On This Day
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English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia at the Safavid royal court

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across...

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across Europe in the name of the Safavid emperor Abbas the Great (r. 1588–1629).

Teresa was received by many of the royal houses of Europe, such as English prince Henry Frederick and Queen Anne (her child's godparents) and contemporary writers and artists such as Thomas Herbert and Anthony van Dyck. Herbert considered Robert Shirley "the greatest Traveller of his time", but admired the "undaunted Lady Teresa" even more.

Historical Significance

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran.

Events Before

  1. Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Orfeo" premieres in Mantua, the oldest opera still regularly performed

    The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) wrote several works for the stage between 1604 and 1643, including ten in the then-emerging opera genre.

  2. The Bank of Genoa fails after announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain

    The Bank of Genoa fails after announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain

  3. San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; the oldest church in the Philippines

    The Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and Cincture, also known as the Church of Saint Augustine and Immaculate Conception Parish, is a Roman Catholic church under the auspices of the...

  4. Massive flooding in England destroys around 200 square miles of coastline and results in approximately 2,000 casualties

    Massive flooding in England destroys around 200 square miles of coastline and results in approximately 2,000 casualties

  5. The British colonial expedition that would found Jamestown departs Puerto Rico for the American mainland

    The British colonial expedition that would found Jamestown departs Puerto Rico for the American mainland

Events After

  1. William Shakespeare's Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by publisher Thomas Thorpe

    William Shakespeare's Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by publisher Thomas Thorpe

  2. Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York, setting the stage for French-Iroquois

    Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York, setting the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years

  3. Galileo Galilei presents his telescope to the Venetian Senate in Venice

    Galileo Galilei presents his telescope to the Venetian Senate in Venice

  4. Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, including the Doge (ruler) of Venice, Leonardo D

    Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, including the Doge (ruler) of Venice, Leonardo Donato

  5. English explorer Henry Hudson is the first European to sail into Delaware Bay, naming it South Bay

    Henry Hudson (1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the...

More from the 1600s

Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is pub

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster comma

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; the journey lasts nearly 16 months

Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history

Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on February 2, 1608?
Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across Europe in the name of the Safavid emperor Abbas the Great (r. 1588–1629).
Why is English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia ... significant?
Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran.

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February 2 in HistoryYear 1608