Siddis and European alliances: Collaborative resistance against the Marathas in the Indian ocean

Abstract

This paper examines the strategic alliance between the Siddis of Janjira and European colonial powers primarily the Portuguese, English and Dutch, as a counterforce to Maratha expansionism in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The study explores how the Siddis, leveraging their naval prowess and geopolitical position, aligned with European powers to resist Maratha attempts to dominate the western Indian coastline. Drawing on vernacular and colonial sources, the paper investigates key confrontations, diplomatic negotiations and maritime engagements that shaped the Indian Ocean's power dynamics. It also analyses the pragmatism of European colonial strategies and the mutual utility that defined their collaboration with the Siddis. Highlighting the complexity of indigenous–colonial interactions, the study challenges nationalist and Eurocentric narratives by repositioning the Siddis as strategic actors rather than passive subjects. This alliance, marked by both resilience and expediency, illuminates the layered nature of early modern maritime politics in South Asia and the interconnectedness of regional and global power structures.