Salomon Aszkenazy - diplomat and doctor : between Cyprus, Turkey and Poland

Strona wydawcy: https://www.wuj.pl

The aim of this paper is to present a brief biography of Salomon Aszkenazy, who gained great political prominence in Turkey and played an important role in its history, especially in establishing and improving its relations with the Republic of Venice, Spain and Poland, among others. Salomon Aszkenazy was born in 1520 in Udine into a Jewish family of German descent. Having completed his studies in medicine he set out on a journey around Europe. He spent some time in Poland at the royal court of Sigismund-Augustus, where he filled the position of the court physician. He left Cracow in 1564 and went to Istanbul, where he accompanied the grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who took a great liking to him. Because he had a lot of contacts, Aszkenazy became an unofficial liaison between Turkey and the Republic of Venice during the peace negotiations between these two states. Thanks to his network of contacts in Poland he played an important role in the election of pro-Turkish candidates to the Polish throne - of Henry Valois and then of Stephen Bathory. Often referred to as "the favourie of all pashas", he exercised a considerable influence on the foreign policy of the Sublime Porte.