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Home / IAS Preparation / Foreign Policy Of Mughals

Foreign Policy Of Mughals: Relation Of Mughals With Uzbegs And Persians!

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The foreign policy of the Mughals was complicated. The Persians and Indians had a point dispute over the region of Qandahar. This resulted in animosity and the occasional violent conflict. Despite this, the Persians answered nearly every request for help from the Mughals.

In this article, we will explore the Foreign Policy of Mughals. This forms a significant part of the UPSC IAS exam, and questions related to this topic are seen in Prelims, UPSC Mains Paper I, and UPSC History Optional. This topic is equally essential for the UGC NET History exam, as 5-6 questions are asked every year about the political history of India.

Foreign Policy Of Mughals Under Babur And Humayun

Let us discuss the foreign policy of the Mughals under Babur And Humayun with Uzbegs and Persia.

Relation Of Early Rulers With Uzbegs

To congratulate Babur on his conquest, an embassy was sent by Kuchum and other Uzbeg Sultans. This was in 1528. The Mughals never forgave the loss of their "ancestral" kingdom. Still, Humayun's fruitless attempts to retake areas of Transoxiana persisted. They had no long-term impact because the Mughal territorial conquests in India had not yet been expanded and cemented. Both the Uzbeks and the Mughals encountered significant internal issues. Both of them were unable to attempt to expand. This shows the importance of Mughal-Uzbeg relations in foreign policy of the Mughals.

Relation Of Early Rulers With Persians

Babur sent a condolence-cum-congiatualatmy mission to the new Shah. It was sent after the death of Shah Ismail under Khwajagi Asad. He later returned with a Persian diplomat named Sulaiman Aqa.

  • Two Persian delegations led by Hasan Chelebi and his younger brother consecutively arrived at the Mughal court. Up until 1543, Humayun didn't have any regular communications with Persia. Humayun didn't write a letter to Shah until 1544 after he had been expelled from India in 1543. The letters that Humayun and Tahmasp wrote to one another are still in existence. They shed information on the various stages of Indo-Persian ties.
  • Humayun found refuge in Persia with fifty of his unprepared partisans. He mostly followed Bairam Khan's advice when he did this. Tahmasp has seen suffering firsthand from his disobedient brothers. He recognised Humayun's challenges as a result.
  • In 1546 Humayun achieved victory over Kabul. Shah Tahmasp dispatched an embassy of congratulations under Walad Beg Takkalur. Khwaja Abdus Samad, a renowned Persian painter, and a few other gifted men were invited to join Humayun's army. Khwaja Jalaluddin Mahmud was sent by Humayun as his envoy (sent in 1548).
  • A second messenger, Qazi Shaikh Ali, was dispatched in 1549. This embassy was to express sympathy for Bahram Mirza's passing. It also reported Kamran Mirza's uprising against Humayun. Kamaluddin Ulugh Beg, an ambassador for Shah Tahmasp, delivered the message. Humayun was cautioned not to show mercy to Kamran. This is evident of flourishing foreign policy of the Mughals.

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Foreign Policy Of Mughals Under Akbar

Let us discuss the foreign policy of the Mughals under Akbar with Uzbegs and Persia.

Jalal-ud-din Akbar And Uzbegs

A friendly attitude towards Abdullah Khan was necessary due to the threats facing Akbar at his northwestern borders. This included the rebellious behaviour of Mirza Hakim and his friendship with Shah Ismail. Akbar feared the potential alliance between Abdullah, Mirza Hakim, and Ismail. And Akbar's own inability to get involved in foreign affairs. Hence, in 1578, Akbar received an embassy. Akbar turned down the idea of an all-out assault against Persia. No diplomats were sent to Akbar for almost ten years. It appears that Abdullah's response to this later was not particularly favourable. This shows the flourishing foreign policy of the Mughals.

When a few years passed, Abdullah dispatched Akbar to a second embassy in 1586.

Hakim Humeim was the ambassador that Akbar dispatched in 1586 in response. Why Abdullah decided to send two different letters at the same time is unclear. Akbar's reply addresses the points made in each letter independently. Neither of the two letters can be discounted as being unreliable. According to Abdullah, he stopped communicating with Akbar between the years 1578 and 1585. He did so due to rumours that "Akbar had accepted the behaviour of Jogis and had departed from the faith of the Prophet." Akbar described it as "fabrications and charges of some dissatisfied persons" in his reply. This shows the importance of Mughal-Uzbeg relations in foreign policy of the Mughals.

During the invasion of Qandahar, Akbar recognised the need to send an ambassador to Abdullah. He sent this to Khwaja Ashraj Naqshbandi. Akbar expressed his readiness to recognise the Hindukush as the border separating the two kingdoms. In September 1597, at Qarshi, the envoy who was carrying these communications was given a meeting with Abdullah. Abdullah despatched Mir Quresh and the Mughal representative for the return embassy. The Uzbek emperor passed away in 1598 before they could travel to India. This shows the thriving foreign policy of the Mughals.

Jalal-ud-din Akbar And Persians

Through Khwaja Ashraf Naqshbandi, Akbar sent his first embassy to Shah Abbas in 1596. In the letter, he defended his conquest of Qandahar in light of the Mirzas' alleged allegiance to the Shah. He rationalised his silence by claiming that the Uzbegs prevented him from providing timely help to the Shah. 

Manuchihir Beg was fired by Akbar in 1602, and Masum Bhakkari was sent to the Shah as a replacement. A letter to Aebar and a letter to Hameeda Banu Begam were both sent by the Shah. The uprising led by Salim (Jahangir) during Akbar's final years was a distraction. Shah Beg, the Mughal governor of Qandahar, put up a valiant fight against the commanders. But they took advantage of the situation and captured Bust. This shows the complex foreign policy of the Mughals.

