A Collection of Maps Owned by England's First Queen Spent Centuries Overlooked in a Family Library. Now, the Rare Volume Is on Sale for $1.6 Million

"The richly bound volume is a 1555 edition of Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia, a chronicle of English history originally commissioned by the queen's paternal grandfather, Henry VII."

"The map reflects the queen's contemporary strategic concerns and England's enduring vision of itself as a cross-channel power, even as direct control of its continental territories slipped away."

A 1555 edition of Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia, once owned by Mary I, may provide insights into her views on the loss of Calais. The book features Mary's monogram and coat of arms, along with four custom maps of English claims, including Scotland and Ireland. The map of Scotland is dated to the year of Calais's fall, emphasizing England's aspirations of sovereignty in France. The volume reflects Mary's strategic concerns and England's identity as a cross-channel power despite losing direct control over its territories.

Read at Smithsonian Magazine