Marzocco and Shir o Khorshid. Origin and decline of the Medici Persian diplomacy (1599-1721)

Abstract

Diplomatic relations between two states are never simply bilateral relations as there is always a broader context in which they can be framed and, very often, they do not arise from nothing but are the result of specific events. Like all human vicissitudes, they have a beginning, a development and an end. The relations between Medici Tuscany and Safavid Persia have unfortunately never been the subject of extensive enough studies that go beyond the few things already known from decades ago. However, the continuous search for sources and their analysis in the light of a different historiographic approach can provide a new understanding of certain events and a more precise chronological and historical framework.