John Albert de Mandelslo (1616-44) was a German adventurer. He began his career as an attaché in the court of the Duke of Holstein in Germany. In 1635 the Duke sent ambassadors to the courts of Russia and Persia. Mandelslo travelled with this mission for nearly three years and then in 1638 left them and sailed from Ispahan to India landing at Surat in April of that year. Here he journeyed through the cities of Gujarat, and thence to the Mughal court at Agra and Lahore. From there he returned to Surat and sailed for England in January 1639. This is a rare recording his experiences in India in the reign of Shah Jahan and a valuable source of information on the political and social conditions of the country at that time. Some accounts of places he gives are second hand but he always makes a mention of this fact.