But, the start of hostilities between the two emperors was an organised Persian invasion of the Qandahar. This took place in the latter days of Akbar's tenure (October 22, 1605). It was followed by the march of Persian forces in February 1606 towards the conquest of Qandahar. Khusrau rebelled, but the Persian invasion ended in failure.

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Foreign Policy Of Mughals Under Jahangir

Let us discuss the foreign policy of the Mughals under Jahangir with Uzbegs and Persia.

Jahangir And Uzbegs

Jahangir's contacts with Persia were largely what shaped his interactions with Turan. Although his passion for Turan is evident in his book, he had no intention of conquering Turan.

Mir Baraka was given a "very sensitive mission" to Imam Quli, the Uzbek monarch, in February 1621. Imam Quli then dispatched an embassy to Nur Jahan Begam. Jahangir was quite pleased to receive the private communication from Imam Quli. It contained criticism of the Persians and called for an alliance with the Mughals to oppose them. This shows the complicated foreign policy of the Mughals.

Jahangir had himself rejected the Ottoman Sultan of Turkey's cordial overtures. Still, the information about a potential Uzbek-Ottoman union disturbed him greatly. After the conquest of Baghdad in 1624, Sultan Murad responded favourably to Imam Quli's appeal for an alliance against Persia and even urged him to free Iran from Persian rule. A similar letter to Jahangir had been despatched by the Ottoman Sultan to forge a three-way alliance against Persia. Despite many letters being exchanged in 1625–1626, no plans could be carried through since Jahangir passed away in 1627. This shows the change in the foreign policy of the Mughals.

Jahangir And Persia

In March 1611, the first Persian mission of congratulations and adulation arrived at the Mughal court. Khan Alam, a representative of the Mughals, accompanied this mission's return in August 1613. Shah Abbas sent out many important and minor embassies. This shows development in the foreign policy of the Mughals.

Shah Abbas dispatched two subsequent embassies to appease Jahangir's ire over the loss of Qandahar. In October 1625, Aqa Muhammad led the arrival of another embassy. Jahangir's response to this letter was characterised by a reaffirmation of previous friendly connections. However, it was diplomatically quiet over the Qandahar affair. Four letters, including one from Nur Jahan Begum, were despatched to Persia by Jahangir in October 1626. This is evident of the importance of Jahangir in the foreign policy of the Mughals.

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Foreign Policy Of Mughals Under Shah Jahan

Let us discuss the foreign policy of the Mughals under Shah Jahan with Uzbegs and Persia.

Relationship Of Shah Jahan With Uzbegs

Shah Jahan's only goal following the victory of Qandahar in 1638 was to annex Transoxiana, which he referred to as his "ancestral territory." In April and May 1640, a massive Uzbeg invasion of Maruchaq along Persian borders took place. The idea was to invade Balkh together. The assignment wasn't completed, though. This was evident in the prospering foreign policy of the Mughals.

The correspondence between the Persians and the Mughals reveals that it was not very effective. Mughals were partially successful in convincing the Persians to work with them. The letters from the Persian side exuded their fear and caution. The Uzbegs were also uneasy because they sensed his imperialistic intentions. A chance for the Mughals quickly presented itself in this regard. Shah Jahan sent Abdul Aziz, the Uzbek lord of Turan, to an embassy in 1650. This shows the importance of Mughal-Uzbeg relations in foreign policy of the Mughals.

Shah Jahan had failed in his attempt to create an alliance with the Ottoman emperors Muhammad IV and Murad. Shah Jahan found the Ottomans' letters to be disagreeable and not particularly conducive to knowing one another. The Ottoman Empire did not enjoy the Mughal occupancy of the Balkh either. As a result, the Mughal-Ottoman relations were doomed to failure.

Relationship Of Shah Jahan With Persia

After four decades of prosperous rule, Shah Abbas passed away in January 1629. This left Persia under the leadership of the young and inexperienced Shah Safi Mina. Persia fell into a state of uncertainty. In his letter to Murad IV, Shah Jahan suggested a united attack on Persia. He was eager to exploit the earliest chance to retake Qandahar. Shah Jahan had also extended a warm welcome to the rebel Persian Leader Sher Khan. Shah Safi sent Muhammad Ali Beg Isfahani in response to Shah Jahan's embassy. It was sent on October 20, 1629, under the command of Mir Barka. This shows foreign policy of the Mughals with Persia.

The Deccan crisis was another area of contention between the Persians and the Mughals besides Qandahar. Due to their "mutual sectarian affinity," the Mughal danger to the Persians motivated the Deccan shahi reigning dynasties. 

Also Read About The Art And Architecture Of Deccan Kingdoms Here!

Conclusion

The ancestral relationship, as well as geography, were the various factors that shaped the Mughal foreign policy. The relationships between the several Mughal kings and the Persians and Central Asian Uzbegs are clear from the texts. The letter exchange has attempted to highlight the diplomatic importance of the West. Its control was the source of conflict between the Mughals, Safavis, and Uzbeks.

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Foreign Policy Of Mughals FAQs

The defence of India served as the cornerstone of Mughal foreign policy. It was subsequently bolstered through diplomatic channels.

Akbar centralised governance throughout his kingdom. He pursued a diplomatic and matrimonial policy of appeasing conquered kings.

India's foreign policy was formed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, frequently with the aid of Krishna Menon.

The Mughals fought valiantly to maintain firm control over Qandahar. It was important for the security of India and Kabul. Qandahar functioned as a gateway to India from Persia.

Balkh and Badakshan expeditions in Central Asia were led by Shah Jahan with the intention of securing the defence of North-West India.
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