Jean Chardin
A French jeweller whose meticulous travels through 17th-century Persia produced one of Europe's most authoritative and vivid accounts of Safavid culture.
1643–1703 (age 60)·French-born English traveller and writer·Birthday: November 16
Biography
Jean Chardin did not travel as a conqueror or a missionary, but as a curious merchant with an eye for detail. Leaving France in his twenties, he was drawn to the opulent courts of the Safavid Empire, where he traded in jewels and absorbed the complexities of Persian life. His first journey lasted six years, his second over a decade, allowing him a depth of immersion rare for European travellers. Chardin learned Persian, observed court ceremonies, and documented everything from architecture and trade to religion and social customs with a jeweller's precision. His eventual ten-volume account, written after he settled in England to escape religious persecution in France, avoided the fantastical exaggerations common in travelogues of the era. It became an indispensable source for philosophers like Montesquieu and historians for centuries, offering a nuanced, respectful, and astonishingly comprehensive portrait of a civilization at its zenith, seen through the eyes of a keen and sympathetic observer.
#1 When Jean Was Born
The biggest hits of 1643
Jean's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1643Born
1648Started school
1656Became a teenager
1659Could drive
1661Could vote
1664Turned 21
1673Turned 30
1683Turned 40
1693Turned 50
1703Turned 60
Key Achievements
- Authored the ten-volume 'The Travels of Sir John Chardin,' a foundational work of Western scholarship on Safavid Iran.
- Conducted two extensive journeys through Persia and the Near East in the 1660s and 1670s, spending a total of over a decade in the region.
- Was knighted by King Charles II of England after relocating there and became a trusted figure in court circles.
- His detailed observations on Persian government and society influenced Enlightenment thinkers, including Montesquieu.
Did You Know?
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in London in 1682 in recognition of his scholarly work.
To escape religious persecution as a Protestant in France, he moved permanently to England in 1681.
A collection of his Persian artifacts and manuscripts was donated to the British Library, forming a significant early collection.
The famous French philosopher Voltaire praised Chardin's work as the most useful and instructive of all travel accounts.
“In Persia, a man's worth is measured by his hospitality and the elegance of his speech.”
