Often when we discuss slavery, we talk about the TransAtlantic slave trade that transported between 10 million and 12 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th century. However, many are unaware that there was also an Indian Ocean slave trade in which enslaved Africans were sent to the Middle East, Indian Ocean islands, and also India.
Born in Ethiopia in 1548, Malik Ambar was taken from his people at 12. First, he was sold to an owner in Baghdad, where he converted to Islam, but he ended up in India, on the Deccan plateau. From there, he eventually became the Sultanate Ahmadnagar's ruler and the Mughal Empire's arch-rival.
The most comprehensive detail on the life and times of Malik Ambar I've heard via: @empirepoduk, @williamdalrymple, @tweeter_anita, @waatcoconut. The podcast asks the questions;
How do empires rise?
Why do they fall? A
And, how have they shaped the world around us today?
Series 1: The British in India (East India Company, The Raj, Gandhi, Independence & Partition
Series 2: The Ottoman Empire
Series 3: The History of Slavery
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