Ustad Ali Quli

Ustad Ali Quli was a commander of the Mughal Empire. Under the reign of Babur, he commanded artillery for his army. At the Battle of Khanwa against the Rajputs, he commanded his cannon batteries.

Introduction of Ustad Ali Quli to Babur
Babur's early relations with the Ottomans were poor because the Ottoman Sultan Selim I provided Babur's rival Ubaydullah Khan with powerful matchlocks and cannons. In 1507, when ordered to accept Selim I as his rightful suzerain, Babur refused and gathered Qizilbash servicemen in order to counter the forces of Ubaydullah Khan during the Battle of Ghazdewan. In 1513, Selim I reconciled with Babur (fearing that he would join the Safavids), dispatched Ustad Ali Quli and Mustafa Rumi the matchlock marksman, and many other Ottoman Turks, in order to assist Babur in his conquests; this particular assistance proved to be the basis of future Mughal-Ottoman relations. From them, he also adopted the tactic of using matchlocks and cannons in field (rather than only in sieges), which would give him an important advantage in India.