How Indian Troops Became the Backbone of the British Empire

[Ottoman-Turk]

Look how we helped ireland when the queen starved them to death and didnt even help them



A TURKISH film that tells of how the Ottoman Empire sent food aid to Ireland at the height of the Famine will begin shooting here this July.

'Hunger' is based on events during 1847, when -- moved by stories of the humanitarian disaster in Ireland -- the Sultan of the Ottoman empire, Abdul Majid, sent £1,000 and three ships laden with food to Drogheda, Co Louth.

"It's a little-known but inspiring story," writer and director Omer Sarikaya told the Irish Independent.

The filmmaker will travel to Ireland in three weeks time to audition Irish actors for the project, which will be filmed in both Turkey and Ireland.

"Our film tells an incredible story, but also the meeting of a Turkish sailor called Fatih, and an Irish woman called Mary.

"This is a story of two countries coming together during sadness and a love affair between two people from different countries," Mr Sarikaya said.

Legend has it that the Sultan Abdul Majid had intended to pledge £10,000 to Irish farmers but that Queen Victoria requested that he send only £1,000, because she herself had only donated £2,000.

But apparently the sultan, after agreeing to the change, secretly sent three ships to Ireland laden with food.

The Turkish generosity is remembered by a plaque which was unveiled at the West Court Hotel in West Street, Drogheda, in 1995.

Former president Mary McAleese referred to the episode when she addressed guests at a state dinner in Ankara in 2010.



another --



In 1845, the onset of the Great Irish Famine resulted in over 1,000,000 deaths. Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid declared his intention to send 10,000 sterling to Irish farmers but Queen Victoria requested that the Sultan send only 1,000 sterling, because she had sent only 2,000 sterling. The Sultan sent the 1,000 sterling but also secretly sent 3 ships full of food. The English courts tried to block the ships, but the food arrived Drogheda harbor and was left there by Ottoman Sailors.

Due to this the Irish people, especially those in Drogheda, are friendly to the Turks.

(Note, in 1845, the 10000 pounds dedicated to the Irish from the Sultan would be worth approximately 800,000 pounds today, that is $1,683,280 US Dollars.

On the other hand, the Queen gave the equivilant of 160,000 pounds today or 336,656 US Dollars)

There are multiple stories as to the origin of the Drogheda seal, but one story is that this event led to the appearance of Ottoman symbols on Drogheda United’s emblem.

Up to three ships from the Ottoman Empire sailed up the River Boyne to Drogheda to deliver supplies during the famine, according to a local historian.

Both the Drogheda Argus and the Drogheda Conservative newspapers reported on 'foreign ships' that docked at the town of Drogheda from May 10-14, 1847.

According to the Drogheda Independent, two of the ships arrived from the Ottoman Port of Thessalonica, which is now known as Salonika. The third ship arrived from the port of Stettin. The three ships brought wheat and Indian Corn for local merchants in the area.

A local historian, Brendan Matthews, said, “The timeframe matches perfectly, but the fact there is no firm documentary evidence may not be a coincidence”.

“This is the closest I have come to finding documentation, as there are no shipping records for Drogheda Port at that time,”

According to the newspaper, the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Majid Khan sent £1,000 on Wednesday, March 31, 1847, to Dublin Castle. He had wanted to make a larger donation but was advised not to donate more than Queen Victoria, who had sent £2,000.

His generosity to the Irish people was reported in the in the London Times on Saturday, April 17, 1847, as well as in the Nation newspaper in Ireland.

“According to sources within the Turkish Embassy and the oral history of the Turkish people, the Sultan also sent three ships very soon after he had sent the £1,000 and that all three ships, although they may not have left the same port, arrived in Ireland at the same time and docked at the port of Drogheda,” Matthews said.

“If the Sultan had indeed sent such ships after the money aid, these ships would then have reached Irish shores around the first or second week in May of 1847.”

“The sultan of Turkey, Abdul Medjid Khan, may have sent the ships as a "hushed-up" gesture, not wanting to upset Queen Victoria,” Matthews added.

