Everything about Ogier Ghiselin De Busbecq totally explained
Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq (
1520 or
1521-
October 28,
1592;
Latin:
Augerius Gislenius Busbequius; sometimes
Augier Ghislain de Busbecq) was a writer,
herbalist and diplomat in the employ of three generations of
Austrian monarchs.
The illegitimate son of the
Seigneur de Busbecq, Georges Ghiselin, and his mistress Catherine Hespiel, he grew up at Busbecq Castle (in present-day
Bousbecque,
Nord,
France), studying in
Wervik and
Comines - at the time, all part of
Spanish West Flanders, a province of the
Holy Roman Empire.
His intellectual gifts led him to advanced studies at the Latin-language
Catholic University of Leuven, where he registered in
1536 under the name
Ogier Ghislain de Comines. From there, he went on to study at a number of well-known universities in northern
Italy, including taking classes from
Giovanni Battista Egnazio in
Venice.
Busbecq, like his father and grandfather, chose a career of public service. He entered into the service of the Austrian monarch
Ferdinand I in approximately
1552. In
1554, he was sent to
England for the marriage in
Winchester of the English queen
Mary Tudor to
Phillip II of Spain. Shortly thereafter, Ferdinand named him ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire under the rule of
Suleiman the Magnificent. His task for much of the time he was in
Istanbul was the negotiation of a border treaty between his employer (the future
Holy Roman Emperor) and the
Sultan over the disputed territory of
Transylvania. He had no success in this mission while
Rustem Pasha was the Sultan's
vizier, but ultimately reached an accord with his successor
Ali Pasha.
During his stay in
Istanbul, he wrote his best known work, his
Turkish Letters, a compendium of personal correspondence to his friend, and fellow
Hungarian diplomat,
Nicholas Michault, in
Flanders and some of the world's first
travel literature. These letters, describing his adventures in Ottoman politics, remain one of the principal
primary sources for students of the
16th century Ottoman court. He also wrote in enormous detail about the plant and animal life he encountered in Turkey. He was an avid collector, acquiring valuable manuscripts, rare coins and curios of various kinds. His passion for herbalism led him to send Turkish
tulip bulbs to his friend
Charles de l'Écluse, who acclimatized them to life in the
Low Countries. Less than a century later
tulip mania was sweeping the
United Provinces and ruining its financial markets. Tulips are now strongly associated with the Netherlands.
He returned from Turkey in
1562 and became a counsellor in the court of
Emperor Ferdinand in
Vienna and tutor to his grandchildren, the sons of future
Emperor Maximilian II. Busbecq ended his career as the guardian of
Elisabeth of Austria, Maximilian's daughter and widow of French king
Charles IX. He continued to serve the
Austrian monarchy, observing the development of the
French Wars of Religion on behalf of
Rudolf II. Finally, in
1592 and nearing the end of his life, he chose to leave his residence in
Mantes outside of
Paris for his native
West Flanders, but was assaulted and robbed by members of the
Catholic League near
Rouen. He died a few days later. His body is buried in a chapel at
Saint-Germain-sous-Cailly, and his heart was embalmed and sent to the family tomb in
Bousbecque.
Bibliography
- Itinera Constantinopolitanum et Amasianum (1581), later published as A. G. Busbequii D. legationis Turcicae epistolae quattor - Known in English as Turkish Letters. An early 20th century English translation is available as ISBN 0-8071-3071-0.
- Epistolae ad Rudolphum II. Imperatorem e Gallia scriptae (1630) - Posthumous publication of Busbecq's letters to Rudolf II detailing the life and politics of the French court.
- Vier brieven over het gezantschap naar Turkije (Legationis Turcicae epistolae quatuor), Ogier Ghiselin van Boesbeeck. Translation Michel Goldsteen, Introduction and Notes Zweder von Martels. Available ISBN 90-6550-007-3 (uitgeverij Verloren, Hilversum, Netherlands)
- Les écritures de l'ambassade: les Lettres turques d'Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. Traduction annotée et étude littéraire. PhD Thesis of Dominique ARRIGHI, Sorbonne, Paris, 2006. A revised edition is to be published, including a French translation enriched with philologic and historical notes, and an essay about the Turkish Letters.
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