Sokollu Mehmed Pasha
Following a visit to Constantinople in 1575 by English merchants John Wright and Joseph Clements, Harborne was employed in 1578 by a group of English merchants to travel to Constantinople, via Poland, and obtain permission from the Sultan Murat III for English ships to trade in Ottoman ports. Previously only the French had enjoyed this privilege, which was granted to Harborne in 1580 following negotiations with Sadrazam Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, and correspondence between Queen Elizabeth I and the Sultan.