With a POD as far as 1763, you could have no revolution in France at all. Hell, you could even give Louis XVI a backbone, so that he has the will to tax the Clergy and the Nobility. This itself might make the revolution go away.
Four Independent South Indian States
- Thread starter Flocculencio
- Start date
Flocculencio
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The latter life of Eustachius de Lannoy
"...de Lannoy, an officer of the VOC, was tasked with the mission to punish the Maharaja of Travancore, Marthanda Varma. Maharaja Marthanda, who had spent most of his reign imposing his dominance over much of Southern Kerala, incorporating the minor princedoms of the region into his kingdom, had, in 1741, launched a direct assault upon the Kingdom of Cochin, a vassal state of the Dutch.
De Lannoy's force of marines and artillery, supplemented by Indian troops from their vassals in the region was outflanked, encircled and defeated by the Travancori Army which swept on to take Cochin. The Maharaja of Cochin was allowed to retain his throne but as a vassal, not of the Dutch but of Travancore.
De Lannoy and his officers, however, were treated well and many took service with Travancore, offering to train the Travancori Army to European standards of drill. While many of the more traditional nobles of Travancore, especially in the newly annexxed territories scorned the new methods, de Lannoy began to recruit low caste soldiers with the Maharajas permission and to drill them as European style infantry. This foreshadowed the coming struggle between the nobles and the crown for supreme power.
In 1751, with the backing of the Zamorin of Calicut, the ruler of Northern Kerala, the Raja of Cochin rebelled against the Maharaja. The Dutch took no part this time, instead surreptitiously aiding the Travancori side with intelligence about troop movements. The new model army which de Lannoy had trained for the past five years proved its worth in battle, smashing the rebel forces and striking deep into Calicut. Calicut itself fell in 1752 and the Maharaja of Travancore annexed the whole of Kerala under his banner.
De Lannoy himself was feted as a trusted advisor and remained a minister of the Travancori government until his death in 1763. He was made the first member of the new system of knighthood that the Maharaja invented and gave a great deal of support to other reforms made during the reign of Marthanda Varma and the early reign of his successor"- from A brief History of the South Indian States
"...de Lannoy, an officer of the VOC, was tasked with the mission to punish the Maharaja of Travancore, Marthanda Varma. Maharaja Marthanda, who had spent most of his reign imposing his dominance over much of Southern Kerala, incorporating the minor princedoms of the region into his kingdom, had, in 1741, launched a direct assault upon the Kingdom of Cochin, a vassal state of the Dutch.
De Lannoy's force of marines and artillery, supplemented by Indian troops from their vassals in the region was outflanked, encircled and defeated by the Travancori Army which swept on to take Cochin. The Maharaja of Cochin was allowed to retain his throne but as a vassal, not of the Dutch but of Travancore.
De Lannoy and his officers, however, were treated well and many took service with Travancore, offering to train the Travancori Army to European standards of drill. While many of the more traditional nobles of Travancore, especially in the newly annexxed territories scorned the new methods, de Lannoy began to recruit low caste soldiers with the Maharajas permission and to drill them as European style infantry. This foreshadowed the coming struggle between the nobles and the crown for supreme power.
In 1751, with the backing of the Zamorin of Calicut, the ruler of Northern Kerala, the Raja of Cochin rebelled against the Maharaja. The Dutch took no part this time, instead surreptitiously aiding the Travancori side with intelligence about troop movements. The new model army which de Lannoy had trained for the past five years proved its worth in battle, smashing the rebel forces and striking deep into Calicut. Calicut itself fell in 1752 and the Maharaja of Travancore annexed the whole of Kerala under his banner.
De Lannoy himself was feted as a trusted advisor and remained a minister of the Travancori government until his death in 1763. He was made the first member of the new system of knighthood that the Maharaja invented and gave a great deal of support to other reforms made during the reign of Marthanda Varma and the early reign of his successor"- from A brief History of the South Indian States
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Flocculencio
Donor
Dharma Raja
Marthanda Varma was succeeded in 1759 by his maternal nephew Kartikal Thirunal Rama Varma, in accord with Malayalee tradition. Maharaja Kartikal found himself with a realm which had in the past ten years grown to twice its original size. The task before him was to securely incorporate the disparate elements under a centralised government.