A plaque in Drogheda unveiled in 1995 by Drogheda Mayor Alderman Godfrey and the then Turkish Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Taner Baytok reads, “The Great Irish Famine of 1847 -- In remembrance and recognition of the generosity of the People of Turkey towards the People of Ireland.”



Read more: New evidence shows Turkey delivered food to Ireland during the famine | Irish News and Politics spanning the US, Ireland and the World | IrishCentral

 

[LaBong]

^How does it matter? Indians supported Ottoman Khalif and thousands of Indians died in Afghanistan in behest of Afghan king for their support to Khilafat movement. We all do little bit of charity sometimes.

 

[Koovie]

can someone explain this to me , i play alot of strategy and war games , i play a game called Empire total war , obviously i pick Ottoman Empire and ruling half of india and much of europe now , but in that game there is 2 factions in india , one is maratha confederancy , and the other mughal empire ( ruled by babur before who is a turk aswell) , and they are pretty strong in the game and its a very realistic game , and usually maratha and mughal is having war in the game ( as their diplomacy in the game aswell and very realistic ) so how did india go into british hands from mughals and maratha

and also these two factions are a major power in the game , along with ottoman , french , prussia , british , dutch , spanish and a few more

mhhh there were more than the 3 faction in the game (Mughal empire, Marathas and Mysore), in fact there were over a hundred Kingdoms on the subcontinent at this period. Anyway, at the time when the british arrived, the Mughals were near the end while the Maratha confederacy was rising up and constantly fighting the Mughals. The British used this state of instability and got one territory after the other, very often using the help of other local princes who wanted to defeat their rivals.

PS: I love total war games

Those who think Indians who faught for british are traitors are reading history backwards.

Says the guy who pays money to keep that ugly queen alive, did u enjoy the jubilee celebrations and kissed that womans @ss???????

 

[livingdead]

Says the guy who pays money to keep that ugly queen alive, did u enjoy the jubilee celebrations and kissed that womans @ss???????

I enjoy jubilee, but wish it did not rain that day. I dont keep the queen alive, you are giving me too much credit.
No, I did not kiss her a*s , I think you are reading from wrong travel guide (possibly about another country?)

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Most of Mughal leaders and rulers were Turkic.

Also who is mohmud of ghazni , because i read somewhere that hes a turkic ruler that invaded india 17 times , saw this many places.

just looking it up it said that he was the leader of ghaznavids who was turks

and it was Alp Tigin who found ghaznavids who was a central asian Turkic

Uh..nope... they had mongol genes... babur himself was a direct desendant of Tamerlane...or timur...

Mahmood,ghaznavids /were are pashtuns not turks.

There wouldn't have been any India if british had not conquered it. There would have been many small countries namely Oudh, Bihar , Bengal , Assam , Rajpootana , Punjab ,Sindh etc inside India and not just 3 as of now. The concept of united India gained impetus only during british rule.

Why do you think british were devil? Simply because they came from a place you are not from?
How is maratha capturing north India or mughal capturing India any different?
India was not a country then, a place of feuding kings, and british were just and addition to it.


I am sure ottoman empire soldiers did not consist of only turks. What would you say to those who faught for you? Sold their soul to you?

People who faught on behalf of their king/queen/leader do not bother about race, religion, color either, they faught because they were recruited to fight.

80% is exhaggeration. It was more like 60%. And what about moghul territories. Do you think marathas and moghuls would have consented on making present India by merging their respective territories. And assam was not under any of Indian rulers. Uttaranchal , parts of himachal pradesh and north bengal were parts of nepal which were annexed by british. All in all ,there wouldn't have been any India or bharat today had it not for the british rule. We have got this big a country only cuz of britishers. Iam not saying that british rule was good for India .

I'm posting from mobile so won't be able to give a detailed reply. Please bear with me.

First of all you need to understand that in middle age India wasn't an unified country with a centralized govt but an amalgamation of many small states each having an exclusive an unique culture and language with thousand years of their own and rich history. So for a tamil, a punjabi or a bengali was as alien as British except for the skin pigmentation.

