New Edition of the Travel Notes of Erich Lassota von Steblau

Abstract

The review analyzes the new edition of the travel notes of the Silesian nobleman Erich Lassota von Steblau (1550–1616). It was prepared by an international team of authors from Scandinavia and Germany led by Thomas Riis. Lassota’s travel notes are the most important source on the history of the 16th century and a number of European countries. Lassota traveled as a mercenary commander and diplomat to Spain, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine. Until now, only historians of these countries have been interested in his testimonies. The focus of researches was mainly on ethnographic and political aspects. Meanwhile, for the first time since 1866, the new edition has united the entire corpus of Lassota’s records known to us and enables to widen the scope of the discussion. How was the religious climate of the era reflected in his texts and to which extent? Were they written by a Catholic or a Protestant? Can we talk about the national or political preferences of the author? Finally, what was Lassota’s gentry worldview, and how did he construct his own estate identity? In addition, a nobleman from Silesia was keenly interested in military affairs, in particular, in Spanish combat tactics. His notes also demonstrate the level of book culture, the author’s acquaintance with the works of prominent contemporaries. All these aspects nowadays are noteworthy to European historians on a wide interregional material.