Abstract
Abstract Missionaries and travelers presented the earliest representations of Persia. Missionaries imagined the Safavid Shiite state as open to conversion to Christianity and an ally against the Sunni Ottomans. Through Catholic writings, Frenchmen absorbed literature that portrayed Persia as tolerant and friendly to Europeans. French contacts with Persia increased under the patronage of Louis XIV’s finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Some of these travelers drew connections between the two monarchies. One of the most famous French travelers to Persia, Jean Chardin, depicted the Persian royal court as a model of comparison for the French. He not only described Persia to Frenchmen but also used it as a means to instruct and reflect upon French political and social institutions.
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