Did Shah ʿAbbās I Have a Mediterranean Policy?

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed tremendous growth in research on Safavid history. Recent developments regarding Safavid international relations have led to the conclusion that during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Iran’s contacts and links with Europe, including the countries located along the northern shores of the Mediterranean, reached an unprecedented level. However, there has been little or no discussion about a deliberate Safavid policy towards the Mediterranean. This paper offers a review of Spanish documents to show that Shah ʿAbbās i may have operated with a clear Mediterranean policy in mind.