Adam Olearius (born Adam Ölschläger or Oehlschlaeger; 24 September 1599 or August 16, 1603 – 22 February 1671) was a German scholar,

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

and

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

. He became secretary to the ambassador sent by Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, to the

Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

(Iran), and published two books about the events and observations during his travels.

Early life

He was born at

Aschersleben Aschersleben () is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximately 22 km east of Quedlinburg, and 45 km northwest of Halle (Saale). Geography Aschersleben lies near the confluence of the ...

, near

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to tailor Adam Oehlschlegel (d. 1625) and his wife Maria Porst (d. 1620). His family name refers to the profession of

oil mill An oil mill is a grinding mill designed to crush or bruise oil-bearing seeds, such as linseed or peanuts, or other oil-rich vegetable material, such as olives or the fruit of the oil palm, which can then be pressed to extract vegetable oils, whi ...

ers (). He grew up in modest circumstances. Nevertheless, thanks to his mother's and sisters' wool spinning money, in 1620 he managed to enrol in the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

to study theology. He also studied philosophy and mathematics. In 1627, Olearius was awarded the title of Magister of Philosophy and, five years later he was conrector and teaching at the Old St. Nicholas School and then at the Thomas School, he became an assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy in Leipzig. He was also supported as a fellow of the ''Minor Princes' Foundation'' ().

Career

He later became court official to Frederick III who was planning to establish economic ties between northern Germany and Russia. As a result, in 1633 he was appointed secretary to the ambassadors Philipp Crusius,

jurisconsult A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practitione ...

, and Otto Bruggemann, a merchant from Hamburg, sent by the duke to

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

and Persia in the hope of making arrangements by which his newly founded city of Friedrichstadt should become the terminus of an overland

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

-trade. This embassy started from Gottorp on 22 October 1633 and travelled by

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Dorpat Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

(five months' stay), Reval,

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, Ladoga, and

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(14 August 1634). According to some sources, here they concluded an advantageous treaty with Tsar

Michael of Russia Michael I (; ) was Tsar of all Russia from 1613 after being elected by the Zemsky Sobor of 1613 until his death in 1645. He was elected by the Zemsky Sobor and was the first tsar of the House of Romanov, which succeeded the House of Rur ...

, and returned forthwith to Gottorp (14 December 16347 April 1635) to procure the ratification of this arrangement from the duke, before proceeding to Persia. However, according to Claus Priesner, the tsar’s unrealistic expectations regarding customs revenues led to the failure of the mission. Immediately upon returning to Gottorf on 6 April 1635, preparations began for a new expedition to the Safavid court. This aimed at a trade agreement with Persia and an alliance with the ruling Safavids against the Ottomans. Olearius on the other hand went on a mission to the

Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand (also known as Don Fernando de Austria, Cardenal-Infante Fernando de España and as Ferdinand von Österreich; 16 May 1609 – 9 November 1641) was a Spanish and Portuguese prince (Infante of Spain, Infante of Portugal (u ...

on behalf of the duke, but returned ill to Hamburg, and laid sick there for a long time. Second Persian journey was again led by Brüggemann and Crusius, with Olearius once more as secretary. They were accompanied by, among others, the traveller Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo and the poet and physician Paul Fleming. The delegation left Altona on 22 October 1635, embarked at

Travemünde Travemünde () is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Bay of Lübeck, Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, an ...

, reached

on 29 March 1636, and continued on 30 June via

Balakhna Balakhna () is a town and the administrative center of Balakhninsky District in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, north of Nizhny Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 33, ...

near

Nizhniy Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

, to Volga in a boat specially built for this purpose by the

skippers who had been brought along. On 10 October, they attempted to cross the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

in a self-built vessel at

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

but were shipwrecked in Niyazabad (near modern Xaçmaz and

Derbent Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...

) on 14 November 1636. The land journey resumed on 22 December. They reached

Shamakhi Shamakhi (, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to th ...

, the capital of Shirvan province, on 30 December and remained there until 27 March 1637. He witnessed Armenian Epiphany celebrations thanks to Safavid governor Arab Khan Shamlu. During this time, Olearius conducted astronomical observations, met local scholars, and learned Persian. The delegation finally arrived in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

via

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

Soltaniyeh Soltaniyeh () is a city in the Central District (Soltaniyeh County), Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Soltaniyeh, located some ...

and Kasvin on 3 August 1637 and were received by the Safavid king, Shah Safi on 16 August. However, the mission soon failed largely due to the arrogant behaviour of its members, especially Brüggemann, who offended the Safavid court. After a festive reception, they experienced just a few days later a bloody battle between their retinue and the Uzbek escort of an embassy from the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

, in which 5 of the Holstein party were killed and 10 wounded. They departed on 21 December 1637 without having achieved any diplomatic result. Mandelslo separated from the group to continue on to India. The rest of the delegation returned via the Elburz Mountains, reaching the Caspian Sea again on 14 June 1638. From there, they retraced their route. Due to a serious falling out with Brüggemann, Olearius left the group in Reval and travelled ahead. Brüggemann returned with the rest of the delegation to Gottorf on 1 August 1639. He was held solely responsible for the mission’s failure and financial losses despite Crusius apparently having been the true leader and was publicly executed for incompetence on 5 May 1640. Once back at Gottorp, Olearius became librarian to the duke, who also made him keeper of his

cabinet of curiosities Cabinets of curiosities ( and ), also known as wonder-rooms ( ), were encyclopedic collections of objects whose categorical boundaries were, in Renaissance Europe, yet to be defined. Although more rudimentary collections had preceded them, t ...