Opposing him were a group of aristocratic High caste noble families, headed by a cabal of nobles known as the Eight Lords. With a power base in Northern Kerala they obstructed many of the policies of the new Maharaja. In 1766, they rose in open rebellion ostensibly to restore the Zamorin of Calicut.
The Army of Travancore found itself locked in a challenging series of battles, but managed to defeat the rebels through the strength of its drilled infantry. The rebels, as befit their aristocratic background, had forces more traditionally armed, drawn from their high caste levies. This victory gave further justification to the value of an European style army. The Eight Lords were dispossessed and their lands came directly under the purview of the Crown.
Maharaja Kartikal took the opportunity to institute bureaucratic reforms, establishing a corps of officials to administer the territory on behalf of the crown. Through indirect pressure over the rest of his reign, he would persuade much of the aristocracy to surrender their feudal rights to the Crown in return for preferment or payment. Henceforth, Kartikals domains would be administered by this Civil Service.
In other ways, Kartikal's reign was less progressive. Though he forced the aristocratic namboothiri and nair castes to treat the other upper castes, this was relatively easy as many of them had been implicated in the rebellion. Kartikals reforms didn't do much for the lower castes in terms of social status, although his civil service made for more equitable taxation, relieving much of the burden on the peasantry. Kartikals policies were also credited with averting famine in the 1770s as the bureaucracy ensured the distribution of food reserves from the royal granaries. Furthermore, the admission of certain of the lower castes into eligibility for employment in the army (though only as labourers and in ancillary roles) also provided more opportunities for peasants without land.
Policies like this increased Kartikals popularity even among the lower castes and they bestowed upon him the title of Dharma Raja, or the Rightly-Guided King.
Perhaps Kartikal's greatest achievement was his conscious creation of a Malayalee identity. Realising that he could not otherwise hope to hold on to his entire kingdom, he commissioned a series of songs and dances emphasising the unity of all Malayalees. He used as his model the legendary king, Maveli, an important figure in Malayalee mythology, saying that in Mavelis time all the Malayalees were united and prosperous and that this could be the case once more.
To underscore this unity, Kartikal moved his capital from Padamapuram in the far South to Cochin in Central Kerala. He also renamed his kingdom from Travancore to Kerala, again to emphasise unity and a break with the multiple kingdoms of the past.
Another reason for this move was the increasing importance of Cochin as a port. Kartikal signed treaties with both Britain and France guaranteeing their right of free trade in Cochin. During Kartikal's reign demand for spice stayed steady giving the Kingdom an excellent source of income. The taxes the Crown levied upon the spice trade ensured that money was available for Kartikals projects, notably the lines of modern fortifications he constructed along the routes of access into his kingdom.
Marthanda Varma was succeeded in 1759 by his maternal nephew Kartikal Thirunal Rama Varma, in accord with Malayalee tradition. Maharaja Kartikal found himself with a realm which had in the past ten years grown to twice its original size. The task before him was to securely incorporate the disparate elements under a centralised government.
Opposing him were a group of aristocratic High caste noble families, headed by a cabal of nobles known as the Eight Lords. With a power base in Northern Kerala they obstructed many of the policies of the new Maharaja. In 1766, they rose in open rebellion ostensibly to restore the Zamorin of Calicut.
The Army of Travancore found itself locked in a challenging series of battles, but managed to defeat the rebels through the strength of its drilled infantry. The rebels, as befit their aristocratic background, had forces more traditionally armed, drawn from their high caste levies. This victory gave further justification to the value of an European style army. The Eight Lords were dispossessed and their lands came directly under the purview of the Crown.
Maharaja Kartikal took the opportunity to institute bureaucratic reforms, establishing a corps of officials to administer the territory on behalf of the crown. Through indirect pressure over the rest of his reign, he would persuade much of the aristocracy to surrender their feudal rights to the Crown in return for preferment or payment. Henceforth, Kartikals domains would be administered by this Civil Service.
