German Chronicle ‘The Theater of Europe’ about the First Stage of the Campaign of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Troops against the Left-Bank Hetmanate in 1663–1664

Abstract

The article analyzes the testimonies of the fundamental 17th-century German chronicle "The Theater of Europe" ("Theatrum Europaeum") regarding the first stage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s army offence, led by King Jan Casimir, against the Left-Bank Hetmanate in 1663–1664. It briefly outlines the history of this 17th-early – 18th-century fundamental issue, initiated, written and published by an artist Matvii Merian and his team of historians. This chronicle consists of 21 volumes (each contains over 1000 pages) and numerous illustrations, primarily focusing on the military and political history of Europe. It also allocates a certain place to Ukraine. While Ukrainian narratives from the first half to the middle of the 17th century have been previously studied (the article briefly discusses the state of the art), the subsequent period had not been explored. This article presents the first examination of the chronicle’s accounts of the campaign’s history, provides a translation of relevant texts from German, identifies author errors (specifically in using the names of the Ukrainian cities). The article highlights the authors’ distinctive historical perspectives and reveals original reports (such as the capture of Hetman Ivan Brukhovetsky by Polish soldiers). It studies the plot about participation of certain French aristocrats (known from the novels written by Alexandre Dumas father) in the campaign. Despite its brevity, "The Theater of Europe" constitutes important evidence of how knowledge about Ukraine spread in Western Europe.