I will tell you from bengal perspective while my other Indian brothers can stretch my point further.

When British first set foot in subcontinent, bengal was ruled by independent persianized turks(turks of Central Asian sejluk variety) while most of administrative work was done by bengali Hindu landlords. Most bengali peasantry, whom were bulk of population didn't have any knowledge or connection with mughals ruling north India from Delhi. Only exposure they had of Martha's was as looters who often raided border region of West bengal and was a major nuisance for farmers.

So you see there was no sense of a nation even among the rolling class but bunch of warring stares looking for each others blood. Nothing much changed for the common man and peasantry when British took over, as for them one set of rules have just replaced another, and they would just have to carry on with their life.

It's only during mid eithneeth century, with the inception of western educated, urban middle class, an Indian nationalism was born. Although for the next hundred year or so it was mainly limited to urban pockets of Calcutta, bombay or madras, until Gandhi tapped the common people and successfully made it a truly national phenomenon.

Just a fun fact, even after 10 years of independence, many people in rural India weren't aware that country has been freed from British rule.

Ah well... thanks guys for admiting tht india was born in 1947 and not 7000 years back with Indus civilisation... which belongs to us...and us only...

^How does it matter? Indians supported Ottoman Khalif and thousands of Indians died in Afghanistan in behest of Afghan king for their support to Khilafat movement. We all do little bit of charity sometimes.

I think you meant muslims... not yourself.

 

[livingdead]

Ah well... thanks guys for admiting tht india was born in 1947 and not 7000 years back with Indus civilisation... which belongs to us...and us only...

Modern India was born in 1947, but as far as claiming cultural heritage, we have as good a claim as you.(or bangladesh)
BTW, pakistan was born in 1947 too.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Modern India was born in 1947, but as far as claiming cultural heritage, we have as good a claim as you.(or bangladesh)
BTW, pakistan was born in 1947 too.

How can a royal state claim the history and heritage of another state? how can a maharashtrian or a goan claim PAKISTANI HERITAGE?

 

[indian_jigar]

How can a royal state claim the history and heritage of another state? how can a maharashtrian or a goan claim PAKISTANI HERITAGE?

Indus Valley Civilization is ours. No matter how much you argue, it will not change the fact, so just find a new thread to troll.

 

[A1Kaid]

so then after mughal granted britian parts what happened to them after?

Hindus and Sikh peasants betrayed the Muslim empire of Mughals fell pray to British tricks just as Arab rebels did against the Ottomans. In fact, the tactics British used to rally Arabs against Ottomans are similar to the ones they used to rally Hindus and Sikhs against their Muslim Mughal rulers. That's why the Empire fell. Other reasons include Nadir Shah's sacking of Delhi which severely weakene the Empire militarily and economically. Though Mughals still had a fighting chance if it weren't for many rebellions.


Today the sons of those Hindu and Sikh traitors some of them are our members here on the forum and their frustration is seen in each post. Another consequence of the fall of the Mughals.

Indus Valley Civilization is ours. No matter how much you argue, it will not change the fact, so just find a new thread to troll.

Another Hindu leech trying to leech off of indigenous Pakistani people's ancestral history.

 

[xyxmt]

Stop trying to sugar coat the fact that some locals sold their soul to the devil!

your meter is stuck on that point, you dont loose an empire because some locals sold their sould...in any conflict there are always some who would sell their soul. the difference is leadership, we did not have good leadership, they couldnt keep all rajas and maharajas togather and brits were able to buy some raja's support. war is a business whoever gives a better deal will get support of some disgruntled states.

even if british gave money , how can you sell your country for money , that is like your honour going , money is nothing without honour , i would always fight for people who have more things common with me , it could be race , religion , colour i dno something.

India was never "A country", there were 100s of states with different religion and language. Mughals and marathas baught their support by force and when english came those states realligned themself with english who not only have big force but big pockets.

