Safavid Ambassadors and the Myth of the Red-Haired King

The Safavid Empire: Persia's Return to Greatness — Fexingo History · Aug 1, 2026 · 7m

In 1715, a Persian ambassador named Mohammad Reza Beg arrived in Paris with a train of servants and a cargo of pearls, hoping to reset relations with France. Louis XIV received him in the Hall of Mirrors, and the encounter became the talk of Europe — but what actually happened, and what did each side want? This episode of Fexingo History follows the Safavid diplomatic missions to the courts of Europe, from the early envoys of Shah Abbas I to the later embassies under Shah Soltan Hossein. We look at how the Safavids used gifts, spectacle, and occasional missteps to project power, and how…