Letters written during 1561-1562 by the diplomat of the Holy Roman Empire, Valentin Saurman [Valentinus Saurman de Jelcze, Sauermann, Zaurman], to Emperor Ferdinand I from the Vilnius court of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund Augustus reveal the broad spectrum of foreign policy issues concerning the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, which were being discussed and resolved in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. They disclose the complex course of dynastic, territorial, and ideological conflicts as well as the nature and practice of Western diplomacy. These published letters are an important source of information not only for questions relating to Lithuanian and Polish foreign policy, but also for a better understanding of the problems of international relations in the region of Central and Eastern Europe during the mid-16th century.
The letters are published in their original language (Latin or German) with translations into Lithuanian and with extensive commentaries. The introduction by Prof. Jūratė Kiaupienė is translated into English. There is an index.
ISBN 978-9986-9071-8-3