This 1821 map of Tver Province is from a larger work, Geograficheskii atlas Rossiiskoi imperii, tsarstva Pol'skogo i velikogo kniazhestva Finliandskogo (Geographical atlas of the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Finland), containing 60 maps of the Russian Empire. Compiled and engraved by Colonel V.P. Piadyshev, it reflects the detailed mapping carried out by Russian military cartographers in the first quarter of the 19th century. The map shows population centers (six gradations by size), postal stations, roads (four types), provincial and district borders, and monasteries. Distances are shown in versts, a Russian measure, now no longer used, equal to 1.07 kilometers. Legends and place-names are in Russian and French. Founded in the 12th century, Tver slowly rose to prominence after its initial eclipse by neighboring principalities. Protected by its surrounding woodlands, Tver escaped significant damage during the Mongol raids of the 13th century. Yaroslav, the younger brother of Alexander Nevsky, became prince in 1247. In succeeding centuries the princes of Tver vied with their main rivals in Moscow for national supremacy, a contest that ended when Ivan the Great of Moscow captured Tver in 1485. In the 18th century, Tver became noteworthy for its location between the two major cities of Russia, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. After a fire destroyed much of Tver in 1763, Catherine the Great rebuilt the city in neoclassical style. She also had one of her many travel palaces constructed in the city.