the religious trade network between the republic of venice
and the safavid empire in the early sixteenth century
This is my personal Weebly page. This page is dedicated to my paper, which is about the trade network existing between Safavid Persia and the Venetians in the first half of the sixteenth century. I enjoyed writing this paper, mostly because I had the opportunity to fill some of the voids in my knowledge about this particular subject. That is the reason why I enjoyed reading about the emerging trade network between the Republic of Venice and the Safavid Empire.
This is Manuel I of Portugal (1469-1521). He reigned form 1495 until his death.
He is the monarch Duarte Barbosa is referring to in his travel journal.
He is the monarch Duarte Barbosa is referring to in his travel journal.
This is a picture of the front cover of the travel journal by Duarte Barbosa. It was first published in 1518 in Lisbon, Portugal. I used a translation by Mansel Dames, which came out in 1919, but which was in turn reprinted and published in 1967. The 1967 reprint is the one I used.
Duarte Barbosa is the author, of the primary source I used while writing this paper. His remarks on the contact that was established between European people and the local Persians in the city of Hormuz were very helpful.
He goes into detail about the wealth of the Persians living here. Moreover he talks about the European traders, of whom some families have relocated to Hormuz. Among these European families are the Venetian family, the Stropene clan, which I mention briefly in the first chapter of my essay.
MY PAPER EXPLAINED
Here I will briefly explain how my paper came to be. I have been fascinated with Venice for I while. I knew they were a powerful city-state in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. I also knew Venice had an area in the Holy Land under their control since 1204. These holdings were a result of the Fourth Crusade. The Ottomans were threatening these holding from the fourteenth century onwards. I was not aware of the fact that the Safavids were battling the Ottomans for dominance within the Islamic religion at the same time as the Venetian were trying to hold on to their possessions in the Holy Land. This fact made the Safavids form an alliance with the Venetians to rid themselves of the Ottoman threat both parties were faced with. This alliance was the basis of their later trading relationship, which in turn was the basis for this paper.
In the first chapter Venice and Safavid Persia are introduced. The route Venice had to go by to get to the top of Europe. They were able to outdo their immediate competitors where trade was concerned, and due to their possessions in the Holy Land their were also a strong - local - political power.
In Persia the Safavid dynasty usurped the throne with the support of the people. this country was without doubt periphiral compared to India, but they still made some high quality products, which were interesting to Venetian merchants. Trade ensued.
The second chapter of this is dedicated to examining if their was any proof for emerging religious contact. It turned out there was. It was mostly one-sided in my paper because it focuses on Hormuz so only the the integration of the Europeans into a Persian community is shown. No examples for the opposite situation are discussed. This because Duarte Barbosa focusses on Hormuz and only mentions his home of Portugal in comparison.
He goes into detail about the wealth of the Persians living here. Moreover he talks about the European traders, of whom some families have relocated to Hormuz. Among these European families are the Venetian family, the Stropene clan, which I mention briefly in the first chapter of my essay.
MY PAPER EXPLAINED
Here I will briefly explain how my paper came to be. I have been fascinated with Venice for I while. I knew they were a powerful city-state in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. I also knew Venice had an area in the Holy Land under their control since 1204. These holdings were a result of the Fourth Crusade. The Ottomans were threatening these holding from the fourteenth century onwards. I was not aware of the fact that the Safavids were battling the Ottomans for dominance within the Islamic religion at the same time as the Venetian were trying to hold on to their possessions in the Holy Land. This fact made the Safavids form an alliance with the Venetians to rid themselves of the Ottoman threat both parties were faced with. This alliance was the basis of their later trading relationship, which in turn was the basis for this paper.
In the first chapter Venice and Safavid Persia are introduced. The route Venice had to go by to get to the top of Europe. They were able to outdo their immediate competitors where trade was concerned, and due to their possessions in the Holy Land their were also a strong - local - political power.
In Persia the Safavid dynasty usurped the throne with the support of the people. this country was without doubt periphiral compared to India, but they still made some high quality products, which were interesting to Venetian merchants. Trade ensued.
The second chapter of this is dedicated to examining if their was any proof for emerging religious contact. It turned out there was. It was mostly one-sided in my paper because it focuses on Hormuz so only the the integration of the Europeans into a Persian community is shown. No examples for the opposite situation are discussed. This because Duarte Barbosa focusses on Hormuz and only mentions his home of Portugal in comparison.
These are some of the artillery next Fort 'Our Lady of the Conception'. It is the fort where the English expelled the Portuguese from, as mentioned in my paper.
