Turkey-Aceh Relations, 1500-1910

What is it about?

The Sultanate of Aceh was forged in reaction to Portuguese intrusion into northern Sumatra and the Malacca Straits. It remained strongly opposed to any European establishment in its strategic territory right until, and beyond, the Dutch invasion of 1873-4. Yet in communicating with Ottoman Turkey, from the 16th century to the 19th, Aceh's rulers adopted extremely humble language of loyalty and devotion, pleading to be considered as loyal Turkish subjects. In searching for allies against the Dutch invasion, it was Turkey they sought most eagerly to embrace, and not without some success.

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Why is it important?

The success of Asian kingdoms in avoiding absorption into British, French, Dutch or Russian empires in the 19th century had usually been dependent on playing one western power off against another, as Siam/Thailand, Persia and Afghanistan had done. Ottoman Turkey was not strong enough to be a comparable factor, but the popularity of its claims to universal Islamic Caliphate made it an interesting case.