In other ways, Kartikal's reign was less progressive. Though he forced the aristocratic namboothiri and nair castes to treat the other upper castes, this was relatively easy as many of them had been implicated in the rebellion. Kartikals reforms didn't do much for the lower castes in terms of social status, although his civil service made for more equitable taxation, relieving much of the burden on the peasantry. Kartikals policies were also credited with averting famine in the 1770s as the bureaucracy ensured the distribution of food reserves from the royal granaries. Furthermore, the admission of certain of the lower castes into eligibility for employment in the army (though only as labourers and in ancillary roles) also provided more opportunities for peasants without land.
Policies like this increased Kartikals popularity even among the lower castes and they bestowed upon him the title of Dharma Raja, or the Rightly-Guided King.
Perhaps Kartikal's greatest achievement was his conscious creation of a Malayalee identity. Realising that he could not otherwise hope to hold on to his entire kingdom, he commissioned a series of songs and dances emphasising the unity of all Malayalees. He used as his model the legendary king, Maveli, an important figure in Malayalee mythology, saying that in Mavelis time all the Malayalees were united and prosperous and that this could be the case once more.
To underscore this unity, Kartikal moved his capital from Padamapuram in the far South to Cochin in Central Kerala. He also renamed his kingdom from Travancore to Kerala, again to emphasise unity and a break with the multiple kingdoms of the past.
Another reason for this move was the increasing importance of Cochin as a port. Kartikal signed treaties with both Britain and France guaranteeing their right of free trade in Cochin. During Kartikal's reign demand for spice stayed steady giving the Kingdom an excellent source of income. The taxes the Crown levied upon the spice trade ensured that money was available for Kartikals projects, notably the lines of modern fortifications he constructed along the routes of access into his kingdom.
Flocculencio
Donor
Thanks. I should probably try to add some detail about the other south Indian states
Yes you should. I mean we know you are from Kerala, but it is a tl about south India.
Flocculencio
Donor
Yeah, perhaps I should split this off into a new thread concentrating specifically on Travancore.
Flocculencio
Donor
Meanwhile in Mysore
Through the first half of the 18th century, the state of Mysore underwent a number of political upheavals. While Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, who had ruled in the late 17th and early 18th century, had established administrative reforms and a coherent system of taxation, the upheavals in neighbouring Hyderabad and the Maharatta Confederacy tended to spill over the border. Raiding parties from both sides often conducted punitive expeditions into Mysore and much of the first half of the century was spent in stabilising the situation in the Northern half of the kingdom.
As opposed to OTL, Haider Ali, a Hyderabadi warlord did not receive a position as prime minister of Mysore. Thus, while Mysore did not engage in the expansionist policy of OTL, it did consolidate itself internally. A source of tension, however, was the relative lack of control Mysore had over its coastal possessions in Mangalore.mthere were a number of disputes in this region first with Calicut and then with the newly established state of Kerala. These disputes would lead to open conflict in the late 18th century.
Through the first half of the 18th century, the state of Mysore underwent a number of political upheavals. While Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, who had ruled in the late 17th and early 18th century, had established administrative reforms and a coherent system of taxation, the upheavals in neighbouring Hyderabad and the Maharatta Confederacy tended to spill over the border. Raiding parties from both sides often conducted punitive expeditions into Mysore and much of the first half of the century was spent in stabilising the situation in the Northern half of the kingdom.
As opposed to OTL, Haider Ali, a Hyderabadi warlord did not receive a position as prime minister of Mysore. Thus, while Mysore did not engage in the expansionist policy of OTL, it did consolidate itself internally. A source of tension, however, was the relative lack of control Mysore had over its coastal possessions in Mangalore.mthere were a number of disputes in this region first with Calicut and then with the newly established state of Kerala. These disputes would lead to open conflict in the late 18th century.
