Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Ottoman Letters: The Mughal Emperor in Istanbul's Court
Transcript
- Lucas: We've talked a lot about Aurangzeb's wars and policies inside India, but one thing that's often overlooked is how he interacted with the wider Islamic world. Early in his reign, he sent an embassy to the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul. Luna: I didn't know he had contact with the Ottomans. Lucas: Most people don't. It actually makes a lot of sense — Aurangzeb saw himself as a defender of Sunni Islam, and the Ottoman sultan was the most powerful Sunni ruler on the planet. He wanted recognition, maybe even an alliance. So in 1659, just a year after taking the throne, he dispatched a mission to the court of Sultan Mehmed IV. Luna: What did the embassy bring? Lucas: Rich gifts, of course — horses, jewels, fine textiles, and a letter written in elegant Persian. Aurangzeb praised the sultan as a fellow champion of Islam, and subtly hinted that he hoped for a joint effort against the Safavids, who were Shia. But the Ottomans were cautious. They'd had their own wars with the Safavids, but they weren't about to commit to a distant ally. Luna: So the response was lukewarm? Lucas: That's putting it kindly. The Ottoman chroniclers note the gifts were received, but there's no record of any military pact. Mehmed IV did send a return embassy a few years later, but it was more about courtesy than substance. Still, Aurangzeb didn't give up. He wrote again in the 1670s, this time asserting his role as a protector of the faith — he even mentioned his construction of mosques and destruction of Hindu temples, trying to impress the sultan. Luna: That seems a bit desperate. Lucas: Maybe a little, but it's also strategic. By this time, Aurangzeb was embroiled in the Deccan wars, and he wanted legitimacy — not just from his own subjects, but from the wider Muslim world. The Ottoman sultan was the caliph, or at least he claimed that title. Aurangzeb never claimed the caliphate himself, but he wanted to be seen as an equal. The letters are fascinating because they reveal his self-image: a ruler chosen by God to uphold the sharia. Luna: Do any of those letters survive? Lucas: Yes, a few copies exist in Ottoman archives. One letter, written around 1678, is quite detailed. Aurangzeb mentions the fatawa e alamgiri, his legal code, as proof of his devotion. He also complains about the Marathas, calling them infidels who disrupt the peace. He hoped the sultan would see him as a brother in arms. But the Ottomans were dealing with their own troubles — war with the Holy League, internal strife — so the response was probably polite but noncommittal. Luna: So the alliance never happened. Lucas: No, it never did. And frankly, it's hard to see how it could have worked logistically. The distance alone — from the Deccan to Istanbul — made cooperation impractical. But the correspondence shows Aurangzeb's ambition extended far beyond the subcontinent. He wanted to be a player on the world stage, not just a local emperor. It also tells us something about the interconnectedness of the early modern world — even if the results were minimal. Luna: It reminds me of the letters between Akbar and the Safavids — a similar attempt at diplomacy. Lucas: Exactly. But Akbar's overtures to the Safavids were more about trade and border disputes. Aurangzeb's letters are more ideological — he's positioning himself as a religious leader. And the Ottomans recognized that, but they never gave him the formal recognition he wanted. There's a famous story about an Ottoman envoy who, when asked about Aurangzeb, simply said 'He is a great king, but he is no caliph.' Luna: That must have stung. Lucas: Probably. But Aurangzeb kept trying. In his later years, he even sent a proposal to the Ottomans about building a canal across the Suez isthmus — to facilitate trade and troop movement. It never materialised, but it shows how he thought big. The Ottomans did send a few more embassies, mainly to discuss the Hajj route, since Aurangzeb controlled the ports of Surat and the Mughals facilitated the pilgrimage for their subjects. Luna: So there was some practical cooperation. Lucas: Yes, on pilgrimage matters. The Ottomans saw the Mughal emperor as a useful partner for ensuring the safety of pilgrims from India. There's correspondence about the need for safe passage through the Arabian Peninsula. But nothing more. In the end, the Ottomans were probably too preoccupied with Europe, and Aurangzeb with the Marathas, for any meaningful alliance. But the letters themselves are a window into his thinking — a proud, pious, and ambitious ruler who never quite got the global recognition he craved. Luna: It's a fascinating side of Aurangzeb that we don't often hear about. Lucas: And it's a reminder that empires are never truly isolated. Even in the 17th century, news and letters traveled from Delhi to Istanbul, from the Deccan to the Bosphorus. Of course, keeping a show like this going also depends on connections — not between empires, but between listeners and us. A handful of people chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's what keeps these episodes coming without any ads at all. Luna: Yeah, it's a simple way to support the deep dives we love. And it really does make a difference. Lucas: Absolutely. So, back to Aurangzeb's Ottoman correspondence — there's one more letter I want to mention, written near the end of his life. In it, he speaks of his failing health and his hope that his empire would survive. He addresses the sultan as 'Protector of the Faithful,' and asks for his prayers. It's poignant — even the most powerful emperor, in the end, seeks a blessing from a distant peer. Luna: Was there any reply to that? Lucas: If there was, it hasn't survived. The Ottoman archives from that period are incomplete. But we know that the sultan at the time, Suleiman II, was facing his own crises. So perhaps the letter went unanswered. It's a quiet end to a diplomatic exchange that never reached its potential. But for us, it opens a window into Aurangzeb's world — a world where even the mightiest emperors write letters hoping to be heard.