The Sophy, also spelled Sofi, Sophie, Sophi, or Soffi, was a reference to the ruler of the
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty (; fa, دودمان صفوی, Dudmâne Safavi, ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history, as well as one of th ...
of
Iran. Even though Iran remained known in the
West by the
exonym Persia (see
Name of Iran
In the Western world, ''Persia'' (or one of its cognates) was historically the common name used for Iran. On the Nowruz of 1935, Reza Shah officially asked foreign delegates to use the Persian term ''Iran'' (meaning the land of Aryans in Persian) ...
), which had been coined in "the days of the ancient Greeks", from the time of king
Abbas I (r. 1588-1629), the ruler of the nation came to be known as the "
Sophy
Sophy is an alternate spelling of the female given name Sophie, from the name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name
* Sophy A. Christensen (1867–1955), Danish master carpenter and furniture designer
* Sophy Gray (architect) (1814 ...
", itself a corruption of the word "Safavi" - the dynasty to which Abbas I belonged.
Though the usage of "Sophy" gained much more prominence during Abbas I's rule, the word was in use to refer to the Safavid ruler since the time of the dynasty's founder,
Ismail I (r. 1501-1524).
An extensive number of references to Persia and its "Sophy" in
European literature start with the reign of Abbas I and onwards.
William Shakespeare's ''
Twelfth Night'' (published 1602) is noted as being amongst the early attestments to this.
Image:Shah Ismail I.jpg, European painting of Shah Ismail I with the title ''Sophy''
Image:Estampes par Nicolas de Larmessin.f152.Schach-Abas, grand Sophi de Perse.jpg, European painting of Shah Abbas II with the title ''Grand Sophy de Perse''
References
Sources
*
*
* {{cite book, last1=Savory, first1=Roger, authorlink1=Roger Savory, title=Iran Under the Safavids, date=2007, publisher=Cambridge University Press, isbn=978-0521042512, page=259
Safavid Iran