Przegląd Zachodniopomorski

Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (1607–1676), one of the most prominent commanders of the Age of Sail, known as “Dutch Nelson”, became famous for the military operations carried out during the Second (1665–1667) and Third (1672–1674) Anglo-Dutch War in which he achieved his greatest victories. His participation in the Second Northern War and the conquest of Nyborg is one of the episodes in his long and eventful maritime career. It is worth attention, because it demonstrates admiral’s de Ruyter’s charisma, tactical craftsmanship, and excellent sense of planning the activities on sea in the period when he was not yet a commander-in-chief of the Dutch war fleet. The diplomatic commitment of the Dutchmen and the strength of their fleet deployed for operation in this region prove the high significance of the Sound for their commercial interests within the Baltic Sea. This article attempts to answer the questions of how the operations of Nyborg were perceived in the 17th-century United Provinces of the Netherlands and how they influenced de Ruyter’s career. The 17th-century Dutch sources were used, both written and iconographic, including the biographies of admiral de Ruyter, among them the most famous one by Gerard Brandt, as well as the maps, engravings, and poems from the collection of Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.