The project investigates the diffusion of French and Italian cultural practices into the Baltic region during the Swedish Great Power Era (1611-1721) by examining the agency and legacy of Queen Christina. The research asks: how was the Baltic geophysical, cultural, social, and political climate adapted to receive French and Italian traditions, and how was the Swedish influence instrumental to this through Christina’s dynamic role? To answer these questions, the project foregrounds the transnational function of cultural translation, adaptation and reception at both source and target, the latter being the heterogeneous Swedish empire in the Baltic. Three case studies are examined through a shared theoretical framework adapted from translation studies, addressing the material practicalities and symbolic influence of transfer. The terms ‘domestication’ and ‘foreignization’ are used to investigate how Renaissance and Baroque ideals from Southern Europe were afforded new contexts in the Baltic region, where they were rendered familiar while retaining a foreign character. The three case studies are: the notable collection of foreign literature in the Library of Skokloster Castle; the design and construction of gardens in French and Italian style in Baltic castles and estates; and the translation of pastoral drama Pastor Fido by Giovan Battista Guarini into Swedish by Gunno Eurelius Dahlstierna (1690).