Background
He was born in Swedish Livonia to Hans Detterman Croman.
He was born in Swedish Livonia to Hans Detterman Croman.
His extant diary and letters contain detailed information on the court of Ivan V of Russia. He participated in the border commission with Russia in Keksholm, but the negotiations ended when the Russian commissioners walked out on the talks. On September 26, 1668 he was appointed as the Swedish diplomat to the Tsardom of Russia under Ivan V of Russia.
On October 8, 1668 he sailed to Finland and then traveled overland to Narva.
On November 10, 1668 he arrived at the Russian border at Orlina, where he was escorted to Novgorod. In his letter from Novgorod to the Swedish government he writes: "Russians inevitably must be impelled to such unusual höflighetsbetygelser either under pressure from the enemy side or from fear of his friends." He arrived in Moscow on December 28, 1668.
His Swedish entourage consisted of 35 people. While in Russia, he made a copy of the Godunov map, one of two extant copies, the original by Petr Ivanovich Godunov having not survived.