author
Bulstrode Whitelocke
1605–1675
A lawyer, statesman, and relentless diarist of the English Civil War era, he moved at the center of some of the 17th century’s biggest political upheavals. His writings remain valuable for the way they capture public events and private judgments at the same time.
1 Audiobook
A Journal of the Swedish Embassy in the Years 1653 and 1654, Vol II.
by Bulstrode Whitelocke
About the author
Born in 1605, Bulstrode Whitelocke was an English lawyer, parliamentarian, and political writer who became an important figure during the Civil War and Commonwealth years. He trained in law, entered Parliament early, and built a reputation as a capable public servant in a period marked by civil conflict and rapid political change.
Whitelocke is especially remembered for the senior offices he held under the Commonwealth, including service as one of the commissioners of the Great Seal. He also undertook a major diplomatic mission to Sweden, showing the trust placed in him as both a legal and political figure.
For readers today, his lasting appeal lies in his writing. His memoirs and historical papers, especially those later published as Memorials of English Affairs, offer a detailed, often vivid record of mid-17th-century England from someone who was close to power but observant enough to record its tensions and contradictions.