https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adil_Shahi_dynasty (Bijapur)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutb_Shahi_dynasty (Golconda)
The Deccan Sultanates were the heirs of the Bahamid state, which itself started as a group of Persian nobles who followed the Sultan of Delhi into the South and broke away in the mid-14th century as the Tughluq dynasty begin to collapse. However, the state had no real base of power, ruled over 3 distinct ethnic groups who followed a hostile religion, allowing the regional governors to break away over a 30 year period from 1490 to 1518
These states were not only formidable military powers in their own right (a coalition of them defeated the last great Hindu state of Vijayanagar in 1565) 2 of them (Golconda and Bijapur) became centers of Islamic scholarship, architecture, and even in Golconda a center for the revival of the Telugu language. Trade links with the greater Muslim world, especially Persia do the Iranian origins and language of the Muslim aristocracy allowed them to attract some of the best and brightest to their capitals.
However, the Mughals ended the independence of the last 2 in the late 17th century (they had been tributaries up until that time), in part do to Aurangzeb's desire to conquer the entirety of the Deccan, and partly due to a revival and increase in power by the native Hindu Marathis, whose power only increased in Bijapur as the Sultanate disintegrated under the Mughal attack.
My question is this: how plausible is it for Bijapur and Golconda to stay Mughal tributaries or even allies with a POD after the Battle of Talikota in 1565 while also bringing the Marathas under control?
Moreover, what sort of impact would that have on India, both for the native states and later European colonization efforts if they succeed in overcoming the Marathas (which of course means that the Maratha Empire never exists).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutb_Shahi_dynasty (Golconda)
The Deccan Sultanates were the heirs of the Bahamid state, which itself started as a group of Persian nobles who followed the Sultan of Delhi into the South and broke away in the mid-14th century as the Tughluq dynasty begin to collapse. However, the state had no real base of power, ruled over 3 distinct ethnic groups who followed a hostile religion, allowing the regional governors to break away over a 30 year period from 1490 to 1518
These states were not only formidable military powers in their own right (a coalition of them defeated the last great Hindu state of Vijayanagar in 1565) 2 of them (Golconda and Bijapur) became centers of Islamic scholarship, architecture, and even in Golconda a center for the revival of the Telugu language. Trade links with the greater Muslim world, especially Persia do the Iranian origins and language of the Muslim aristocracy allowed them to attract some of the best and brightest to their capitals.
However, the Mughals ended the independence of the last 2 in the late 17th century (they had been tributaries up until that time), in part do to Aurangzeb's desire to conquer the entirety of the Deccan, and partly due to a revival and increase in power by the native Hindu Marathis, whose power only increased in Bijapur as the Sultanate disintegrated under the Mughal attack.
My question is this: how plausible is it for Bijapur and Golconda to stay Mughal tributaries or even allies with a POD after the Battle of Talikota in 1565 while also bringing the Marathas under control?
Moreover, what sort of impact would that have on India, both for the native states and later European colonization efforts if they succeed in overcoming the Marathas (which of course means that the Maratha Empire never exists).