Vaugondy was the cartographer to the Royal Court of the King of France, Louis XIV. No less. Globes were the only way to study the way the world was divided into spheres of interest. Empty areas were still up for grabs. The court and the French trading establishment hoped to find gold, treasure, or to set up trading posts. All for the glory of the Empire, and obviously to the detriment of colonial nations such as Britain, Spain and the Low Countries.
