Don Juan of Persia

Oruj bey Bayat (also spelled Uruch or Oruch in English), later known by his baptized name of Don Juan de Persia (c. 1560/1567–c. 1650) or simply Don Juan was a late 16th and early 17th century Iranian figure in Iran and Spain. He is also known as Faisal Nazary.

In Safavid Iran
According to his own diary, he was from Iran, belonging to Bayat, a Turkic Qizilbash clan. His father's name was Sultan Ali bey Bayat. His father and uncle Hossein Ali Bey Bayat were personal attendants of Mohammad Khodabanda, and his son Hamza Mirza. Together with his father, Oruj bey participated in an important mission to negotiate with the rebel khan of the Turkoman tribe, Amir Khan, which ended successfully. He fought alongside his father against Ottomans under Khodabanda (until his death 1582), as well as under Abbas I until Treaty of Constantinople in 1590. He later joined his cousin Ali Quli bey in a fight against Uzbeks 7 years later in Battle of Herat, where Din Muhammad Khan was killed.

In Europe
In 1599 Shah Abbas I sent an embassy to Europe headed by the English traveler Anthony Shirley and Oruj's uncle Hossein Ali Bey Bayat. He was part of the delegation as well. The envoy was equipped with letters to rulers of the Kingdoms of Spain, England, Scotland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Tsardom of Muscovy and the Republic of Venice. Leaving Isfahan on 9 June 1599, embassy went through Kashan-Qom-Saveh-Qazvin-Gilan and after sailing the Caspian Sea arrived in Mangishlak 2 months later. Soon they reached Astrakhan, where the embassy met the Shah's previously sent delegation to Tsar Boris Godunov, led by Pir Quli bey. However, the embassy never made it to Poland. Accordin to Polish version, at the tsar's insistence, the delegation bypassed Poland–Lithuania and via the port of Arkhangelsk, sailing around Scandinavia, reached the port of Emden and from there Prague in October 1600. In 1601, the embassy reached Rome, where 3 members of the embassy converted to Christianity according to Oruj bey himself. Embassy reached Spain on 13 August 1601, where it was welcomed by King Philip III in Valladolid. As a result of internal disputes, some of the messengers remained in Spain and received baptism, among them Ali Quli bey.

The rest of the embassy left on 11 October 1601. Hossein Ali bey Bayat continued his route to Iran through Lisbon. However, a member of the embassy - a chaplain - was stabbed on the road near Mérida and Oruj was sent to capital to inform the king. According to his testimony, after witnessing how Ali Quli (later Don Felipe) was tutored by Jesuits, Oruj was baptized on 14 January 1602 in Valladolid, receiving the name Don Juan de Persia. However, he was probably influenced by a Venetian named Nicolas Crivelli who was speaking Turkish and Francisco de San Juan, an Ottoman convert to Christianity and translator of Philip III. Another convert to Christianity was Bunyad bey (Don Diego).

Don Juan eventually caught up with Hossein Ali Bey in Lisbon, expecting to bring his family to Spain. The plan was failure as another member of the embassy, Hasan Ali bey discovered this and threatened to kill him as apostate to Islam. Embassy left for Iran via Goa in 1602.

Later years
Don Juan was granted an annual pension of 1200 ducats from Spanish king later that year. He also wrote an account of Iran, his involvement there with Shah Abbas I, and his journey to Spain in the Persian embassy to Europe (1599–1602) which was translated and published by a Mercedarian called Alonso Remón under title Relaciones de Don Juan de Persia in 1604, Valladolid. However, a year later both Don Diego and Don Juan were arrested and charged with murder of secretary of Hossein Ali Bey - Bastam Quli. However, the murderer was found later in person of another convert - Francisco de Persia.

He married a woman called María de Villarte 2 years later, had a daughter named Juana Bernarda de Persia in 1607. But the same year they were sentenced to serve 10 years in Flanders. However, Álvaro de Carvajal helped the converts, obtaining a mitigation from king. He acted as mediator for next Safavid ambassador to Lisbon - Imam Quli bey in 1608. He was a witness to marriage of fellow convert Don Felipe in 1612. Don Juan lived in here until 1615. Sometime later he moved to La Coruna and married a woman named Mariana de Reinaldos and had five children with her named Juan, Pedro, Maria, Domingo and Antonio. He died sometime after 11 November 1650, after drawing up his will.