“They are dissatisfied, yet they should not have fled from Pskov but persevered until the end!” Jan Piotrowski on Lithuanians

Abstract

The paper deals with the manner in which the Pole Jan Piotrowski, the author of the diary of Stefan Batory’s expedition to Pskov (1581-1582), depicted the Lithuanians participating in it. He rarely referred to stereotypical ideas about them, rather than this he described the reality that he observed and did not skew it towards the established beliefs.
Although he valued his countrymen more, he could show courage and bravery of the Lithuanian soldiers, especially praising the raid of Krzysztof Radziwiłł’s troop. Somewhat more often, however, he reprimanded the Lithuanians: underestimated their number and combat quality, accused them of withdrawing too quickly from Pskov, emphasized their susceptibility to rumours. Among the citizens of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he most disliked  Chancellor Eustachy Wołłowicz, who hindered Piotrowski from fulfilling his mission and often refused access to the documents he possessed.
The image we receive is inhomogeneous. It combines  bright and dark sides of fellow Lithuanian citizens, which makes it seem very credible.