François Savary De Brèves
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

François Savary de Brèves (1560, in Melay – 22 April 1628, in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
) was a French ambassador of the 16th and 17th centuries as well as an Orientalist.


Diplomacy

In 1585, François Savary de Brèves accompanied to
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
his relative Jacques Savary de Lancosme, who became
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
to the Porte. Savary de Lancosme associated himself with the Ligue and refused to recognize
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
, leading to his imprisonment by the Ottomans and the nomination of Savary de Brèves as interim ambassador. From 1591 to 1605, Savary de Brèves was French ambassador to the
Ottoman Court Ottoman court was the culture that evolved around the court of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman court was held at the Topkapı Palace in Constantinople where the sultan was served by an army of pages and scholars. Some served in the treasury and th ...
in
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
.''Marbled paper: its history, techniques, and patterns'' by Richard J. Wolfe p.35
/ref> He tried to incite the Sultan to wage war against Philip II and to limit the activities of
Barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...
on the French coasts of
Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
, but in vain, leading to tense relations between France and the Porte. Savary de Brèves spoke Turkish and Arabic and was famed for his knowledge of Ottoman culture. Through his efforts, Capitulations were signed between
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
and Sultan Ahmed I on 20 May 1604, giving a marked advantage for French trade, against that of the English and the Venetians. In these capitulations, the protection of the French king over
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
and the
Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
is also recognized. These contact stemmed from the
Franco-Ottoman alliance The Franco-Ottoman alliance, also known as the Franco-Turkish alliance, was an alliance established in 1536 between Francis I of France, Francis I, King of France and Suleiman the Magnificent, Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire. The strategic and s ...
developed between
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
under
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
. In 1607, Savary de Brèves became ambassador to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. He married Anne de Thou, a relative of historian
Jacques Auguste de Thou Jacques Auguste de Thou (sometimes known by the Latin version of his name Thuanus) (8 October 1553, Paris – 7 May 1617, Paris) was a French historian, book collector and president of the Parlement of Paris. Life Jacques Auguste de Thou wa ...
in 1607. Savary de Brèves was then sent to
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
in 1608 by
Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
.''The regency of Tunis and the Ottoman Porte, 1777–1814'' Asma Moalla p.59
/ref> In 1609, he became French Consul at
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. After that, from 1615, he became governor to the King's brother, the
Duke of Anjou The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by King Charles the Bald of West Francia in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of count. ...
, until he fell out of favour in 1618.


Oriental studies

Savary de Brèves was interested in establishing an Arabic printing press under his own account in order to introduce Oriental studies in France. He had Arabic, Turk, Persian and Syriac types cast in Italy. He also brought to France a large collection of Oriental manuscripts. These excellent types, followed those of
Guillaume Le Bé Guillaume Le Bé (; 1525–1598) was a French punchcutter and engraver who specialised in Hebrew typefaces. He was born in Troyes to a notable family of paper merchants and apprenticed to Robert Estienne in Paris. After completing his apprentice ...
at the end of the 16th century. While in Rome he set up a publishing house, the ''Typographia Savariana'', through which he printed a Latin-Arab bilingual edition of a catechism of Cardinal Bellarmino in 1613, as well as in 1614 an Arabic version of the ''
Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of ...
''.''The Encyclopaedia of Islam: Fascicules 111–112 : Masrah Mawlid'' by Clifford Edmund Bosworth p.799
/ref>''Eastern wisedome and learning: the study of Arabic in seventeenth-century...''
G. J. Toomer p.30''ff''
For the editorial work and the translations, Brèves used the services of two Lebanese
Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...
priests, former students of the Maronite College, Gabriel Sionita (Jibrā'īl aṣ-Ṣahyūnī) and Victor Scialac (Naṣrallāh Shalaq al-'Āqūrī). In Paris, accompanied by an additional Maronite priest Johannes Hesronita (Yūḥannā al-Ḥaṣrūnī), he published the first part of a ''Grammatica Arabica maronitarum''. Savary de Breves also attempted to establish an Oriental college in Paris, but failed for lack of funds. He succeeded however in obtaining Royal pensions for Sionita and Scialac, as interpreters and professors of Arabic and Syriac at the Collège Royal. Savary de Brèves' Arabic types would continue to be used by other printers of Arabic text in Paris, such as
Antoine Vitré Antoine Vitré (1595–1674) was a French printer of the 17th century. He was the King's printer for Oriental languages (''Linguarum Orientalium Regis Typographus'').
, the King's printer for Oriental languages (''Linguarum Orientalium Regis Typographus''), long after this death. From 1625, they were used to print the '' Paris Polyglot Bible'' printed by Antoine Vitré and edited by Guy Michel Lejay in 1645, which embraces the first printed texts of the Syriac
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
edited by Gabriel Sionita, the
Book of Ruth The Book of Ruth (, ''Megillath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books ...
by Abraham Ecchellensis, also a Maronite, the
Samaritan Pentateuch The Samaritan Pentateuch, also called the Samaritan Torah (Samaritan Hebrew: , ), is the Religious text, sacred scripture of the Samaritans. Written in the Samaritan script, it dates back to one of the ancient versions of the Torah that existe ...
and a version by Jean Morin (Morinus). After the death of Savary de Brèves in 1627, the types were acquired by Richelieu for the kingdom of France in order to encourage the propagation of
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in the Levant, and prevent such a tool to fall into
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
hands. Savary de Brèves was also an inspiration for Thomas van Erpe. Savary de Brèves' types were transferred to the
Imprimerie Royale IN Groupe () is a French company specialized in the production of secure documents such as identity cards and passports, which it designs and sells to various governments and companies. It is the continuation of the Imprimerie Nationale () of ...
in 1656, and printing in Arabic was discontinued in France for the rest of the 17th century and most of the 18th century. Brèves' types were rescued from oblivion when they were reused by Joseph de Guignes in 1787.


Works

*''Relation des voyages tant en Grèce, Turquie et Aegypte...'', Paris, 1628 *''Discours sur l’alliance qu’a le roi avec le Grand Seigneur''


See also

* France-Asia relations *
Guillaume Postel Guillaume Postel (25 March 1510 – 6 September 1581) was a French linguist, Orientalist, astronomer, Christian Kabbalist, diplomat, polyglot, professor, religious universalist, and writer. Born in the village of Barenton in Normandy, Post ...
* Medici Oriental Press


References


Further reading

* Oddy, Niall. "Crusade or cooperation? Savary de Brèves’s treatises on the Ottoman Empire." ''Seventeenth Century'' 34.2 (2019): 143–157. {{DEFAULTSORT:Breves, Francois Savary De Ambassadors of France to the Ottoman Empire 1627 deaths 1560 births 16th-century French diplomats 17th-century French diplomats 17th-century French people