So, what if India is the crown jewel an alternate German colonial empire? How to make this happen? And what are the effects of this in (alternate) world history?
Why is the assumption that this alternate German polity would be able to take over India as the British did?
The assumption isn't. The OP is asking what if and how to make it happen.
Yet absolutely nobody has discussed the Indian side of the equation of "how to make it happen."
The Indian side is probably going to have to be a combo of allying with various states and pure luck in larger Indian states decaying while European tech eventually outpaces Indian tech.
Our hypothetical German state would be unable to project power on a level equal to the EIC and would be facing greater European competition (the British, for one). And European and Indian tech were roughly equal in the Second Anglo-Mysorean War, for example. As for "larger Indian states decaying," that is essentially OTL (with added immense luck via the Afghan-Maratha war that may have saved British Bengal) and yet the British still faced dynamic states that replaced the decaying ones.
So I would say "any Western European nation could do what the EIC did" is pure fantasy and how exactly this German polity conquers India must be carefully justified.
Yet absolutely nobody has discussed the Indian side of the equation of "how to make it happen."
So, what if India is the crown jewel an alternate German colonial empire? How to make this happen? And what are the effects of this in (alternate) world history?
Our hypothetical German state would be unable to project power on a level equal to the EIC
You cannot know this. It all depends on the answer to the question "What even *is* Germany in this TL?" How many people and how many ports does it control? How centrlized is it?
So, what if India is the crown jewel an alternate German colonial empire? How to make this happen? And what are the effects of this in (alternate) world history?
Assuming a POD not before 1500 and a Germanity similar to OTL's, simple geography would suggest that OTL England/Britain would project power better than ATL Germany polity, unless it's heavily wanked. Also as a whole Germany in the 18th century was economically less developed than Britain.
Assuming a POD not before 1500 and a Germanity similar to OTL's, simple geography would suggest that OTL England/Britain would project power better than ATL Germany polity, unless it's heavily wanked. Also as a whole Germany in the 18th century was economically less developed than Britain.