AHC:Concert of India

I was doing a little reading the other day and I read something that called the Indian subcontinent of 1500 as an era of strangled nations, drawing a comparison between Europe where at this time the basic blocks that would be comprise different states coalesced and stayed more or less similar throughout history, with clearly defined geographical subunits that could be traded and swapped and claims that a similar process had occurred in India but was reversed by Mughal imperialism. So your challenge should you choose to accept it is with a pod in 1500, create a system of alliances in the indian subcontinent and it’s immediate environment where there are at least five independent "great powers" attempting to create a balance of power and prevent a continental hegemon in the following centuries. Bonus points if it’s not just an attempt to find an indian analogue for each of the european great powers and plonk otl european history into India but with different names and takes into account the indian context. How many powers outside the indian subcontinent can you draw into these alliances? The Indonesian sultanates? Thailand? Sri Lanka? Iran? Turan?
Please avoid ideas where you arrive at an Islamic coalition that is opposed to a Hindu coalition.
 
If the Delhi Sultanate manages to pull itself together to defeat Babur or is replaced by a more dynamic Empire that holds the northwest at bay, they might be a great power. Vijaynagar I can see as another great power. Bengal is extremely rich, and I think it could become a third power. I think three other large powers would be Sind, Gujarat, and he foremost of the Deccan Sultanates (in this case it seems to be Ahmadnagar). I think the Delhi Sultanate will be opposed by all of its neighbors, perhaps finding allies in Gujarat, the more southerly Deccan sultanates, and Burma. Delhi will want to unite at least the entire north under its rule, I think. Sind would play Persia off of Delhi and ally with Bengal and the Deccan Sultanates perhaps. They might ally with Gujarat if Delhi starts holding ambitions on Gujarat, but otherwise may be enemies. The Deccan Sultanates will ally against Vijaynagar, and this may give a sense of unity to the Deccan along with combined heritage from Empires like the Chalukyas, Yadavas, and Bahmanis. If one of the Sultanates tries to reunite the Deccan by force, however, it will be shot down by a coalition of the others and likely Vijaynagar. Bengal might ally with Persia, Sind, Siam, and even China to counter Delhi and Burma. If Bengal becomes a maritime power, they may become enemies with Vijaynagar, and Bengal May thus be drawn to ally with Ganga and the Deccan Sultanates while Vijaynagar May ally with Delhi.

Edit: Sri Lanka (whether one state or fractured into many) will likely oppose Vijaynagar if independent.

The coalitions are:

Delhi, Vijaynagar, Gujarat, Burma

vs

Bengal, Sind, Deccan league, Siam, Persia, Ganga, Sri Lanka
 
Last edited:

Derek Pullem

Kicked
Donor
How about:

Persia (alt-Russia)
Sur (surviving Afghan state analogous to Sweden - or Prussia)
Mughal (much weaker due to Sur survival - many tributaries - alt Austria + HRE)
Bengal (survives due to weaker Mughal and Mughal-Sur rvivalry - alt France)
Gujarat (trade based - alt-England)
Marathas (nationalistic alt-Spain)
Far south / Sri Lanka (alt-Italy, fractured states)
Throw in Burma under Taungoo as an alt-Ottomans and you are away and running?
 
How about:

Persia (alt-Russia)
Sur (surviving Afghan state analogous to Sweden - or Prussia)
Mughal (much weaker due to Sur survival - many tributaries - alt Austria + HRE)
Bengal (survives due to weaker Mughal and Mughal-Sur rvivalry - alt France)
Gujarat (trade based - alt-England)
Marathas (nationalistic alt-Spain)
Far south / Sri Lanka (alt-Italy, fractured states)
Throw in Burma under Taungoo as an alt-Ottomans and you are away and running?

OP said specifically not to use European analogues.
 
Vijayanagar was opposed by five Muslim state alliance of Deccan .

Yeah that’s definitely an area where the major players would be looking for a balance- the sultanates banded together due to Rama Raja being too good of a statesman and making them fear for their existences, but before they had variously allied with Vijaynagar and in various combinations to prevent anyone reuniting the old Bahmani realms.
 
If the Delhi Sultanate manages to pull itself together to defeat Babur or is replaced by a more dynamic Empire that holds the northwest at bay, they might be a great power. Vijaynagar I can see as another great power. Bengal is extremely rich, and I think it could become a third power. I think three other large powers would be Sind, Gujarat, and he foremost of the Deccan Sultanates (in this case it seems to be Ahmadnagar). I think the Delhi Sultanate will be opposed by all of its neighbors, perhaps finding allies in Gujarat, the more southerly Deccan sultanates, and Burma. Delhi will want to unite at least the entire north under its rule, I think. Sind would play Persia off of Delhi and ally with Bengal and the Deccan Sultanates perhaps. They might ally with Gujarat if Delhi starts holding ambitions on Gujarat, but otherwise may be enemies. The Deccan Sultanates will ally against Vijaynagar, and this may give a sense of unity to the Deccan along with combined heritage from Empires like the Chalukyas, Yadavas, and Bahmanis. If one of the Sultanates tries to reunite the Deccan by force, however, it will be shot down by a coalition of the others and likely Vijaynagar. Bengal might ally with Persia, Sind, Siam, and even China to counter Delhi and Burma. If Bengal becomes a maritime power, they may become enemies with Vijaynagar, and Bengal May thus be drawn to ally with Ganga and the Deccan Sultanates while Vijaynagar May ally with Delhi.

Edit: Sri Lanka (whether one state or fractured into many) will likely oppose Vijaynagar if independent.

The coalitions are:

Delhi, Vijaynagar, Gujarat, Burma

vs

Bengal, Sind, Deccan league, Siam, Persia, Ganga, Sri Lanka

The second group seems to be a fair bit larger than the first and with richer members as well, with Golconda having the famous diamond mines and a textile industry second only to Bengal. Which members of the second coalition do you think is most likely to switch alliances to maintain the balance at various points?

What do you think Malwa would be doing?
 
The second group seems to be a fair bit larger than the first and with richer members as well, with Golconda having the famous diamond mines and a textile industry second only to Bengal. Which members of the second coalition do you think is most likely to switch alliances to maintain the balance at various points?

What do you think Malwa would be doing?

I think Deccan and Persia would be the most likely to switch sides. Persia to maintain a balance between Indian states that would preserve or expand their influence over them. Deccan because it seems like, because of the relatively central geographic location, they would have the most of worry about if a single alliance or power looked to be on the verge of dominating northern India it would only be natural for that power to begin expanding south into the Deccan's zone of influence.

Malwa I think would be a wildcard, switching sides depending on which alliance offered the best deal. It seems like it would be vulnerable to being partitioned between Deccan, Sind, and Delhi, or else reduced to a toothless buffer state.
 
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