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Persia in Shakespeare
The Sherleys
The Sherleys were originally a Warwickshire family that moved to Wiston in Sussex. Their ancestor Hugh Sherley valiantly fought and died for England in 1403. Shakespeare mentions Hugh Sherley in Henry IV, Part I:
Prince Henry: Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like
Never to hold it up again! The spirits
Of valiant Sherley, Stafford, and Blount are in
my arms.(1)
Thomas Sherley (or Shirley), a man of means, was born circa 1542. He and his three sons – Thomas, Anthony, and Robert – lived in the England of Elizabeth I and James I. Unlike their ancestor, “They were gentlemen on the make; chicanery, larceny, adultery, heroism, and treachery figured in their story,” as related in several books.(2)
…
Anthony was restless and it was time to try something new. Sir Francis Drake had returned from one of his voyages with a large hold of Spanish “treasure.” Everyone was eager to make a fortune in a short time. Sir Anthony financed by his father had purchased or rented several ships and sailed in May 1596 hoping to raid Spanish vessels and seize their cargo. Nothing worthwhile was gained by these attempts. Anthony was dejected. Also the unhappy marriage to Essex’s cousin led Anthony to seek his fortunes in faraway lands.
The voyage to Persia was the brainchild of the Earl of Essex who probably financed most if not the entire venture. It appears that what Essex had in mind was to unite Shah Abbas with the Christian kings and princes of Europe to halt further advances of the
Ottoman Turks in Europe. The plan was for Shah Abbas to launch campaigns in Eastern Anatolia while European princes would move to capture Cypress, thus dividing the Turkish forces. Essex’s further objective was for Sherley to ascertain the strength of the Spanish and Portuguese in the Persian Gulf and the volume of their trade. Probably equally important to Essex was to explore commercial opportunities and establish trading links with the Persian court whose tale of riches had reached Europe. This was not the first attempt to engage Persia in Turco-European affairs. In 1592 some seven years before the arrival of the Sherleys, Pope Clement VIII had sent a proposal to Shah Abbas that he and the Christian princes of Europe should combine in a league against the Turks, but Shah Abbas was still occupied with the Uzbeks in the east and was not yet ready to face the enemy to the west.(3)
Sir Anthony and Robert departed England on New Year’s Day 1598. Robert was about seventeen at the time. At the beginning of his journey Anthony met a merchant in Venice, Angelo Corrai, who told great tales of Shah Abbas who was “bountiful and liberal to strangers.” Corrai offered that he would be glad to be his guide for the trip to Persia. Anthony now hoped for something more lucrative than a mere diplomatic victory for his patron, Essex. Anthony was already in debt for his previous ventures and he was hoping to be liberally compensated.
They started from Venice: Anthony, Robert, and Angelo Corrai, the volunteer guide and interpreter; Abel Pinçon, a Frenchman who had studied in England; two Englishmen, William Parry and George Manwaring; altogether a party of twenty-six or twenty-seven persons. They embarked at Malmoco, a small port near Venice, on 24 May 1598,(4) taking a boat across the Mediterranean headed for Tripoli and then to Aleppo. There was some hardship as they ran out of food. Anthony spent an unexpectedly large sum of money and “charged Lord Essex for his bills.”(5) After a few days of rest they traveled to Mesopotamia then east to Qazvin, which had been the Persian capital during the reign of Shah Tahmasp and had served as the base of operation in the wars with the Ottomans.
When the Sherleys arrived in Qazvin, Shah Abbas had not yet returned from his punitive expedition against the Uzbeks in Khorasan. When the shah arrived the guests were furnished with expensive garments and a magnificent banquet was held in Anthony’s honor. The shah invited the Sherleys and their companions to accompany him to Isfahan, the new capital. They were bestowed with substantial gifts. Shah Abbas issued a farman (court order) granting all Christian merchants in perpetuity the right to trade in all parts of the shah’s dominions and freedom to practice their religion.
