile,the atlas showed the royal family tree and the historical war achievements,etc.,further clarified the hierarchical society headed by the king.These techniques created a sense of community with“Britishness”.In this sense,the Atlas published by Speed reconstructed the narrative of time and space of the two kingdoms through many non-technical means in mapping,enhanced the legitimacy of the composite monarchy at the level of historical rights,and laid the necessary conceptual foundation for the birth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in the early 18th century.