Royal fireworks in 1749

Royal Fireworks in London in 1749

A VIEW of the FIRE-WORKES and ILLUMINATIONS at his GRACE the Duke of RICHMOND’S at WHITEHALL and on the River Thames on Monday 15 May 1749. Performed by the direction of Charles Fredrick Esq.

The firework display was for the benefit of King George II of Great Britain to celebrate the signing of the treaty at Aix la Chapelle in 1748 marking the end of the War of Austrian Succession. Unfortunately, during the display, one of the fireworks landed on the pavilion of the Temple of Peace, igniting the several thousand fireworks inside and killing three spectators.

Vue des feux d’artifice et des illuminations données par Monseigneur le Duc de Richmond de Lenox et d’Aubigny sur la Tamise et vis à vis de son hôtel, lundi le 15ème de mai 1749 sous la direction de Mons. Frédérick à Londres.

1748-49

Haendel

Treaty of Aix-la-chapelle

Map of Europe from 1748 to 1766

This map shows Europe in the years after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 1748 and the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). Europe did not see another major geographical change until 1766. The red line marks the borders of the Holy Roman Empire. The work is mainly based on a map in : Putzger - Historischer Weltatlas, Berlin 1990, 78 pp.