God is a Frenchman - a Timeline (Seven Yrs War POD)

Although French india seems to be developing pretty much analogously to otl British India, I have to expect massive differences on the ground.

For one I’d be very interested to see a world where French officials are met with the Raja of Shergar Francis Bourbon, and the place he would claim in the French world. Otl the massive debate between orientalists and evangelists ended up going to the evangelists with the ensuing anglicisation of india- ittl the French officialdom in india, being much more dominated by a feudal nobility, would be much more appreciative of noble titles granted by the Mughal court and with the already existing example of a French dynasty in india might very quickly assimilate to Indo-Persian society. Though Dupleixs replacement in india is before the pod, apparently his stepdaughter Marie was at one point proposed as a bride for the Mughal emperor, which I think is suggestive of the French attitude- successive French governors, aware that their position could be taken away by any royal whim, would find it advantageous to create dynastic ties with local rulers to ensure they remain permanently relevant.

The fact that mention was made of Mughal troops in a confrontation with the sikhs in the 1830s as well is very significant- otl there simply was no Mughal army post 1770, and in the update about the Mysore civil war it says that the Wadiyar exile is kept in house arrest by the Mughals in Awadh- this suggests to me that the Mughal emperor is doing miles better than otl. perhaps the fact that the French retained the northern Circars meant that they were able to aid Shah Alam II at an alt Battle of Buxar, which led to Mughal resurgence and renewed control over Awadh at the very least- Shah Alam and Buxar is the latest point the Mughals could have gotten awadh.

I’m trying to find a way to reconcile the fact you’ve given of Mughal awadh with the fact you’ve given that the French are allowed to be tax farmers/direct administrators of Bengal and Bihar as far west as Patna- a Mughal emperor with enough military power to control from Delhi to awadh is likely to have taken advantage of European weakness when the British were expelled to push his rule further east into Bengal. Perhaps the French were allowed the opportunity because the emperor was more focused on his western flank (highly likely given the strength of the Marathas and afghans), but that would still suggest to me that during the 1770s-90s ish the emperor was busy trying to assert authority over the rajputs and sindh, before they became French puppets in the 1810s.

There’s therefore a decent chance that pretty much all of the North Indian light blue territories are directly governed by the Mughal administration, just that the head of that administration and his court are dominated by the French. At the very least the “Delhi princely state” would have to include all of modern Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Both of those points give me hope for a resurgent Mughal empire which is able to finally use the old Mughal playbook of creating buy in and incorporating militarily impressive ethnic groups- an alt 1857 leading to a Mughal empire where Franco-Indians play the same role as Rajputs in Akbar or Jahangirs empire, able to reassert control from Bengal to the Carnatic.

The Mughal emperor would also probably appeal to the French to stop the Mysore sultans from using the title of sultan, forcing them to use the title Nawab instead, placing them on equal footing to Hyderabad sovereignty wise, not the emperor.
 
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Although French india seems to be developing pretty much analogously to otl British India, I have to expect massive differences on the ground.

For one I’d be very interested to see a world where French officials are met with the Raja of Shergar Francis Bourbon, and the place he would claim in the French world. Otl the massive debate between orientalists and evangelists ended up going to the evangelists with the ensuing anglicisation of india- ittl the French officialdom in india, being much more dominated by a feudal nobility, would be much more appreciative of noble titles granted by the Mughal court and with the already existing example of a French dynasty in india might very quickly assimilate to Indo-Persian society. Though Dupleixs replacement in india is before the pod, apparently his stepdaughter Marie was at one point proposed as a bride for the Mughal emperor, which I think is suggestive of the French attitude- successive French governors, aware that their position could be taken away by any royal whim, would find it advantageous to create dynastic ties with local rulers to ensure they remain permanently relevant.

The fact that mention was made of Mughal troops in a confrontation with the sikhs in the 1830s as well is very significant- otl there simply was no Mughal army post 1770, and in the update about the Mysore civil war it says that the Wadiyar exile is kept in house arrest by the Mughals in Awadh- this suggests to me that the Mughal emperor is doing miles better than otl. perhaps the fact that the French retained the northern Circars meant that they were able to aid Shah Alam II at an alt Battle of Buxar, which led to Mughal resurgence and renewed control over Awadh at the very least- Shah Alam and Buxar is the latest point the Mughals could have gotten awadh.

I’m trying to find a way to reconcile the fact you’ve given of Mughal awadh with the fact you’ve given that the French are allowed to be tax farmers/direct administrators of Bengal and Bihar as far west as Patna- a Mughal emperor with enough military power to control from Delhi to awadh is likely to have taken advantage of European weakness when the British were expelled to push his rule further east into Bengal. Perhaps the French were allowed the opportunity because the emperor was more focused on his western flank (highly likely given the strength of the Marathas and afghans), but that would still suggest to me that during the 1770s-90s ish the emperor was busy trying to assert authority over the rajputs and sindh, before they became French puppets in the 1810s.

There’s therefore a decent chance that pretty much all of the North Indian light blue territories are directly governed by the Mughal administration, just that the head of that administration and his court are dominated by the French. At the very least the “Delhi princely state” would have to include all of modern Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Both of those points give me hope for a resurgent Mughal empire which is able to finally use the old Mughal playbook of creating buy in and incorporating militarily impressive ethnic groups- an alt 1857 leading to a Mughal empire where Franco-Indians play the same role as Rajputs in Akbar or Jahangirs empire, able to reassert control from Bengal to the Carnatic.

