The Swedish freemason Lars von Engeström and his description of Transylvania

Authors

  • Attila Carol Varga The Romanian Academy, "George Barițiu" Institute of History, Romania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v7i1.25930

Keywords:

Lars von Engeström, Freemasonry, Transylvania , Romanity , Horea’s uprising of 1784

Abstract

This study highlights one of the oldest and most beautiful bridges between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Romanian Lands in the 18th century. The analysis concerns Count Lars of Engeström, freemason, rector of the University of Lund, diplomat, and envoy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Vienna within the Habsburg Empire. In this capacity, he was able to obtain valuable information about the uprising led by Horea, Cloșca and Crișan in Transylvania in 1784. It was a rebellion that shook the reign of Emperor Joseph II. For this reason, its retaliation was commensurate. Thus, recounting a dramatic episode from the pre-modern history of the Romanians, Lars von Engeström left to posterity a beautiful fresco of Transylvania. He spoke about ethnic and confessional diversity, about the Romanian Roma, about the people living here and their problems. There is no definitive information confirming that he actually visited Transylvania. Nevertheless, the famous Swedish diplomat remains the greatest Northern European scholar to write about this 18th century Transylvanian uprising which was unique in its intercontinental resonance and had significant repercussions in the Swedish press of that era.

Author Biography

Attila Carol Varga, The Romanian Academy, "George Barițiu" Institute of History, Romania

Varga Attila Carol holds a PhD in History. He is a researcher at the George Bariţiu History Institute of the Romanian Academy and an associate researcher at Oxford Brookes University (UK). His doctoral thesis focuses on the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church, the state and Freemasonry in Banat and Hungary in the second half of the 19th century. He has written several books and studies on the history of elites in Banat, Transylvania and Central and Eastern Europe. Subsequently, his scientific activity focuses on interdisciplinary research on topics of great interest, such as the history of Freemasonry and secret societies in Romania, Hungary, and Sweden, Eugenics in Central and Northern Europe, film history, the history of computer science and nuclear energy, the transfer of computer and nuclear technology in communist Romania.

References

I. Archives

National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet) – Stockholm. Lars von Engeström. Germanica -BI – Kejsarna Chargé d’Affaires. Depecher 1784. Depecher 1785.

II. Books

Aldea, M. (Ed.). (2013). Lesicon románescu-látinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai multi autori, in cursul’ a trideci, si mai multoru ani s’au lucratu. Lexicon Valachico-Latino-Hungarico-Germanicum quod a pluribus auctoribus decursu triginta et amplius annorum elaboratus est (1825) [Romanian, Latin and Hungarian dictionary written by many authors over 30 years (1825)]. Cluj-Napoca. [Electronic edition]. Retrieved December, 12, 2023 from https://lexiconuldelabuda.bcucluj.ro//site/login.php.

Câmpeanu, R., Dörner, A. E., & Varga, A. (2008). În pragul Europei: Instituțiile transilvane în epoca prereformistă [On the threshold of Europe: Transylvanian institutions in the pre-reform era]. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană.

Cosma, E. (2015). Împăratul călător şi ardelenii în memoriile lui Michael Conrad von Heydendorff cel Bătrân [The travelling emperor and the Transylvanian people in the memoirs of Michael Conrad von Heydendorff the Elder]. With a critical edition and translations from German by Ela Cosma, indexes by Simona Bala. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Argonaut / Gatineau: Symphologic Publishing.

Cristea, G., & Edroiu, N. (2001). Izvoare istorice suedeze privind Răscoala lui Horea [Swedish historical sources about Horea’s uprising]. Cluj-Napoca: Centrul de Studii Transilvane.

Cristea, G. (2001). Regi și diplomați suedezi în spațiul românesc: Secolele XVII-XX [Swedish kings and diplomats in Romania: 17th-20th centuries]. Cluj-Napoca. Academia Română: Centrul de Studii Transilvane.

Edroiu, N. (1976). Răsunetul european al răscoalei lui Horea [The European spread of Horea’s uprising]. Cluj-Napoca: Edit. Dacia.

Hurdubețiu, I. (1985). Istoria Suediei [History of Sweden]. București: Edit. Științifică și Enciclopedică.

Lagerqvist, O. L. (2003). History of Sweden. Stockholm: The Swedish Institute.

Pavel, E. (Ed.). (2018). Școala Ardeleană [Transylvanian School]l, vol. I-IV. Foreword by Eugen Simion. București: Academia Română, Fundația Națională pentru Știință și Artă, Muzeul Național al Literaturii Române.

Tegnér, E. (1876). Minnen och anteckningar [Notes and memories [I-II]]. Stockholm: F.&G. Beijers Förlag.

III. Studies

Bergroth, T. (2010). The Swedish Order of Freemasonry in the 18th century: Short history of the Order. Transylvanian Review, XIX(2:2).

Caba, M. (2023). Școala Ardeleană, primul nucleu “illuminist” al culturii române [The Transylvanian School, the first "enlightened" nucleus of Romanian culture]. Revista Armonii Culturale. Retrieved December, 12, 2023 from https://armoniiculturale.ro/scoala-ardeleana-primul-nucleu-iluminist-al-culturii-romane/.

Cosma, E. (2018). Naţiune, număr şi teritoriu naţional în Transilvania (1848-1850) [Nation, number and territory in Transylvania (1848-1850)]. Anuarul Institutului de Istorie “George Bariţiu” din Cluj-Napoca, Series Historica, Tom LVII, 47-70.

Mehedinți-Beiean, M. (2012). Transylvanian identities: Swedish travellers’ observations for the 17th-19th centuries realities. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai. Historia, 56(1-2), 34-56.

Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon [English Dictionary of Swedish national biography]. (n.d.). Lars von Engeström. Retrieved from https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/mobil/Artikel/16158

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Published

2024-05-15

How to Cite

Varga, A. C. (2024). The Swedish freemason Lars von Engeström and his description of Transylvania. Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies, 7(1), 130–138. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v7i1.25930

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024): Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies

Section

History

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Copyright (c) 2024 Attila Carol

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