IRAN AND THE WORLD IN THE SAFAVID AGE
Abstracts  

Hernan, Dr. Enrique Garcìa, Instituto de Historia (CSIC), Madrid, The Holy See, the Spanish Monarchy and Persia in the Sixteenth Century - Some Aspects of the Jesuit Order's Involvement

The conflict between the Safavid and Ottoman Empires was viewed by the Spanish monarchy and the Holy See as an excellent occasion to make the Safavid dynasty an ally against the common Turkish enemy, despite their difference in religion.  This paper aims to analyse the diplomatic activity of the Holy See to bring about this Persian alliance against the Turks. The focus will be on the activities of Pius V, Gregory XIII, Sixtus V and Clement VIII.

The paper will focus on the diplomatic activities of three Jesuits, to wit: Francisco de Borja, Matias Bicudo and Francisco de Acosta, all of whom were in favour of a decision leading to Spanish military involvement.  The Holy See met with many difficulties in attempting to mount effective missionary operations and maintaining diplomatic relations.  Very extreme positions and divisions among the religious orders proved to be an insurmountable obstacle.  The paper, in particular, will make use of the unedited manuscript sources in the Simancas General Archives and in the Loyola Historical Archives, which contain part of the private archives of the Duke of Lerma and Philip II.

The Safavid shahs, the Hapsburg kings and the Popes all tried to realize the same policy with regard to the common enemy.  Throughout the sixteenth century contacts between the Persians and the Spanish were maintained by a large number of Catholic clerics who visited Persia, such as Francisco de Acosta, Matias Bicudo, etc.  This process influenced Persia's policy with regards to its own Christian minorities and its conflict with the Ottomans, as well as the commercial and territorial expansion by the European powers.  It is difficult to determine where personal inclinations, such as the military solutions favored by some of the clerics involved, came to play a role in shaping the various official political positions.  That is, we have tried to emphasize the importance of the ideas of some Jesuits with regard to the Persia policy that show this clearly.  For example, Francisco de Borja was in favor of a military alliance, supporting the initiative of Pius V, although this was not followed up effectively.  Nevertheless, Matias Bicudo and Francisco de Acosta held even more extreme positions, and were real collaborators in the struggle of the Persians against the Turks.  They did not limit themselves to mere missionary activities, but opted for more violent positions, that implied involving themselves in military matters, espionage and invasion plans, such as outlined by Matias Bicudo.  Certainly, these were isolated cases, but the fact that have left traces in the Simancas General Archives demonstrate the importance that were attached to them by the political-military authorities of Spain.

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