Anthony stayed less than six months in Persia, from 1 December 1599 to early May 1600. In his accounts he exaggerates what he did for the shah’s army, which is mostly fabricated. The time available for any reforms to be effected by a man who never knew a word of Persian or the Turkish dialect of the Safavid court was negligible. Sir Anthony says he was given the cavalry to train and was also commanded to reform and retrain the shah’s artillery. It has been said that Anthony introduced canons to the shah’s army, but this cannot be true. Since he claimed to have had a commission to retrain the artillery, it must therefore have existed earlier. It is known that prior to Sherley’s arrival Uruq Beq (Don Juan of Persia) took part in the siege of Tabriz at which Iranians employed canons.(6)
It has been mentioned by several writers that the Sherleys also taught Persians the use of muskets, but this too is untrue, since Persian infantry carried firearms in Uruq Beq’s day.(7) George Manwaring who accompanied Anthony to Iran says, “Persians were very good in the use of muskets.”( 8 ) Thomas Herbert confirms this.(9) There is no doubt that “Anthony was a rogue.”(10)
…
The Sherleys clearly neither trained nor equipped the Persian army; however, having decided to send an embassy to Europe, the shah selected Sir Anthony as his ambassador or at least as one of the ambassadors. Before leaving Persia on his mission, Sir Anthony corresponded with friends in England. In April he wrote to the Earl of Essex informing him that he was to receive a pension of 30,000 crowns per year from the shah.(11) Shakespeare appears to have closely followed the travels of the Sherleys. Twelfth Night has reference to the pension given by the shah.(12)
Uruq Beq became one of the secretaries sent by Shah Abbas to accompany Sir Anthony Sherley in 1599 to European capitals to secure alliances against the Turks. The first embassy was to Boris Godunov in Russia. After some six months in Moscow Anthony embarked from Archangel early in 1600 and sailed to Emden in the Netherlands then on to Prague. He had to take the circuitous route as the Ottomans controlled the customary route between Persia and Europe. William Parry had transferred at the coast of Holland to a passing ship going to England and delivered Sir Anthony’s letters to Sir Robert Cecil, King James VI of Scotland, and the Earl of Essex. In his letter to King James VI he took credit for having succeeded in separating the Shi’a Persians from the main body of Moslems, something Shah Isma’il had done some ninety years earlier. He also took credit for having persuaded Shah Abbas to unite with the Christians of Europe against the “great enemy of God,” the Sultan of Turkey.(13)
In October 1600 Anthony reached Prague where he was received by Emperor Rudolph II. The shah had sent too many people to Europe and each claimed to be the spokesman or ambassador. To the Safavids an ambassador was a person carrying messages from the shah; to the Europeans only one person could be the spokesman for the ruler. The Persians had accused Sherley, probably with some justification, of having sold or given away the gifts Shah Abbas intended for European princes. As disenchantment with Anthony grew most of the Persians accompanying him as secretaries left. Uruq Beq traveled to Spain and converted to Christianity.(14)
…
Financial troubles began to hound Anthony. In mid- 1603 he was arrested in Venice and imprisoned either as an insolvent debtor or for sedition. It is not clear what the exact charges were. He was subsequently released and after the accession of James I he was granted a “license” by the English government to “remain beyond the sea somewhat longer.”(15) In the spring of 1605 he was sent by Emperor Rudolph to Morocco to report on the state of that country. About the same time he was again granted the status of ambassador as the joint representative of James I and Philip IV of Spain. Anthony lived on a pension of 3,000 ducats a year from the king of Spain, most of which went to defray his debts. He remained in Madrid in a state of semi-poverty until his death circa 1635.
Anthony and Robert were dissimilar in character. Robert impressed people as a person of integrity. During his long years at the court of Shah Abbas, waiting for news of Anthony, Robert appears to have been useful. He helped in drilling and training new regiments. Later Shah Abbas appointed Robert as Master General and there is some evidence that he commanded a contingent of troops in battle against the Ottomans in 1604 and 1605. Later Robert served in some capacity as an overseer of customs. In February 1608 Robert married Sampsonia, the daughter of a Circassian chieftain. She was nineteen and he was some ten years older. She was baptized by the Carmelites and given the name Teresia.(16)
Anthony’s failure to return to Persia or to report on the progress of his mission could have imperiled Robert’s status in Isfahan and it says much for Shah Abbas’s fairness that he did not let Anthony’s behavior influence his esteem for Robert. After a temporary loss of favor, Robert was sent to Europe on a mission nearly ten years after Anthony’s departure. Robert’s mission was similar to that of his brother. Robert was also asked to find Anthony and report on whether Anthony had accomplished anything. Commentators differ as to the purpose for which Robert was sent abroad.
