Sceriman family

A Catholic family, they had their roots in early 17th-century New Julfa (the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran), and relatively quickly came to preside over branches all over the world, stretching from Italy (mostly Venice) in the west, to Pegu (Burma) in the east.

Apart from being renowned as a trader's family, some Scerimans were high-ranking individuals in the Safavid state, including in its military, religious, and bureaucratic systems.

[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.

[6] The eldest son of Sarhat, Zachariah, functioned as a royal merchant on behalf of Shah Suleiman I (r. 1666–1694) and grand vizier Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh (1669–1689).

[2][7] Zachariah played a pivotal role in the ratification of Tsar Alexis's (r. 1645–1676) decree which granted merchants from New Julfa special trade privileges for using the Russian route for the Safavid silk export to Europe.

[2] In the 1650s and 1660s, Sarhat's fourth son, Gaspar, spent long periods of time in various Italian cities, including Venice, Livorno, and Rome.

[2][7] The deed was done by establishing numerous "interest-bearing accounts" and by offering "substantial" loans to the Venetian Republic, which needed them for its wars against the Ottoman Empire.

[2] Shortly after 1684, then grand vizier Shaykh Ali Khan Zanganeh employed a son of Zachariah as his own private merchant.

[2] In the same year, based on a report sent to the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) in Rome, it was evident that the Scerimans had some 50 servants and up to a 100 agents in the royal capital of Isfahan alone.

[2] A climactic point was reached in the mid-18th century, as members of the family were raised to the class of nobility in numerous Italian city-states.

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 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] 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 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.