When the Mughal rule was at the height of its splendor in India there was a considerable influx of Ethiopians, some coming as traders, but the majority as mercenaries and slaves. In time, they emerged from the mass to become prime ministers, great military and naval commanders, hereditary admirals, and in several instances, sultans.
The most distinguished of the Negro rulers of western India was Malik Ambar (1550-1626), who, beginning as a slave under Queen
Chand Bibi, rose to the top, becoming commander-in-chief of the army. Until Queen Chand was slain by rebels, Malik Ambar remained loyal to the ruling dynasty. By a brilliant coup he captured Ahmadnagar, the principal fort, from the rebels, and proceeding to the city of Aurangabad, which he himself had built, he proclaimed Mustaza II as the ruler with himself as regent. Seven years later, however, Malik Ambar deposed the king and seized the throne.
Malik Ambar's kingdom lay in the vast tableland of the Deccan. His nominal overlord was Jahangir, the great Mughal emperor. Soon after he took the throne, however, there was an outburst of dissension among the Mughals, and Malik Ambar, taking advantage of it, took much of their territory and even threatened Jahangir's power.
When the English came to India, their first contact was with Malik Ambar. He was then master of the island of Janjira, which the English wanted as a base for commerce with the interior. With gifts, promises, and flattery they tried to gain a foothold on the island, but Malik Ambar would not succumb to their blandishments. Malik Ambar died at the age of eighty.
Relics of this great ruler can still to be found in his city of Aurungabad.
