Pierre Moullart-Sanson was the grandson of the famous cartographer Nicolas Sanson. He published this map in 1695, during the Nine Years’ War between Louis XIV and the League of Augsburg. Throughout his reign, the king attempted aggressively (and somewhat successfully) to expand France’s borders, especially to the north and the east.

The location of Versailles appealed to Louis XIV because it allowed him to remain close to Paris, yet at a safe distance from the bustle of the city. Nearby were the châteaux of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where Louis XIV was born, and of Saint-Cloud, the residence of his brother Philippe.