Wojciech Krawczuk

The article indicates potential research options concerning the areas of Krakow’s folwarks, especially in terms of early modern military activities. A few early modern plans, unknown or poorly-researched, have been analysed. The land of folwarks was used for centuries as a convenient place for stationing armies, starting from the 16th century.

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.

Itineraries should be an important field of historical research. While there exists a clear dominance of studies devoted to the reconstruction of medieval itineraries, the early modern period is rather neglected. Charles XII of Sweden was a prominent king, and he still stands out in historiography as an often discussed personality, with an enormous impact on the developments in the Eastern and Northern Europe in the time of the Great Northern War, 1700–1718. A reconstruction of his travels and marches could yield a great amount of knowledge enabling us to understand the age and its spirit better. The older, classic studies are, for many reasons, no longer sufficient. An international project devoted to Charles XII’s itinerary could endow us with a lot of useful data.

The ‘war of harassment,’ or tactics used by Stefan Czarniecki in the campaigns against the Swedes during the Second Northern War 1655–1660, was based on the high mobility of the Polish cavalry and the element of surprise. Such actions brought very good results, and they began to be copied by the Swedish side. This is evidenced by the reports of cavalry raids by the troops under Rutger von Ascheberg. Such experiences laid the foundations for the aggressive tactics of the Swedish army in the second half of the 17th early 18th century.

After the Swedish Civil War of 1598 hundreds of exiles left their home country and fled to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, hoping for the protection of king Sigismund. Composition of this group and ways the refugees were helped are known thanks to the conducted research. The king could not support exiles too openly because of the gentry’s reluctance to strangers, but they received general salary and small privileges. However, many actions of this group are still unexplored. One can especially mention their participation in the construction of the Royal Fleet, activity of this group in Gdańsk (Danzig), and other actions carried out by the exiles in support of the Polish branch of House of Vasa.