The Sherleys were originally a Warwickshire family that moved to Wiston in Sussex. Their ancestor Hugh Sherley valiantly fought and died for England in 1403. Shakespeare mentions Hugh Sherley in Henry IV, Part I:
Prince Henry: Hold up thy head, vile Scot, or thou art like
Never to hold it up again! The spirits
Of valiant Sherley, Stafford, and Blount are in
my arms.(1)
Thomas Sherley (or Shirley), a man of means, was born circa 1542. He and his three sons – Thomas, Anthony, and Robert – lived in the England of Elizabeth I and James I. Unlike their ancestor, “They were gentlemen on the make; chicanery, larceny, adultery, heroism, and treachery figured in their story,” as related in several books.(2)
…
Anthony was restless and it was time to try something new. Sir Francis Drake had returned from one of his voyages with a large hold of Spanish “treasure.” Everyone was eager to make a fortune in a short time. Sir Anthony financed by his father had purchased or rented several ships and sailed in May 1596 hoping to raid Spanish vessels and seize their cargo. Nothing worthwhile was gained by these attempts. Anthony was dejected. Also the unhappy marriage to Essex’s cousin led Anthony to seek his fortunes in faraway lands.
The voyage to Persia was the brainchild of the Earl of Essex who probably financed most if not the entire venture. It appears that what Essex had in mind was to unite Shah Abbas with the Christian kings and princes of Europe to halt further advances of the
Ottoman Turks in Europe. The plan was for Shah Abbas to launch campaigns in Eastern Anatolia while European princes would move to capture Cypress, thus dividing the Turkish forces. Essex’s further objective was for Sherley to ascertain the strength of the Spanish and Portuguese in the Persian Gulf and the volume of their trade. Probably equally important to Essex was to explore commercial opportunities and establish trading links with the Persian court whose tale of riches had reached Europe. This was not the first attempt to engage Persia in Turco-European affairs. In 1592 some seven years before the arrival of the Sherleys, Pope Clement VIII had sent a proposal to Shah Abbas that he and the Christian princes of Europe should combine in a league against the Turks, but Shah Abbas was still occupied with the Uzbeks in the east and was not yet ready to face the enemy to the west.(3)
Sir Anthony and Robert departed England on New Year’s Day 1598. Robert was about seventeen at the time. At the beginning of his journey Anthony met a merchant in Venice, Angelo Corrai, who told great tales of Shah Abbas who was “bountiful and liberal to strangers.” Corrai offered that he would be glad to be his guide for the trip to Persia. Anthony now hoped for something more lucrative than a mere diplomatic victory for his patron, Essex. Anthony was already in debt for his previous ventures and he was hoping to be liberally compensated.
They started from Venice: Anthony, Robert, and Angelo Corrai, the volunteer guide and interpreter; Abel Pinçon, a Frenchman who had studied in England; two Englishmen, William Parry and George Manwaring; altogether a party of twenty-six or twenty-seven persons. They embarked at Malmoco, a small port near Venice, on 24 May 1598,(4) taking a boat across the Mediterranean headed for Tripoli and then to Aleppo. There was some hardship as they ran out of food. Anthony spent an unexpectedly large sum of money and “charged Lord Essex for his bills.”(5) After a few days of rest they traveled to Mesopotamia then east to Qazvin, which had been the Persian capital during the reign of Shah Tahmasp and had served as the base of operation in the wars with the Ottomans.
When the Sherleys arrived in Qazvin, Shah Abbas had not yet returned from his punitive expedition against the Uzbeks in Khorasan. When the shah arrived the guests were furnished with expensive garments and a magnificent banquet was held in Anthony’s honor. The shah invited the Sherleys and their companions to accompany him to Isfahan, the new capital. They were bestowed with substantial gifts. Shah Abbas issued a farman (court order) granting all Christian merchants in perpetuity the right to trade in all parts of the shah’s dominions and freedom to practice their religion.
