I hope my question doesn't come off as ignorant but I am curious as to the relationship between the 3 Islamic also Turkic empires. Mughal Empire - Safavid and Ottoman Empire were all 3 having Turkic roots and all 3 adopting the Islamic faith. Surely there relationship should have been a bit more positive compared to there relationships with Europe or non-Islamic nations.
What were there relationships like? were they positive or negative and if negative, why were they negative? since they all have similarities when it comes to faith and ethnicity, surely something good could've came out of this, rght? or am I wrong?
I really appreciate your time!
since they all have similarities when it comes to faith and ethnicity, surely something good could've came out of this, rght?
I honestly chuckled. I’ll try to answer your question, sorry if it doesn’t satisfy you
The Early years
Babur’s (the founder of Mughal Empire) views of the Ottomans was closely connected to his relations with the Safavids. During his attempts of conquering Samarkand, he had contacted Shah Isma’il for help after the Safavid crushed the Uzbeks in 1510 at Marv. In exchange for military assistance, he pledged to acknowledge the Shah through the khutba. However, Babur’s failed campaign and his attempts to establish himself in Balkh, Qandahar and Herat increased Safavid distrust towards him. After Babur retreated from Afghanistan and started the conquest of North India, his relations with the Safavids improved, and Babur sent a congratulatory embassy to Tahmasp in 1524. Babur also sent gifts and embassies to Iraq, Mecca and Medina. However, in Babur’s memoirs these territories were portrayed as separate independent realm and no separate embassy to the Ottoman court was sent. In later years, Tahmasp‘s efforts against Uzbek forces in 1528 were eagerly supported by Babur, and at least two other embassies were exchanged with Tahmasp. He also portrays Tahmasp as a young, rigorous conqueror, contrast with the Ottomans that depicted him as a coward who feared confrontation. That aside, he also employed many Rumi (Ottoman) experts to improve his military. For example Mustafa Bayram, who casted him cannons and muskets. Ottoman customs were also adopted, like adding the word “ghazi” to his tughra and calling himself fath-i padishah-i islam (The Victorious Emperor of Islam). Babur saw the Ottoman dynasty as the ghazis of Rum, but he also depicted himself as a ghazi of India. By this time he mentioned the Ottomans more frequently, but he still displayed distaste of the Ottomans, for several reasons. First, in his understanding, The Ottoman lands was geographically remote and comparable to China in its mythical view. Second, much of Babur‘s knowledge about the Ottomans are obtained through Qaraqoyunlu and the Safavid, who of course very much disliked the Ottomans. Finally, The Ottomans under Selim I were planning alliances against the Safavids with Uzbeks, who were Babur‘s perpetual enemies, even more so with him realizing that the Ottomans were actually a powerful force in Egypt and on the Arab peninsula. Babur avoids any concrete mention of the Ottomans except for the somewhat anachronistic ghaziyan-i Rum (Ghazi of Rum), but he still boasts of competent Rumi men in his own retinue
The 16th-17th Century
Humayun
By this time, Ottoman fame has been known to the Indian states and many requested assistance to fend off the Mughals, like the Lodi, Pathani, and the Gujarati. The Ottoman Empire also has been giving refuge to fugitive Lodi and Timurid princes, but they made it clear that they will not take any actions against Humayun of the Mughals. By this time, Humayun has been defeated time and time again by Sher Shah until he finally loses his empire by May 1540 in the battle of Kanauj. When Humayun was deprived of his throne, he fled to the Safavid court in Qazwin and allegedly converted to Shi’ism. Safavid forces subsequently helped him conquer Qandahar, from which he carried out his campaign to reconquer Kabul and later India. With this crisis, unlike most Mughal rulers, Humayun made friendly overtures to the Ottomans without contesting their claim to power. In the course of his own exile, he repeatedly stated his intention to go to Ottoman realm or to Mecca. Of course, since this would have constituted a final renunciation of his throne, he remained within Safavid borders, gathering military support at the border and in the Gilan region. Nevertheless, he observed the power of the Ottomans, and he commented extensively on the presence of an Ottoman embassy in the Safavid realm, praising the language skills of the ambassador. While in Tabriz, Humayun conveyed his greetings to the Ottoman Sultan Süleyman through some Rumi merchants, in Turkic rather than his usual Persian. His friendly gestures also made the Safavids nervous of him. A letter from Shah Tahmasp to the Ottomans (though probably unsent) represents Humayun as claiming divine powers and sovereignty over the Ottomans, Safavids and Uzbeks and warns Süleyman from trusting him. Tahmasp was worried at the prospect of an Ottoman-Mughal alliance and tried to thwart it, to the extent of considering befriending an enemy and betraying an ally. But ultimately, the relations between the Safavid and Mughal monarchs became fairly cordial. With his successful campaign, in 1556 Humayun received the Ottoman embassy under Seydi Ali and praised the Ottomans, stating “Surely there is no man on earth worthy of the title ‘Padishah’ other than his Imperial Majesty [the Ottoman Sultan]!” He then issued a letter for Seydi Ali to carry back with him to Istanbul, in which he addressed Sultan Suleiman as “Caliph of the World”
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