10 years later in 1649, and induced the tsar to excuse his (promised) return to Moscow. Under his care the Gottorp library and cabinet were greatly enriched in manuscripts, books, and oriental and other works of art: in 1651 he purchased, for this purpose, the collection of the Dutch scholar and physician, (born Berent ten Broecke). Same year Olearius was inducted into the

Fruitbearing Society The Fruitbearing Society (German Die Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, lat. ''Societas Fructifera'') was a German literary society founded in 1617 in Weimar by German scholars and nobility. Its aim was to standardize vernacular German and promote it ...

by Wilhelm IV of Saxe-Weimar. He was given the society name ''Der Vielbemühete'' ("The Much-Engaged") and the motto ''In der Fremde'' ("In Foreign Lands"). His emblem was a Muscovite orange. As court mathematician, Olearius gained broader fame in 1654 when he constructed the Globe of Gottorf, with a diameter of 3.01 metres. The globe was given to

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

of Russia in 1713 by Duke Frederick's grandson, Christian Augustus.

Family

After Crusius married Maria Müller in 1638, the daughter of merchant Johannes Müller in Reval where the expedition had stayed, Olearius married her sister Catharina (d. 1676) a year later. They had three daughters and a son. In 1644, the Duke granted him land and timber to build a house in Friedrichsberg near

Gottorf Castle Gottorf Castle (, , Low German: ''Slott Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and has been rebuilt and expanded severa ...

. However, on October 30, 1658, during Northern War of 1655–1660, his estate was plundered by imperial troops. He died at Gottorp on 22 February 1671. He was buried in Trinity Church designed by himself. A dispute arose over Olearius's estate, in which court councilor and chancellery secretary, and his son-in-law Burchard Niederstätten played a less than sympathetic role. Philipp Christian Olearius, who was only 13 years old at his father's death, later complained that the executor, Niederstätten, had arbitrarily sold most of his father's extensive library to the bookbinder Hans Dose in

for 500-600

thalers A thaler or taler ( ; , previously spelled ) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter o ...

, although it was worth at least 2,000 thalers. Philipp Christian later enrolled at the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...

in 1682, earned a doctorate in medicine in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

in 1689.

Books

It is by his admirable narrative of the Russian and the Persian legation (''Beschreibung der muscowitischen und persischen Reise'', Schleswig, 1647, and afterwards in several enlarged editions, 1656, etc.) that Olearius is best known, though he also published a history of

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

(''Kurtzer Begriff einer holsteinischen Chronic'', Schleswig, 1663), a famous catalogue of the Holstein-Gottorp cabinet (1666), and a translation of the '' Gulistan'' (''Persianisches Rosenthal'', Schleswig, 1654), to which was written by

Saadi Shirazi Abu Mohammad Moshrefoldin Mosleh ebn Abdollah ebn Mosharraf, better known by his pen name Saadi (; , ), also known as Saadi of Shiraz (, ''Saʿdī Shīrāzī''; born 1210; died 1291 or 1292), was a Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval p ...

appended a translation of the fables of

Luqman Luqman, Lokman or Lukman (; also known as Luqman the Wise or Luqman al-Hakim) was a man after whom '' Luqman'', the 31st ''surah'' (chapter) of the Qur'an, was named. There are many stories about Luqman in Persian, Arabic and Turkish literatur ...

. A French version of the ''Beschreibung'' was published by Abraham de Wicquefort (''Voyages en Moscovie, Tartarie et Perse, par Adam Olearius'', Paris, 1656), an English version was made by John Davies of Kidwelly (''Travels of the Ambassadors sent by Frederic, Duke of Holstein, to the Great Duke of Muscovy and the King of Persia'', London, 1662; and 1669), and a Dutch translation by Dieterius van Wageningen (''Beschrijvingh van de nieuwe Parciaensche ofte Orientaelsche Reyse'', Utrecht, 1651); an Italian translation of the Russian sections also appeared (''Viaggi di Moscovia'', Viterbo and Rome, 1658). Paul Fleming the poet and J. A. de Mandelslo, whose travels to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

are usually published with those of Olearius, accompanied the embassy. Olearius' unpublished works include a ''Lexicon Persicum'' and several other Persian studies. By his lively and well-informed writing he introduced Germany (and the rest of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

) to

Persian literature Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day ...

and culture. To achieve this, he not only used the written form, but also incorporated references to

Persian miniature A Persian miniature (Persian language, Persian: نگارگری ایرانی ''negârgari Irâni'') is a small Persian painting on paper, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works called a ...

painting and other elements into his book art.

Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the principal so ...

depended on him for local colour in writing his satiric ''Lettres Persanes'' ('' Persian Letters'', 1721), though he used the French translation, ''Relation de voyage de Moscovie, Tartarie et de Perse.'' Among his many translations of Persian literature into German are Saadi's '' Golistan'': ''Persianischer Rosenthal. In welchem viel lustige Historien ... von ... Schich Saadi in Persianischer Sprache beschrieben,'' printed in Schleswig by Holwein in 1654. Olearius also contributed to church reform by translating the

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

agenda Agenda (: agendum) may refer to: Information management * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed and acted upon, displayed as a list * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group * Lotus Agenda, a DOS-based personal informatio ...

into

High German The High German languages (, i.e. ''High German dialects''), or simply High German ( ) – not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called "High German" – comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Ben ...

. This version, published in 1665, remained in use in Schleswig-Holstein churches until the rationalist agenda of Jacob Georg Christian Adler was introduced—and in some places even longer. It was reprinted in 1850. In 1669, Olearius also published the travel accounts of Jürgen Andersen and Volquard Iversen under the title ''Oriental Travel Descriptions'' (), as well as Heinrich von Uchteritz's account of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

in 1666.

Selected works

* ''Auserlesene Gedichte'' (Selected Poems), ed.

Wilhelm Müller Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Müller (7 October 1794 – 30 September 1827) was a German lyric poet, best known as the author of ''Die schöne Müllerin'' (1821) and ''Winterreise'' (1823). These would later be the source of inspiration for two song cy ...

, Leipzig 1822 * ''Lustige Historie woher das Tabacktrincken kompt'' (Funny story where tobacco drinking comes from). Schleswig, 1643. * ''Vermehrte Newe Beschreibung Der Muscowitischen und Persischen Reyse So durch gelegenheit einer Holsteinischen Gesandtschaft an den Russischen Zaar und König in Persien geschehen'' (Revised New Description of the Muscovite and Persian Journey, as done on the occasion of a Holstein Embassy to the Russian Tsar and King in Persia) Schleswig 1656 (Repr. Tübingen: Niemeyer 1971)
Digitized version
* ''Moskowitische und persische Reise: die holsteinische Gesandtschaft 1633–1639'' (Muscovite and Persian journey: the Holstein embassy 1633–1639) Schleswig 1656, Repr. Stuttgart: Thienemann, 1986, ISBN 3-522-60650-7 * ''Kurtze Erinnerung und Bericht von der grossen und erschrecklichen Sonnen-Finsterniß so dieses 1630. Jahrs den letzten Maij … sich sehen lassen'', (A short recollection and report of the great and terrible solar eclipse that took place last May of this 1630th year…) Leipzig 1630

* ''Offt begehrte Beschreibung Der Newen Orientalischen Reise / So durch Gelegenheit einer Holsteinischen Legation an den König in Persien geschehen: Worinnen Derer Orter und Länder / durch welche die Reise gangen / als fürnemblich Rußland / Tartarien und Persien / sampt ihrer Einwohner Natur / Leben und Wesen fleissig beschrieben / und mit vielen Kupfferstücken / so nach dem Leben gestellet / gezieret / Durch M. Adamum Olearium, Ascanium Saxonem, Fürstl: Schleßwig-Holsteinischen Hoff-mathemat. Item Ein Schreiben des WolEdeln t. Johann Albrecht Von Mandelslo: worinnen dessen OstIndianische Reise über den Oceanum enthalten; Zusampt eines kurtzen Berichts von jetzigem Zustand des eussersten Orientalischen KönigReiches Tzina'', Schleswig 1647
Digitized version
* ''Persianischer Rosenthal'' (Gulistan) Hamburg 1654

* ''Ausführliche Beschreibung der kundbaren Reyse Nach Muscow und Persien. So durch gelegenheit einer Holsteinischen Gesandschafft von Gottorff auß an Michael Fedorowitz den grossen Zaar in Muscow / und Schach Sefi König in Persien geschehen …'' (Detailed description of the known journey to Moscow and Persia. As sent by a Holstein embassy from Gottorff to Michael Fyodorovich, the Great Tsar in Muscow, and Shah Safi, King in Persia.), Schleswig 1663

* ''Gottorfische Kunst-Cammer'', Schleswig 1666 (Digitized version

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olearius, Adam 1599 births 1671 deaths People from Aschersleben Diplomats of former countries German librarians 17th-century German mathematicians People from the Duchy of Holstein Leipzig University alumni Writers about Russia Historians of Iran German male non-fiction writers 17th-century German translators Ambassadors to the Tsardom of Russia Ambassadors to Safavid Iran Globe makers