Safavid Wars and Italian Archives: Shedding Light on Italian Knowledge of Ottoman-Safavid Conflicts

Abstract This article examines previously overlooked Italian archival sources concerning the Ottoman-Safavid wars, thereby broadening the study of European knowledge of Safavid Iran beyond the well-known Venetian and Roman context. Focusing on documents preserved in the State Archives of Florence and Mantua, it analyses a Tuscan report on the origin of the 1578-90 conflict and a Mantuan account of the Battle of Sufiyan (1605). These records, compared with modern historiography, reveal the remarkable accuracy and scope of Italian ‘intelligence’ networks. The study highlights the significance of Italian diplomatic, mercantile, and informational infrastructures in shaping early modern Europe’s understanding of Safavid Iran.