Ottoman-İndia relations (1750-1857)

In this study, the political, commercial and cultural relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim states in India from the mid-eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century were discussed. The relationship between the two countries was examined from the period when the British were increasingly active in India until 1857, when it took over the administration completely in the country. In this context, with the states like Malabar and the Maysor Sultanate, who were independent from the Mughals and the central authority, which had deteriorated over time while they were subordinate to them, seeking support from the Ottoman against the increasing British pressure and Political relations between the British Bopal and Arkot Nevvabs are explained. In addition, the elements that make up the Ottoman-Indian trade, the commercial roads, the goods traded, the effects of the European states on this trade and the merchant groups in the trade have been tried to be revealed. The fact that the Hejaz, under Ottoman rule, was both a religious and commercial center, and the activities of Indian Muslims established an important link between the two countries. The situation of the Indians, a crowded group in Hejaz, the troubles they faced, and the problems they gave to the Ottoman State are important issues. Also, the "Hindi Dervish Lodge", which is widely seen in the Ottoman geography and where both Indian pilgrims and merchants are accommodated, has been examined with its political, commercial and cultural characteristics. The ties between the two countries reveal that, contrary to the established belief, the Ottoman State was not an "Indian policy" aimed at protecting trade and pilgrimage routes only in the sixteenth century, and that this policy continued in the later period. Although this policy does not usually involve political issues, it has made it compulsory for the Ottoman State to pursue a solution-oriented path when it comes to Indian goods and Indian pilgrims. In addition, it offers a different perspective to follow the commercial, religious and cultural ties introduced in the study, and to explain the reasons for the role played by the Muslims of India in the emergence of the idea of "Pan-Islamism" that started with the 93 War and turned into a political ideology. Finally, examining the relations of the Ottoman State with borderless Muslim states shows another dimension of Ottoman foreign policy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.