''The Freebooter of the Baltic'' ( sv, Fribytaren på Östersjön,

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

) is an early

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

romantic novelist Viktor Rydberg. The adventure is set in 17th century Sweden and is a swashbuckling tale of piracy on the high seas, with political overtones. Several historical people are portrayed in the book, such as

Bengt Skytte Bengt Skytte (1614–1683) was a Swedish courtier and diplomat. He was a follower of Comenius and proposed a pansophic city, "Sophopolis". Early life He was the son of Johan Skytte and Maria Näf (Neaf) and brother of Vendela Skytte. He matricula ...

Maria Skytte Maria Skytte af Duderhof (died 1703) was a Swedish Baroness and Countess known for her unconventional lifestyle. She was the daughter of Baron Bengt Skytte and Christina Sparre and the niece of Vendela Skytte. Gustav Skytte and Christina Anna Skyt ...

Christina Anna Skytte Christina Anna Skytte (9 November 1643 – 21 January 1677) was a Swedish baroness and pirate. Life Christina Anna Skytte was born in the parish of Ålems at Mönsterås Municipality, Mönsterås in Kalmar County, Sweden. Her parents were Anna ...

and

Gustav Skytte Gustav Adolf Skytte af Duderhof (1637 – 21 April 1663) was a Swedish nobleman. He became a pirate and plundered ships in the Baltic Sea in the years 1657 to 1662. Biography Skytte was born at Strömsrum Manor in the parish of Ålems at Mön ...

. The novel was translated into English by Caroline L. Broomall in 1891.

External links

Text of the novel
at Project Runeberg 1857 Swedish novels Adventure novels Novels about pirates Novels set in Sweden Novels set in the 17th century Novels set in the Baltic Sea Swedish-language novels Swedish historical novels Novels by Viktor Rydberg {{1850s-adventure-novel-stub