Potop szwedzki w listach Johana Ekeblada

Abstract

Courtier, cavalry captain and diplomat Johan Ekeblad (1629–1697) was considered one of the most outstanding Swedish epistolographers of the 17th century. The main aim of the article is to discuss the significance of his rich correspondence and to present some examples of it translated from Swedish into Polish. Ekeblad’s letters are considered by Swedish historians and literary scholars to be a very important source for studies on the modern mentality of the Swedish nobility. A small part of the correspondence concerns Ekeblad’ participation in the activities of the Swedish army on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1656. At that time it was already clear that the Commonwealth would not be easily invaded. The letters present a picture of the Swedish army, everyday life, fears and expectations from the perspective of a well-connected officer. The article contains an analysis of the threads taken up in these statements.