Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq from a 17th century engraving

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. Image File history File links OG_de_busbecq. ... Image File history File links OG_de_busbecq. ... Events January 18 - King Christian II of Denmark and Norway defeats the Swedes at Lake Asunde. ... Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... This is a list of margraves, dukes, archdukes, and emperors of Austria. ...

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. For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. ... Bousbecque is a commune of the Nord département, in northern France. ... Nord (French, the north) is a département in the north of France. ... Wervik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. ... Comines-Warneton (Dutch: Komen-Waasten) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. ... West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) is the westernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. ... This page is about the Germanic 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 studied in a number of well-known universities in northern Italy, including taking classes from Giovanni Battista Egnazio in Venice. The Catholic University of Leuven, founded in 1425, is now the names of two Belgian universities, after the original university split in 1968: the Dutch-speaking Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, and the French-speaking Universit catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... // Events February 2 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′ N 12°19′ E, population 271,663 (census estimate 2004-01-01). ...

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 London for the marriage 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. Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (March 10, 1503 – July 27, 1564) was one of the Habsburg emperors that at various periods during his life ruled over Austria, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. ... Events April - War between Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V. Henry invades Lorraine and captures Toul, Metz, and Verdun. ... Events February 12 - After claiming the throne of England the previous year, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason alongside her husband. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon This article is about Mary Tudor, queen consort of France. ... Philip II of Spain (1527 – September 13, 1598), King of Spain (r. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (Ottoman Turkish for the Eternal State) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Constantinople (Ä°stanbul) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ... Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (November 6, 1494 – September 5/6, 1566); in Turkish Süleyman and in the Arabic alphabet سليمان (nicknamed the Magnificent in Europe and the Lawgiver in the Islamic World, in Turkish Kanuni) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 and successor to... Shows the Location of the Province Ä°stanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul; a contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings muslim monarch ruling under the terms of shariah The title carries moral weight and religious authority, as the rulers role was defined in the Quran. ... Transylvania (Romanian: Transilvania or Ardeal, Hungarian: Erdély, German: Siebenbürgen, Serbian: Трансилванија / Transilvanija, Turkish: Erdel, Slovak: Sedmohradsko or Transylvánia, Polish: Siedmiogród) forms the western and central parts of Romania. ... A Vizier (وزير, sometimes also spelled Vizir, Wasir, Wazir, Wesir - grammatical voyel changes are common in many oriental languages) is an oriental, originally Persian, term for a high-ranking religious and political advisor, often to a king or sultan. ... Also spelt Ali Pasha, was the commander of Turkish naval forces at the Battle of Lepanto. ...

Cover page of Turcicae epistolae, 1595 ed.

During his stay in Istanbul, he wrote his best known work, his Turkish Letters, a compendium of personal correspondence to a friend 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'Ecluse, who climatized them to life in the Low Countries. Less than a century later tulipomania was sweeping the Netherlands and ruining its financial markets. Tulips are now strongly associated with the Low Countries. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (591x947, 285 KB) Cover page of , a. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (591x947, 285 KB) Cover page of , a. ... Shows the Location of the Province Ä°stanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul; a contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Flanders (Flemish, Fleming) (Dutch: Vlaanderen (Vlaams, Vlaming), French: Flandre(s), (flamand, flamand), German: Flandern, (flämisch, Flame) has two main designations: a constituent community of the federal Belgian state through its social and political organisations, and through the institutions of the Flemish Community (with its own Flemish government and Flemish... Travel literature is a record of the events, sights and personal feelings which a traveller experiences as they go from place to place. ... A primary source is any piece of information that is used for constructing history as an artifact of its times. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Species See text Tulips are plants of the genus Tulipa, in the lily family, Liliaceae. ... Nymphea from Rariorum plantarum historia Charles de LEcluse, LEscluse, or Carolus Clusius (Arras, February 19, 1526 - Leiden April 4, 1609), seigneur de Watènes, was the Flemish doctor and pioneering botanist, perhaps the most influential of all 16th century scientific horticulturists. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... The term tulipomania (alternatively tulip mania) is used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble. ...

He returned from Turkey in 1562 and became a counsellor in the court of Emperor Ferdinand in Vienna and tutor to his son, the 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. Events Earliest English slave-trading expedition under John Hawkins. ... Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (March 10, 1503 – July 27, 1564) was one of the Habsburg emperors that at various periods during his life ruled over Austria, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Hungarian: Bécs) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). ... Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II Maximilian II of the Habsburg dynasty was born July 31, 1527 at Vienna and died October 12, 1576 in Regensburg. ... There are many women who might be known as Elisabeth of Austria: the most noted of these is the Empress Sisi, whose article is found at Elisabeth_of_Bavaria Other Elisabeth of Austrias include: Elisabeth of Austria (1437-1505), wife of Casimir IV of Poland Elisabeth of Austria (1554 - 1592), wife of... Charles IX (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) was born Charles-Maximilien, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. ... The Habsburg Monarchy, often called Austrian monarchy or simply Austria, is the name given to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine, between 1526 and 1867/1918. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between the Catholic League and the Huguenots from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. ... Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II Rudolph IIs personal imperial crown, later crown of the Austrian Empire Rudolf II Habsburg was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, king of Bohemia, and king of Hungary. ... Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... Mantes-la-Jolie or Mantes or Mantes-sur-Seine is a commune of northern France, the capital of an arrondissement (sous-préfecture) and the third largest town in the département of Yvelines on the left bank of the Seine, some 30 miles north west of Paris. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) is the westernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. ... The Catholic League was created by Henry of Guise, in 1576 during the French Wars of Religion. ... Location within France Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northern France, and presently the capital of the Upper Normandy région. ... Bousbecque is a commune of the Nord département, in northern France. ...

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 0807130710.
• 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.

Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II Rudolph IIs personal imperial crown, later crown of the Austrian Empire Rudolf II Habsburg was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, king of Bohemia, and king of Hungary. ...

External links

• Biography of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq (in French)
• An extract from Turkish Letters