In OTL Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma captured the throne of Venad defeating Thambi brothers and Ettuveettil Pillais and expanded the small kingdom confined to the districts of Kanyakumari [Tamilnadu] and Thiruvananthapuram to the borders of Kochi.In all his ventures he was ably assisted by his minister or dalawa Ramayyan. There is a story about the death wish of Ramayyan.When Dalawa Ramayyan was on his deathbed Marthanda Varma asked him whether he had any wishes unfulfilled. Ramayyan told his King that his disappointment was that he could not annex the Kingdom of Kochi and present it to his Lord. In your TL Marthada Varma has annexed not only Kochi but also Malabar. No reason for Dalawa Ramayyan to be disappointed.That is good.In OTL the eight lords called Ettuveettil Pillais were captured and hanged as soon as Marthanda Varma ascended the throne. Their properties were confiscated and their womenfolk were given to lower castes in slavery.
Very interesting. I know its been a while, but would you be willing to add some more to this thread, Flocc?
Flocculencio
Donor
Yeah I might actually, though focussing mainly on Kerala itself. I'll see what I can do.
Flocculencio
Donor
With the death of Kartikal Dharma Raja in 1773, the underlying tensions brewing in the rapidly changed Kingdom of Kerala boiled over. The old King's eldest nephew, Balarama Varma, who by the traditions of the upper caste Malayalees should have inherited the throne, found himself embroiled in a civil conflict with his cousin, Kartikal's son, Kartikal the Younger.
Balarama was seen as a conservative and in his uncles later reign, had spent much time, or so it was said, courting the noble families who had formed the traditional military castes. Kartikal, the Younger, on the other hand, not being in line for the throne, had spent most of his adult life as an official in the King's Bureau of Finance.
It is unclear if Kartikal put himself forward to claim the throne or if this decision was made on his behalf but the outcome was civil war. While Balarama was journeying south to the traditional seat of House Varma at Padamapuram for his coronation, Kartikal the Younger was crowned Maharaja at Cochin itself. Much of the new model army, trained by Dutch officers and with troops and a number of officers drawn from the middling castes declared for Kartikal. This force was spread out, however, and, intending to retake Cochin before Kartikal could consolidate his troops, Balarama, gathering his traditional warrior levies along with which ever new model regiments remained loyal to him swept back North. In a series of bloody battles, he beat two hastily raised forces sent against him but was killed by a stroke of sheer bad luck when a random cannonball took his head clean from his shoulders.
In the chaos of the civil war, Mysore had struck across the border, once more and one of Kartikal's first acts after his brothers death was to buy off the House of Wodeyar with money raised by exacting punitive tribute on the noble families that had opposed him.
Kartikal, despite this cruel beginning, was known as the Lawgiver. He had effectively broken the power of the old noble families and cemented this by raising up new families into the ranks of the gentry. He embarked on the creation of a law code, a project that would span almost his entire reign. It instituted a system of village courts, formalising law to replace the hierarchical codes that had governed life in Kerala before. He eliminated the rights of the warrior caste of the Nairs (most of whom had supported Balarama) to the power of life and death over the lower castes and eliminated the matrilineal system of inheritance that he himself had flouted when taking the throne.
Kartikal renewed his treaties of friendship with the Dutch, French and British and having secured his foreign allies, began to redouble his efforts at military development. Kartikal's objective was to build a navy and to this end taxation grew ever higher throughout his reign. In 1794, his dreams were realised as a Keralite fleet shakily sailed out into the Arabian sea to plant the flag of Kerala on the Lakhshwadeep and Maldive islands.
While pleasing, however, this was seen at home as money spent for too little gain. Kartikal the Lawgiver, however, was reasonably pleased by these efforts and died happily in 1795, leaving the throne to his son, Srikumar Varma.
Balarama was seen as a conservative and in his uncles later reign, had spent much time, or so it was said, courting the noble families who had formed the traditional military castes. Kartikal, the Younger, on the other hand, not being in line for the throne, had spent most of his adult life as an official in the King's Bureau of Finance.
It is unclear if Kartikal put himself forward to claim the throne or if this decision was made on his behalf but the outcome was civil war. While Balarama was journeying south to the traditional seat of House Varma at Padamapuram for his coronation, Kartikal the Younger was crowned Maharaja at Cochin itself. Much of the new model army, trained by Dutch officers and with troops and a number of officers drawn from the middling castes declared for Kartikal. This force was spread out, however, and, intending to retake Cochin before Kartikal could consolidate his troops, Balarama, gathering his traditional warrior levies along with which ever new model regiments remained loyal to him swept back North. In a series of bloody battles, he beat two hastily raised forces sent against him but was killed by a stroke of sheer bad luck when a random cannonball took his head clean from his shoulders.
