Who Was Faḍlī Bayg? A Survey of Early Diplomatic Relations between Medicis and Safavids

International audienceThe analysis of diplomatic relations between two states cannot be separated from the understanding of the geopolitical context in which they developed. This issue does not always allow for an easy approach and, particularly as regards the modern age, dating the beginning of the diplomatic relations between two sovereigns can be complex, often due to the presence of ambiguous or undated documentation. This is the case, for instance, of the Medici Grand Duchy of Tuscany and Safavid Persia, two states that established lasting friendly relations in the early seventeenth century. In fact, the presence of some Persian letters of uncertain attribution in Florence has suggested that the Tuscan court had been visited, maybe even twice, by a Persian emissary more than a decade before the relations between the two states actually began. Thanks to new archival evidence and a re-reading of already known sources, this article aims to clarify who the unknown Persian emissary, named Faḍlī Bayg, was and, consequently, to establish clearly when official and direct diplomatic relations between Tuscany and Persia began