Sceriman family

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The Villa Sceriman Widmann Rezzonico Foscari, owned by the Scerimans in the 18th century

The Sceriman family, also referred to as the Shahremanian, Shahremanean, Shahrimanian, Shehrimanian, Shariman, or Seriman

Austro-Hungarian Empire. They especially became renowned in the Republic of Venice
, where they were well integrated into its ruling class. Nevertheless, until their decline in the late 1790s and eventual inactivity in the 19th century, they remained bound to their original base in Iran.

Despite their success, the Scerimans helped create a rift in the Armenian community of Iran. Due to their prominent position in society, their support of the Catholic faith created a strong sense of hostility between the majority Gregorian Armenians and minority Catholic Armenians.

History

Early years

Picture of New Julfa, Isfahan

The ancestors of the Scerimans were from the

Abbas I's (r. 1588–1629) mass relocation of his empire's ethnic Armenian inhabitants in 1604.[2][3] Historian Sebouh Aslanian [de] says that some Armenian sources from the post-deportation period claim a noble status for the family, stating that the family belonged to an ancient clan of nobles (nakharars), with possible roots in the historical Armenian city of Ani.[3] After they were settled in the early 17th century in the new Armenian quarter of New Julfa within the boundaries of the city of Isfahan in central Iran, they started to be a pivotal factor in the internal and external commerce of the Safavid Empire. They accomplished this by making extensive use of their contacts both inside and outside the Safavid realm.[2]

The Scerimans were reputedly both the most influential and the richest amongst all Catholic Armenian families in New Julfa.

Catholicism. Other members would formally follow later.[2] Over the years, the Scerimans played an important role in the creation of a rift in the Armenian community of Iran.[6] Due to their prominent position in society, they, as heralds of the Catholic faith, created a strong sense of hostility between the majority Gregorian Armenians and minority Catholic Armenians.[6]

Consolidation

The eldest son of Sarhat, Zachariah, functioned as a royal merchant on behalf of Shah

its wars against the Ottoman Empire.[2] These investments would yield a significant profit later on. At about the same time, a certain "cultural component" is noted as well in the Scerimans' fixation on the Italian city-states.[2]

In 1684, an additional eleven members of the family in New Julfa converted to Catholicism.[2] Following this, the Scerimans became heralds of the Catholic faith in New Julfa, and were known as "great supporters" of the Vatican.[2] Conversion was certainly not without interests; as the Vatican profited from the Scerimans in the course of the 1680s (with the family still stationed in New Julfa), a papal bull was issued in 1696 which granted the Scerimans full Roman citizenship and trade-related privileges in numerous Italian cities, including Rome.[2] Shortly after 1684, then grand vizier Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh employed a son of Zachariah as his own private merchant.[9] In 1691, a chapel that had been built by the Jesuits in Isfahan in 1662 was enlarged with financial assistance from the Sceriman family.[10]

Further success

Palazzo
Zeno Manin Sceriman in Venice

Further success came with the turn of the 18th century. In 1699, on the recommendation of the

satirist.[2][3]

Decline, inactivity and assessment

The Sceriman headquarters continued to function until the late 1790s in Venice and Livorno. Subsequently, their business fortunes diminished. In the first few years after moving the headquarters to Venice, the office was often in contact with its branch in New Julfa, as the latter was an integral part of the family's ventures.[2]

Even though the Scerimans enjoyed success abroad, it came at a costly price.

Sultan Husayn (r. 1694–1722), the family received most of the impact.[2] In 1698, burdened by fellow Armenians and increasing taxes, Khvajeh Gaspar and his family decided to settle in Venice.[15][16] His older brother, Khvajeh Marcara, followed shortly after with his family.[16] Nevertheless, the Scerimans maintained a continuous presence in their ancestral New Julfa, as other Sceriman branches continued to live there.[2] The headquarters, however, were moved to Venice and Livorno, where several Sceriman members had settled.[2]

Even though the Scerimans are mostly known for their tight relations with the Safavids and later the Italian city-states and Austro-Hungary, they were also represented (especially through junior members), when needed, in Russia, India, the Netherlands, Burma, Spain, and Malacca.[2]

Sebouh Aslanian cites two reasons why maintaining the Julfa branch following the relocation was of extreme importance to the family. The first reason was that, traditionally, the most lucrative capital-generating markets for the family were in Southeastern Asia and India.[2] Hence, a well-located regional office in New Julfa was pivotal in connecting the Mediterranean ventures of the family with those of the gem market around the Indian Ocean.[2] The second reason was that, even though the Scerimans were eager to integrate and assimilate in Italy, they still were Julfan Armenians by origin, "at least as far as their trading habits were concerned".[2] The Scerimans were a calculating and strategizing group of individuals, who not only thought about their future enterprises, but were equally concerned about their situation in foreign lands. Even though they travelled far and wide, they remained bound to their original home in New Julfa through "language, personal relationships, or otherwise".[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Venetianized spelling".[1]
  2. ^ Also spelled "Murat di Sceriman". He was another son of Khvajeh Sarhat.

References

  1. ^ Aslanian 2011, p. 283.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Aslanian & Berberian 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Aslanian 2011, p. 153.
  4. ^ a b Aslanian 2011, p. 149.
  5. ^ Aslanian 2011, p. 157.
  6. ^ a b Matthee 2012, p. 189.
  7. ^ a b Aslanian 2011, p. 150.
  8. ^ Matthee 2012, p. 190.
  9. ^ Matthee 2015.
  10. ^ Matthee 2008, pp. 634–638.
  11. ^ Aslanian 2011, p. 158.
  12. ^ Trivellato 2011, p. 120.
  13. ^ a b Kostikyan 2012, p. 374.
  14. ^ a b Matthee 2012, p. 194.
  15. ^ Matthee 2012, p. 254.
  16. ^ a b Aslanian 2011, p. 151.

Sources

  • Aslanian, Sebouh; Berberian, Houri (2009). "SCERIMAN FAMILY". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.
  • Aslanian, Sebouh (2011). From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa. University of California Press. pp. 149–154.
    ISBN 978-0520947573
    .
  • Kostikyan, Kristine (2012). "European Catholic Missionary Propaganda among the Armenian Population of Safavid Iran". In
    ISBN 978-1780769905
    .
  • ISBN 978-1-934283-07-3
    .
  • ISBN 978-1845117450
    .
  • Matthee, Rudi (2015). "ŠAYḴ-ʿALI KHAN ZANGANA". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.
  • ISBN 978-0857451842
    .
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