In the chaos of the civil war, Mysore had struck across the border, once more and one of Kartikal's first acts after his brothers death was to buy off the House of Wodeyar with money raised by exacting punitive tribute on the noble families that had opposed him.
Kartikal, despite this cruel beginning, was known as the Lawgiver. He had effectively broken the power of the old noble families and cemented this by raising up new families into the ranks of the gentry. He embarked on the creation of a law code, a project that would span almost his entire reign. It instituted a system of village courts, formalising law to replace the hierarchical codes that had governed life in Kerala before. He eliminated the rights of the warrior caste of the Nairs (most of whom had supported Balarama) to the power of life and death over the lower castes and eliminated the matrilineal system of inheritance that he himself had flouted when taking the throne.
Kartikal renewed his treaties of friendship with the Dutch, French and British and having secured his foreign allies, began to redouble his efforts at military development. Kartikal's objective was to build a navy and to this end taxation grew ever higher throughout his reign. In 1794, his dreams were realised as a Keralite fleet shakily sailed out into the Arabian sea to plant the flag of Kerala on the Lakhshwadeep and Maldive islands.
While pleasing, however, this was seen at home as money spent for too little gain. Kartikal the Lawgiver, however, was reasonably pleased by these efforts and died happily in 1795, leaving the throne to his son, Srikumar Varma.
Nice to see more of this!
Are you still planning on having Kerala go leftist? The more I think about it, the more it seems like a good candidate to be TTL's South Korea-it's compact, has a coherent national identity that both the elite and the masses can subscribe to, has a good deal of contact with Europe, a cowed nobility, and a very capitalist economy that trades a lot with the outside world. It seems like, of the four states, its probably going to be the most developed and the most liberal.
Hyderabad, on the other hand...IIRC, the ruling elite are mostly Urdu-speaking Muslims, while most of the population are Hindus of multiple ethnicities. It's going to have to deal with a lot of potential social problems-not only between the Muslims and Hindus, but between Telegu, Marathi, and Kannada speakers as well. It's going to have a very hard time developing a coherent national identity-much harder than Kerala will-and generally it seems like the best candidate to have a...troubled political history once the 20th century roles around.
Are you still planning on having Kerala go leftist? The more I think about it, the more it seems like a good candidate to be TTL's South Korea-it's compact, has a coherent national identity that both the elite and the masses can subscribe to, has a good deal of contact with Europe, a cowed nobility, and a very capitalist economy that trades a lot with the outside world. It seems like, of the four states, its probably going to be the most developed and the most liberal.
Hyderabad, on the other hand...IIRC, the ruling elite are mostly Urdu-speaking Muslims, while most of the population are Hindus of multiple ethnicities. It's going to have to deal with a lot of potential social problems-not only between the Muslims and Hindus, but between Telegu, Marathi, and Kannada speakers as well. It's going to have a very hard time developing a coherent national identity-much harder than Kerala will-and generally it seems like the best candidate to have a...troubled political history once the 20th century roles around.
Flocculencio
Donor
Kerala isn't quite resource rich enough to be a South Korea- probably something more along the lines of Thailand would be more realistic. Also, I have to figure out how development will work out since it'll be fossil fuel poor and the ample hydropower resources can only really be exploited with 20th C technology. Perhaps a mid 20th C boom...actually you might be right. The South Korean model might work.
Flocculencio
Donor
Srikumar Varma inherited a kingdom with slightly shaky finances but a whole host of agricultural resources. While the spice trade was still consistently profitable, spices no longer reached the commanding sums they had during prior eras. An alternative crop was sugar, which was becoming ever more popular as a cash crop on the estates of the new gentry. With a large pool of tenant farmers, Kerala was soon selling sugar to French and Dutch traders whose governments were seen to be having more and more influence on the Royal court. It was during these years that the ideas of the French Revolution first began to spread into Kerala, a development that would have serious consequences decades later.