Johann Rudolf Stadler
Johann Rudolf Stadler (1605 – 16 October 1637) was a Swiss Protestant clockmaker. He is mostly known for his life in Safavid Iran, where he worked as a prosperous watchmaker. He eventually fell victim to intrigue in relation to the death of a trespasser on his property, and was executed. BiographyA native of Zürich, Stadler was a son of a certain Erhard, a seller of stoves.[1][2] In 1627, he left on a mission to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, for his uncle Johann Rudolf Schmid von Schwarzenhorn.[1][2] There, he met the French traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.[1] Stadler and Tavernier subsequently travelled together to Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid Empire.[1] Stadler arrived in Safavid Iran in 1631 where he soon made a name for himself as watchmaker.[1][3] Safavid Shah ("King") Safi (r. 1629–1642) was pleased by the watch that Stadler made for him while at Isfahan, and he was subsequently employed at court.[3] Over the next three years, Stadler repaired all of the Shah's broken watches.[1][3] Stadler became a wealthy man of high standing in the Safavid Empire, and married a Nestorian woman.[1] In 1637, he sought to return to Europe together with the Holstein embassy which was led by Otto Bruggeman, his brother-in-law. Shah Safi however offered him a large amount of money to stay.[3] Before Stadler was able to make a decision, however, he shot dead a man who had broken into his house at night.[3] Stadler had caught the same intruder once before and had ordered him never to set foot again in his house.[1] According to Tavernier, the man was not a burglar, but the lover of Stadler's wife.[3] Though Safavid law was on Stadler's side, intrigue sealed his fate; the Safavid court had him incarcerated and sentenced to death.[1] Shah Safi was willing to pardon Stadler if he converted to Islam and had himself circumcised; however, as he refused, the court carried out the sentence. He was executed by the sword, on 16 October 1637, and was buried in Isfahan.[4] References
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