It was during this reign that Britain attempted for the first time to establish diplomatic links with Persia. A British merchant, Mr. Anthony Jenkinson, was despatched to the court of Shah Tahmasb by Queen Elizabeth I. Jenkinson received scant reward fo r his efforts for as soon as he arrived Tahmasb asked him whether he was an unbeliever or a moslem. Jenkinson replied that he was neither, but a Christian, at which Shah Tahmasb told him he had no need of infidels and sent him on his way. Jenkinson was lucky to escape with his head which Tahmasb had considered presenting to the Turks.
Tahmasb was himself a skilled miniaturist but seems to have avoided spending any large sums of mooney on architectural projects, although, since he made his capi tal at Qazvin, which was later largely destroyed by an earthquake, there is little evidence of his impact today. He held a strong view of the divine right to rule and his principal religious official, the Sheikh al-Islam, Al-Karaki who died in 1534, laid down, in some ways, the precepts under which the present government of Iran seek to rule.
Tahmasb had made his capital at Kazvin. He was succeeded after his death in 1672 by his fifth son, Hyder Mirza, who was in turn slain by hi s older brother Ismail.
Palaces and
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19-February-95