Alexander Guagnini

Who was Alexander Guagnini?

Alessandro Guagnini was a Polish writer, soldier, chronicler and historian of Italian background. He spend almost his entire life in Poland, became a naturalized Pole and adopted the Polish version of his name "Gwagnin". He also served in the Polish military in Vitebsk at the time part of the Witebsk Voivodeship in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Gwagnin is known for publishing the book Sarmatiae Europeae descriptio, quae Regnum Poloniae, Lituaniam, Samogitiam, Russiam, Masoviam, Prussiam, Pomeraniam... complectitur, usually translated as "A Description of Sarmatian Europe", which contained descriptions of the countries of Eastern Europe in Latin.

It has been argued that he was not actually the author of the book, but rather stole a manuscript of the Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Ruthenia from Maciej Stryjkowski, who was his subordinate. Stryjkowski protested before the Polish king and his claims were recognized in 1580, but the book continued to be printed under Guagnini's name and was even translated into Polish. An expanded edition appeared in 1611.