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fort_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Conception#mediaviewer/File:Artillery_Watch_Tower.jpg
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fort_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Conception#mediaviewer/File:Artillery_Watch_Tower.jpg
This is what is left of the fort today. It is a tourist sight.
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fort_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Conception#mediaviewer/Hormuz_fort.jpg
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fort_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Conception#mediaviewer/Hormuz_fort.jpg
Duarte Barbosa is a Portuguese explorer and the author of 'The book of Duarte Barbosa'. In the third chapter of this paper his travel journal is discussed as a primary source. It is a rather diverse book. Barbosa tells us about his king and his home country, Portugal.
He dislikes the lavishness of some of the inhabitants of the city of Hormuz. He mentions the drinking of wine by the muslims in Hormuz. Since the Persians themselves are muslim and there are Spanish moors in Hormuz, there are quite a lot of people who are the target of his contempt. On the other hand Barbosa expresses his admiration for the commercial success that Hormuz appears to be. A well working city-wide network that is a hub for peripheral area in Persia and also an important hub in the more internationally oriented trade, for example with India.
He dislikes the lavishness of some of the inhabitants of the city of Hormuz. He mentions the drinking of wine by the muslims in Hormuz. Since the Persians themselves are muslim and there are Spanish moors in Hormuz, there are quite a lot of people who are the target of his contempt. On the other hand Barbosa expresses his admiration for the commercial success that Hormuz appears to be. A well working city-wide network that is a hub for peripheral area in Persia and also an important hub in the more internationally oriented trade, for example with India.
This is Shah Ismāil I (r. 1501-24) and his army about to partake in the battle of Chalredan on august 23 where he and his army were crushed by sultan Selim I (r. 1512-1520) of the Ottoman Empire. This was the first battle in the Ottoman-Persian war, which lasted for 41 years and ended in 1555.
Shah Ismāil was nearly captured but managed to escape and return home.
Shah Ismāil was nearly captured but managed to escape and return home.
This is a Portuguese drawing of the Island of Hormuz, stemming from the seventeenth century. Hormuz is the island in the centre shaped like an axe blade.
Souce. http://www.internetstones.com/history-discovery-appreciation-pearls-organic-gem-perfected-nature-persian-gulf-2.html
Souce. http://www.internetstones.com/history-discovery-appreciation-pearls-organic-gem-perfected-nature-persian-gulf-2.html
This is a drawing of the city of Hormuz.
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braun_Hormus_UBHD.jpg
Source. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braun_Hormus_UBHD.jpg
Conclusion
This paper has been written to clarify the arising of the trade relations between a regional European power the city-state Venice - and an Islamic empire - the Safavids - in the Early sixteenth century. Moreover the paper had the purpose of showing emerging religious based contact between merchants of the two cultures. I commented on these emerging relations with the help of a few other authors and off course the primary source that was used, 'The Book of Duarte Barbosa; an account on the countries bordering the Indian ocean and their inhabitants'.
M.K.
Bibiliography
Dames, M.L. “The book of Duarte Barbosa: an account on the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and their inhabitants”. The Portuguese text written and published by Duarte Barbosa in 1518, and translated to English by Mansel Longworth Dames in 1919. Kraus. Nendeln, 1919.
Braudel, F.P. “Civilization and capitalism 15th - 18th century: the perspective of the world vol. 3.” Phoenix University Press. 2002. 89-91.
Matthee, R.P. “Between Aloofness and Fascination: Safavid Views of the West”. Iranian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 2, Historiography and Representation in Safavid and Afsharid Iran (Spring, 1998), pp. 219-246.
This paper has been written to clarify the arising of the trade relations between a regional European power the city-state Venice - and an Islamic empire - the Safavids - in the Early sixteenth century. Moreover the paper had the purpose of showing emerging religious based contact between merchants of the two cultures. I commented on these emerging relations with the help of a few other authors and off course the primary source that was used, 'The Book of Duarte Barbosa; an account on the countries bordering the Indian ocean and their inhabitants'.
M.K.
Bibiliography
Dames, M.L. “The book of Duarte Barbosa: an account on the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and their inhabitants”. The Portuguese text written and published by Duarte Barbosa in 1518, and translated to English by Mansel Longworth Dames in 1919. Kraus. Nendeln, 1919.
Braudel, F.P. “Civilization and capitalism 15th - 18th century: the perspective of the world vol. 3.” Phoenix University Press. 2002. 89-91.
Matthee, R.P. “Between Aloofness and Fascination: Safavid Views of the West”. Iranian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 2, Historiography and Representation in Safavid and Afsharid Iran (Spring, 1998), pp. 219-246.