Personal View of the World. Mapmaking and the perception of the world it demonstrates has two distinct aspects in the Middle Ages. The first was theoretical; it constructs an image of the world in keeping with Greco-Roman and Christian authorities and reflects a spiritual perspective on Earth's place in the universe. The second aspect was practical and applicable geographical knowledge that was rarely expressed in permanent maps. The world of medieval Europeans of all social classes was limited to the boundaries of their personal experience. Their grasp of geography was strongly influenced by the people who farmed and the lords who held legal rights to plots of land. In a bill of sale the borders of a property were commonly described by listing the names of the people who held the lands on the borders; if a person reading the document did not know those people...