Beyond Religious Solidarity: Asymmetric Maritime Interdependence in Aceh–Ottoman Relations, 1538–1568
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21111/tsaqafah.v22i2.10Keywords:
Aceh Sultanate, Ottoman Empire, Indian Ocean, Maritime Power, ReciprocityAbstract
The relationship between the Aceh Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire in 1538–1568 emerged from the intersection of political, economic, and religious interests within the changing geopolitical order of the sixteenth-century Indian Ocean. Previous studies have examined these relations through Ottoman archival sources, Acehnese historiographical accounts, and Ottoman involvement in the Aceh–Portuguese conflict, identifying various motives underlying the relationship. This article advances these interpretations by arguing that Aceh–Ottoman relations constituted a form of asymmetric maritime interdependence, shaped through the negotiation of mutual interests but constrained by the differing capacities and strategic priorities of both sultanates. Using a historical approach based on source criticism, interpretation, and historiographical analysis, this study examines the relationship through interconnected political, economic, religious, and maritime dimensions. The findings demonstrate that maritime power provided the strategic framework within which both parties negotiated their interests. Ottoman military expertise, weaponry, and technical assistance responded to Aceh’s security needs, while Aceh’s geographical position, regional networks, and access to eastern Indian Ocean commerce offered strategic value to Ottoman interests in sustaining Muslim trade networks and challenging Portuguese maritime expansion. However, cooperation remained conditioned by the unequal capabilities, geographical positions, and priorities of the two powers. Thus, Aceh–Ottoman relations were neither merely an expression of religious solidarity nor a relationship of unilateral assistance, but an asymmetric form of maritime interdependence in which both parties derived strategic benefits while pursuing distinct interests and operating within different constraints.
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