A previously unknown field book of the Swedish king Charles XII from the Northern War period was discovered in the University of Gothenburg’s library.
The document consists of 268 pages. Some of the chapters were written on the eve of the Battle of Poltava in the spring of 1709. The field book also contains detailed illustrations – drawings, diagrams, figures, and images of the battle formations of the troops.
The find was made by chance. It was discovered by researcher Antoinette Granber, associate professor and senior lecturer in Slavic languages. While working with materials as part of her own scientific research, she came across the document in the Gwitfeldt collection, which was transferred to the University of Gothenburg library in 1967.
“My first reaction was: this must be a well-known document – I just didn’t know about it. But the field book turned out to be completely unknown, and no one knew about its existence,” Granber said.
The book has a worn leather binding with a gilded inscription on the spine. The entries cover the period from the summer of 1707 to the autumn of 1717 – the year before Charles XII’s death.
Some of the chapters, although not all, are signed by the king himself. He used the signature “Carolus” and, in some cases, the abbreviation “L.S.” (Locco Sigilli, “instead of the stamp”). Some chapters are signed by other people. Among them are Karl Pieper, the king’s closest advisor, and the baron and military figure Samuel Åkerhilm, who was responsible for the work of the royal chancellery.
According to the University of Gothenburg, several chapters of the diary were written in the village of Velyki Budyscha, 30 kilometers north of Poltava, and dated March 17, 1709.
