Guillem Soler (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1380s), sometimes given as Guillelmus Soleri, Guillermo Soler and Guglielmo Soleri, was a

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

of the 14th century. Little is known of Guillem Soler. Documents establish his existence in

in 1368, and that he was dead before 1402. Historians once believed him to be an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

named "Guglielmo Soleri" who worked in Majorca, but has since been more confidently identified as probably of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...

origin. Majorcan documents identify him as "Guillermi Solerii", citizen of

, master instrument-maker and mapmaker (''bruixoler''). Guillem Soler was one of the few non-Jews of the

Majorcan cartographic school "Majorcan cartographic school" is the term coined by historians to refer to the collection of predominantly Jewish cartographers, cosmographers and navigational instrument-makers and some Christian associates that flourished in Majorca in the ...

. A letter of 1387 by King

John I of Aragon John I (27 December 1350 – 19 May 1396), called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance, but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death. Biography John was the eldest son of Peter IV and his third ...

, written shortly after the death of the great Majorcan cartographer

Abraham Cresques Abraham Cresques (, 1325–1387), whose real name was Cresques (son of) Abraham, was a 14th-century Jewish cartographer from Palma, Majorca (then part of the Crown of Aragon). In collaboration with his son, Jehuda Cresques, Cresques is credite ...

, seems to refer to Guillem Soler as a "Christian master" of "similar skill", capable of completing one of Cresques's unfinished maps (uncertain which). Guillem Soler is the author of two significant

portolan charts Portolan charts are nautical charts, first made in the 13th century in the Mediterranean basin and later expanded to include other regions. The word ''portolan'' comes from the Italian ''portulano'', meaning "related to ports or harbors", an ...

. * c. 1380 portolan, undated but signed "Guillmus Soleri civis maioricaru me fecit". This is currently held (Res. Ge. B. 1131) by the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national reposito ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, France. * 1385 portolan, dated and signed "Gujllmo soleij ciujs Maoicaru me fecit Año A nt, dñj Mccclxx.v", held (CN.3) by the

Archivio di Stato di Firenze The Archivio di Stato di Firenze, is the repository for the public records and archives of the Italian city of Florence. The archive holds over 600 fonds dating back to the 8th century which, laid out in a line, would stretch over 75 km (46 miles). ...

, in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, Italy. Both are "normal portolan" charts, covering usual range (Mediterranean, Black Sea, Atlantic coast), but contain some stylistic differences. The first (1380) is considered quite typical of the Majorcan school, geared to geographical depiction, with plenty of illustrations and inland details (e.g. rivers, heraldic shields, mountain ranges). The latter (1385) portolan seems more reminiscent of the Italian school - that is, more nautically oriented, nearly bereft of illustrations and with very few inland details. Guillem Soler's c. 1380 (Paris) chart gives probably the first depiction of the

royal arms of England The royal arms of England are the Coat of arms, arms first adopted in a fixed form at the start of the age of heraldry (circa 1200) as Armorial of the House of Plantagenet, personal arms by the House of Plantagenet, Plantagenet kings who ruled ...

as quartered with the royal arms of France (representing the

English claims to the French throne From the 1340s to the 19th century, excluding two brief intervals in the 1360s and the 1420s, the kings and queens of England and Ireland (and, later, of Great Britain) also claimed the throne of France. The claim dates from Edward III, who cla ...

in the 14th century) Guillem Soler is also the possible author of a third piece, a recently discovered fragment (21x31 cm) of a Catalan chart, covering only a portion of the west Mediterranean. It is unsigned and undated, but believed to be prior to the other two known charts.Campbell
2011
. It is privately held. Guillem Soler is believed to be the father of Majorcan cartographer

Joan Soler Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

and through him ancestral to the later mapmakers Rafel Soler (

1430s) and Gabriel Soler (fl.1460s). He might also be the grandfather (through his daughter Margarita) of Rafel Lloret (fl. 1440s) Image:Western Europe detail of portolan chart of Guillem Soler (c.1380, Paris).jpg, Western Mediterranean detail from Soler's c. 1380 chart (BNF, Paris) chart. Image:Eastern Mediterranean detail of portolan chart of Guillem Soler (c.1380, Paris).jpg, Eastern Mediterranean portion in Soler's c. 1380 chart (BNF, Paris).

References

Sources

* Baig i Aleu, M. (2001) "Un nuevo documento sobre Guillem Soler y la cuestion de la cartografia mallorquina", ''Llull'', Vol. 24, p. 587-603
online
(pdf) * Beazley, C.R. (1906) ''The Dawn of Modern Geography''. London
vol. 3
* Campbell, T. (1987) "Portolan Charts from the Late Thirteenth Century to 1500". ''The History of Cartography''. Volume 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 371–463. (2011, "Additions, Corrections and Updates"

* Campbell, T. (2011) "Complete chronological listing of works assigned to the period pre-1501 (with a note of high quality reproductions and place-name lists)"

* Llopmart, F. (1975) "La cartografia mallorquina del siglo XV. Nuevos hitos y rutas", 'Boletín de la Sociedad Arqueológica Luliana'', vol. 34, p.438-65 * Pujades i Bataller, Ramon J. (2007) ''Les cartes portolanes: la representació medieval d'una mar solcada.'' Barcelona: Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya.
www.cresquesproject.net
��Translation in English of the works of Riera i Sans and Gabriel Llompart on the Jewish Majorcan Map-makers of the Late Middle Ages {{DEFAULTSORT:Soler, Guillem Majorcan cartographers 14th-century people from the Kingdom of Aragon Medieval Spanish geographers 14th-century geographers 14th-century Latin writers