 

[Ottoman-Turk]

bro timur was surely a turk , he even had war with yildirim beyazid , biggest mistakes in turkic history , fighting each other , but after they understood many times their mistake , ( timur was become enemy of yildirim beyazit because beyazit hosted a guy that was an enemy of timur and timur wanted beyazit to let him and not host him but beyazit said that ' in our rules we dont let a person that comes to my door ')

How can a royal state claim the history and heritage of another state? how can a maharashtrian or a goan claim PAKISTANI HERITAGE?

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Indus Valley Civilization is ours. No matter how much you argue, it will not change the fact, so just find a new thread to troll.

Yes... sure you do and pigs fly...

 

[Indus Pakistan]

"It was predominantly the Men from Bengal, Bihar and Audh that won the Company the crown of India including Punjab and most of present day Pakistan. And these were also the men who primarily fought in the first war of Independence. After the defeat these areas were off limit to recruitment. And this bias continues even today in Indian Army".

@MST

Agreed. Punjab [ most of Northern Pakistan ]was annexed into India in 1849 by the British. As a aside we would undo this annexation by the British exactly 98 years later in 1947. That means we were forced to be part of British India for 98 years and the when they left, we also left India.

And the British bias has continued into modern day Pakistan Army. The lion share of the army continues to be recruited from a arc stretching from Peshawar, Kohat, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi [Pashtuns] to Attock-Hazara, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Sialkot all the way to lahore [Punjabi]. Result the army remains predominantly a Punjabi-Pashtun force.

Because Armies from these areas supported the British in the first war of Independence and they were rewarded for this. Its not something to be be very proud of it.

I never said I was proud of anything. I merely stated a fact that would have a profound effect on history and Pakistan. Because of the heavy recruitment in this region society became very militarized and even today Pak army continues to have a formidable hold over this area.

Really? Have you ever heard about the War of Independence fought in 1857? Hindus-Muslims fought together under Bahadur Shah Jafar. I know you guys need to see that Hindus are evil and backstabbed muslim rulers all the time (to justify your existence I guess) but at least read the history properly and respect it. Its your history too.

Yes, thanks for the history lesson anyway. Bahadur Shah was just a convenient figurehead for the disenchanted Hindu and Muslim's who nursed their own gripes about the British.

My history? Yes, indeed I care about history of the Indus Valley which is more or less occupied by Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtun peoples presently federated into Pakistan.

A rich history that put's Pakistan [Indus Valley ] at par with Misr [Eygpt ] Hellas [Greece] and Mesopotamia [Iraq]. It is glorious history going as far back as 7,000 years from, Mehr Garh, Balochistan, Pakistan to Mohenjo Daro, Sindh, Pakistan to Harrapa, Punjab, Pakistan to Ghandara-Taxila, Pakistan al the way to formation of federation in 1947 as the inheritor of the Indus Valley region.

Of course a few bread crumbs are found over the border in Afghanistan and India. Of course I contine to read up and marvel at our forefathers. As you stand in Taxila or Mohenjo Daro you cannot but be moved by our ancestors. So yes sir, we in Pakistan not only have read the history of our land but we are proud of it.

South Asia and the world can thank us for giving mankind something to be proud off.

"India was never "A country", there were 100s of states with different religion and language. Mughals and marathas baught their support by force and when english came those states realligned themself with english who not only have big force but big pockets".

@XYXMT

Indeed very true. There was a 'India' in a geograhic sense. So at that level it has always existed like Europe, Balkans, Iberia, Scandinavia etc. Just like Europe it has dozens of ethnic groups and patchwork of states changing shapes over the centuries. Most of this geographic India became a country in 1947 known as Republic of India with rest of the space taken over by Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma etc.

That is why in the decisive Battle of Plassey 1757 the British faced not 'India' but just the Kingdom of Bengal under the Muslim ruler, the Nawab. That is why rest of South Asia did not give a rats a*ss about this battle when it took place and Bengal lost.

"Indus Valley Civilization is ours. No matter how much you argue, it will not change the fact, so just find a new thread to troll".

@Indian Jigar

Is this joke of the day? Son did you do geography? Let me give you a free lesson.