Anthony stayed less than six months in Persia, from 1 December 1599 to early May 1600. In his accounts he exaggerates what he did for the shah’s army, which is mostly fabricated. The time available for any reforms to be effected by a man who never knew a word of Persian or the Turkish dialect of the Safavid court was negligible. Sir Anthony says he was given the cavalry to train and was also commanded to reform and retrain the shah’s artillery. It has been said that Anthony introduced canons to the shah’s army, but this cannot be true. Since he claimed to have had a commission to retrain the artillery, it must therefore have existed earlier. It is known that prior to Sherley’s arrival Uruq Beq (Don Juan of Persia) took part in the siege of Tabriz at which Iranians employed canons.(6)
It has been mentioned by several writers that the Sherleys also taught Persians the use of muskets, but this too is untrue, since Persian infantry carried firearms in Uruq Beq’s day.(7) George Manwaring who accompanied Anthony to Iran says, “Persians were very good in the use of muskets.”( 8 ) Thomas Herbert confirms this.(9) There is no doubt that “Anthony was a rogue.”(10)
…
The Sherleys clearly neither trained nor equipped the Persian army; however, having decided to send an embassy to Europe, the shah selected Sir Anthony as his ambassador or at least as one of the ambassadors. Before leaving Persia on his mission, Sir Anthony corresponded with friends in England. In April he wrote to the Earl of Essex informing him that he was to receive a pension of 30,000 crowns per year from the shah.(11) Shakespeare appears to have closely followed the travels of the Sherleys. Twelfth Night has reference to the pension given by the shah.(12)
Uruq Beq became one of the secretaries sent by Shah Abbas to accompany Sir Anthony Sherley in 1599 to European capitals to secure alliances against the Turks. The first embassy was to Boris Godunov in Russia. After some six months in Moscow Anthony embarked from Archangel early in 1600 and sailed to Emden in the Netherlands then on to Prague. He had to take the circuitous route as the Ottomans controlled the customary route between Persia and Europe. William Parry had transferred at the coast of Holland to a passing ship going to England and delivered Sir Anthony’s letters to Sir Robert Cecil, King James VI of Scotland, and the Earl of Essex. In his letter to King James VI he took credit for having succeeded in separating the Shi’a Persians from the main body of Moslems, something Shah Isma’il had done some ninety years earlier. He also took credit for having persuaded Shah Abbas to unite with the Christians of Europe against the “great enemy of God,” the Sultan of Turkey.(13)
In October 1600 Anthony reached Prague where he was received by Emperor Rudolph II. The shah had sent too many people to Europe and each claimed to be the spokesman or ambassador. To the Safavids an ambassador was a person carrying messages from the shah; to the Europeans only one person could be the spokesman for the ruler. The Persians had accused Sherley, probably with some justification, of having sold or given away the gifts Shah Abbas intended for European princes. As disenchantment with Anthony grew most of the Persians accompanying him as secretaries left. Uruq Beq traveled to Spain and converted to Christianity.(14)
…
Financial troubles began to hound Anthony. In mid- 1603 he was arrested in Venice and imprisoned either as an insolvent debtor or for sedition. It is not clear what the exact charges were. He was subsequently released and after the accession of James I he was granted a “license” by the English government to “remain beyond the sea somewhat longer.”(15) In the spring of 1605 he was sent by Emperor Rudolph to Morocco to report on the state of that country. About the same time he was again granted the status of ambassador as the joint representative of James I and Philip IV of Spain. Anthony lived on a pension of 3,000 ducats a year from the king of Spain, most of which went to defray his debts. He remained in Madrid in a state of semi-poverty until his death circa 1635.
Anthony and Robert were dissimilar in character. Robert impressed people as a person of integrity. During his long years at the court of Shah Abbas, waiting for news of Anthony, Robert appears to have been useful. He helped in drilling and training new regiments. Later Shah Abbas appointed Robert as Master General and there is some evidence that he commanded a contingent of troops in battle against the Ottomans in 1604 and 1605. Later Robert served in some capacity as an overseer of customs. In February 1608 Robert married Sampsonia, the daughter of a Circassian chieftain. She was nineteen and he was some ten years older. She was baptized by the Carmelites and given the name Teresia.(16)
Anthony’s failure to return to Persia or to report on the progress of his mission could have imperiled Robert’s status in Isfahan and it says much for Shah Abbas’s fairness that he did not let Anthony’s behavior influence his esteem for Robert. After a temporary loss of favor, Robert was sent to Europe on a mission nearly ten years after Anthony’s departure. Robert’s mission was similar to that of his brother. Robert was also asked to find Anthony and report on whether Anthony had accomplished anything. Commentators differ as to the purpose for which Robert was sent abroad.
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