page_title: Habsburg–Persian alliance
section_title: Further attempts
hierarchical_section_title: Habsburg–Persian alliance / Further attempts
caption_attribution_description: English: Persian embassy at the Quirinale
context_page_description: A Habsburg–Persian alliance, Habsburg-Safavid alliance or Hubsburg-Iran alliance was attempted and to a certain extent achieved in the 16th century between the Habsburg Empire and the Safavid Empire in their common conflict against the Ottoman Empire.
context_section_description: The Persians effectively entered into conflict with the Ottoman Empire on five occasions in the Ottoman–Persian Wars, weakening the Ottoman Empire considerably every time, and effectively opening a second front when the Ottoman Empire was in conflict in Europe, to the rejoicing of Habsburg Europe. It was a great relief for the Habsburgs, and appeared as the realization of the old Habsburg–Persian alliance stratagem.
  After a period of trouble in Persia, contacts between Austria and Persia were resumed in 1593 when Emperor Rudolf II sent from Prague a message to Shah ʿAbbās through the Persian minister in Moscow. Further efforts towards an alliance were also undertaken by the English adventurer Anthony Sherley acting as intermediary. Numerous similar diplomatic efforts to combine against the Ottomans would continue into the 17th century, especially with the Persian embassy to Europe (1599–1602) and the Persian embassy to Europe (1609–1615).
caption: Fresco of the Persian embassy to Europe (1609–1615) visiting Pope Paul V in Rome, painted in 1615–1616. Sala dei Corazzieri, Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome.
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