Lesson 1# I-N-D-U-S V-A-L-L-E-Y is predominantly in Pakistan.
Lesson 2# I-N-D-U-S river runs mostly through Pakistan.
Lesson 3# Mohenjo Daro is in Sindh, Pakistan.
Lesson 4# Harrapa is in Punjab, Pakistan.
Lesson 5# Mehr Garh is in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Like I said before civilizations tend to messy so there are a few breadcrumbs over the border in Afghanistan and India. Now using A1kaid's word's 'stop leeching off' Pakistan and stick to wherever Tamil Nad or Maharash whatever, India you come from.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

@MST

Agreed. Punjab [ most of Northern Pakistan ]was annexed into India in 1849 by the British. As a aside we would undo this annexation by the British exactly 98 years later in 1947. That means we were forced to be part of British India for 98 years and the when they left, we also left India.

And the British bias has continued into modern day Pakistan Army. The lion share of the army continues to be recruited from a arc stretching from Peshawar, Kohat, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi [Pashtuns] to Attock-Hazara, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Sialkot all the way to lahore [Punjabi]. Result the army remains predominantly a Punjabi-Pashtun force.



I never said I was proud of anything. I merely stated a fact that would have a profound effect on history and Pakistan. Because of the heavy recruitment in this region society became very militarized and even today Pak army continues to have a formidable hold over this area.



Yes, thanks for the history lesson anyway. Bahadur Shah was just a convenient figurehead for the disenchanted Hindu and Muslim's who nursed their own gripes about the British.

My history? Yes, indeed I care about history of the Indus Valley which is more or less occupied by Punjabi, Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtun peoples presently federated into Pakistan.

A rich history that put's Pakistan [Indus Valley ] at par with Misr [Eygpt ] Hellas [Greece] and Mesopotamia [Iraq]. It is glorious history going as far back as 7,000 years from, Mehr Garh, Balochistan, Pakistan to Mohenjo Daro, Sindh, Pakistan to Harrapa, Punjab, Pakistan to Ghandara-Taxila, Pakistan al the way to formation of federation in 1947 as the inheritor of the Indus Valley region.

Of course a few bread crumbs are found over the border in Afghanistan and India. Of course I contine to read up and marvel at our forefathers. As you stand in Taxila or Mohenjo Daro you cannot but be moved by our ancestors. So yes sir, we in Pakistan not only have read the history of our land but we are proud of it.

South Asia and the world can thank us for giving mankind something to be proud off.




@XYXMT

Indeed very true. There was a 'India' in a geograhic sense. So at that level it has always existed like Europe, Balkans, Iberia, Scandinavia etc. Just like Europe it has dozens of ethnic groups and patchwork of states changing shapes over the centuries. Most of this geographic India became a country in 1947 known as Republic of India with rest of the space taken over by Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma etc.

That is why in the decisive Battle of Plassey 1757 the British faced not 'India' but just the Kingdom of Bengal under the Muslim ruler, the Nawab. That is why rest of South Asia did not give a rats a*ss about this battle when it took place and Bengal lost.



@Indian Jigar

Is this joke of the day? Son did you do geography? Let me give you a free lesson.

Lesson 1# I-N-D-U-S V-A-L-L-E-Y is predominantly in Pakistan.
Lesson 2# I-N-D-U-S river runs mostly through Pakistan.
Lesson 3# Mohenjo Daro is in Sindh, Pakistan.
Lesson 4# Harrapa is in Punjab, Pakistan.
Lesson 5# Mehr Garh is in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Like I said before civilizations tend to messy so there are a few breadcrumbs over the border in Afghanistan and India. Now stop using A1kaid's word's 'leeching off' Pakistan and stick to wherever Tamil Nad or Maharash whatever, India you come from.

Indus flows only through Pakistan... its said tht if Nile is the jewel of egypt... than indus is the jewel of Pakistan..

 

[Android]

How can a royal state claim the history and heritage of another state? how can a maharashtrian or a goan claim PAKISTANI HERITAGE?

most of the region in present day pakistan was under the rule maratha empire