ABSTRACT
‘There is no doubt His Grace will always remember your diligence and loyalty in this in some good advancement’. 1 These were the words of Bishop Johannes Rudbeck in November 1632 to his protégé Mattias Björnklou (1607–1671). The son of a miller, a profession that gave him his nickname Mylonius, he was about to be hired to tutor 10-year-old Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, and according to the bishop it could well be the first step in a successful career. Rudbeck was right. Supported by the De la Gardie family, and later the Chancellor of the Realm Axel Oxenstierna, Mylonius had a remarkable career in diplomacy, was appointed to the Council of the Realm, and took the surname Björnklou when he was ennobled in 1646.
