Iran has much been in the news lately, and this article provides an interesting account of a strong leader from its past, Shah Abbas (Seen in the centre of the image above) who came to the throne as a teenager in 1587 and so would have been a conteporary of Queen Elizabeth I. He pulled together a kingdom that had been wracked by civil war, expanding its borders all the way to Baghdad. He was tolerant of other religions but less so of his sons - 1 was murdered and 2 others blinded! He tried hard to make alliances with Europe and employed two Englishmen, the Shirley brothers, to negotiate for him. He was influential enough to even be referred to in The Merchant of Venice. The British Museum has just had an exhibition about him (sadly it has just closed) and more info can be seen here.
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