A Chronicle of the Carmelites in Persia and the Papal Mission of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries. Vol 1

In 1604, Pope Clement VIII despatched a delegation of Discalced Carmelites to Persia to exhort Shah Abbas I to join an alliance with him. Thus began almost two hundred years of Carmelite activity in the region. During their time there, the Order not only bore witness to the great Safavid dynasty and its demise: they also amassed a huge written record. Herbert Chicks two impressive volumes present an important collection of these writings. The records provide an unparalleled source of detailed information on the politics, diplomatic rituals, foreign policy concerns, and matters of court ceremony of the time, including correspondence between the Popes and the Shahs