The Mughal emperor would also probably appeal to the French to stop the Mysore sultans from using the title of sultan, forcing them to use the title Nawab instead, placing them on equal footing to Hyderabad sovereignty wise, not the emperor.
The Mughal Emperor is little more than a French puppet at this point. Propped up by French power in the east he has nominal control and figurehead status across much of the subcontinent, but practically not able to make any moves against French hegemony. The French are the only reason a Mughal state still exists at all with their aid against the Marathi and the Gurkhas. Your rationalization, that the Mughals are more focused on the western regions, therefore giving the French an opening makes some amount of sense. I should have put some more work into that piece of the 1760s-1770s portion of the timeline. Admittedly, I haven't fleshed out India in greater detail because I don't have a lot of in depth background knowledge on the intricacies of OTL history, but I'm looking forward to reading your post more closely and hopefully will get around to doing more research and digging in more. Please keep contributing ideas!
 
I’m trying to find a way to reconcile the fact you’ve given of Mughal awadh with the fact you’ve given that the French are allowed to be tax farmers/direct administrators of Bengal and Bihar as far west as Patna- a Mughal emperor with enough military power to control from Delhi to awadh is likely to have taken advantage of European weakness when the British were expelled to push his rule further east into Bengal. Perhaps the French were allowed the opportunity because the emperor was more focused on his western flank (highly likely given the strength of the Marathas and afghans), but that would still suggest to me that during the 1770s-90s ish the emperor was busy trying to assert authority over the rajputs and sindh, before they became French puppets in the 1810s.
BTW - if you ever so inspired (and this goes for everyone), feel free to write up entries that fill in any gaps in the context I've laid out so far and DM me. As long as it fits with the parameters ITTL, I'll consider making it "canon" for this TL and add it to the threadmarks.

It's a big world out there, and I clearly have been struggling to find the time to tackle the main timeline, let alone other corners of the globe.
 
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1839 Part 1
Trickling this out bit by bit...

1839 Part 1

New Leadership
In November 1838 and February 1839, two crowns change hands amidst a Europe at war. In Britain, the long-infirm George IV succumbs to a pulmonary illness. With no children to his name, his brother Edward Augustus takes the crown as Edward VII. Edward shares his brother’s relative ambivalence towards the European continent although he does have a particular fondness for Hanover due to spending a good portion of his adolescence there. While he is clear that any threat to Hanoverian neutrality by belligerents will not be tolerated, Edward will continue to be an obstacle in Britain against the small, but growing, interventionist camp that is clamoring for Britain to join the Coalition against France’s Holy Alliance. An increasing number of liberal refugees from Henri’s realm arrive in Britain by the week in the winter of 39-39, adding their voices to the interventionist camp. Despite the loud clamoring of the interventionists, the isolationist camp continues to hold sway in Parliament and the king’s government.

In Bavaria, Karl I, who had been essentially deposed by his son Johan in 1837 after the betrothal crisis, finally dies in February. Johan I formally ascends to the Bavarian throne and promptly joins the Coalition against the Holy Alliance. He leverages the new marriage alliance between his son Albert and Princess Augusta Carolina of Franconia to convince her father, Grand Duke Ludwig von Hohenlohe, to follow suit in March. This move would allow Coalition forces to attack the Alliance beyond the narrow Saxony front, creating the potential for a lengthened front line between the Rhineland and the Coalition powers in southern Germany. If the Alliance cannot conclude the war by the end of the year, Bavaria and Franconia will be fully mobilized in support of the Coalition.

Second German Campaign Part 1
The Coalition lays considerable intelligence groundwork for the 1839 Saxony offensive in the late-winter, arranging formations and leaking misinformation that suggests a major attack against Gotha to open up the campaign. In fact, the wiley Austrian Schwartzenberg plans for the main thrust of the attack to swing well north of Gotha and engage more isolated Alliance corps that are less prepared for an onslaught; he only stages a feint towards Erfurt and Gotha with a contingent of Russian troops. He places command of the vanguard in the able leadership of Prussian Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandt. Brandt, an old veteran of Prussia’s war against Sweden, is known for his meticulous planning. The Coalition’s goal is to push the Alliance forces out of Saxony and ensure a solid foothold in the Rhineland that will be capitalized upon by the main Austrian army under Schwartzenberg. The ultimate objective of the campaign is to seize Frankfurt, opening up the field to cross the Rhine near Hagenau and thrust into France herself.

Alliance commanders believe that the main thrust of the Coalition’s offensive will be directed at Erfurt and Gotha and so Marshal Maupeou arranges the bulk of the Alliance forces between the two cities, expecting waves of assaults from the Coalition. In fact, the opening occurs in late April near the Saxon village of Greußen, about a day’s ride north of Erfurt. Three Alliance corps under the command of the formidable generals Henri de Valcourt of France and Sebastian von Neurath of the Rhineland are garrisoned outside the village. While they are braced against the approaching Coalition forces, they do not expect more than the first wave under Brandt and so Valcourt is surprised to receive reconnaissance reports that the bulk of Schwartzenberg’s army is bearing down on them. Valcourt is known for his aggressive style and Neurath has a keen understanding of terrain and they mount a spirited effort at the Battle of Greußen. Together they utilize the landscape to the Alliance's advantage as Brandt’s forces stage themselves, successfully holding back the Coalition force for three days. However, upon the Austrians’ arrival, the Coalition’s superior numbers and meticulously crafted strategies gain the upper hand on the fourth day after an intensive all-night artillery barrage. Despite the valiant efforts of the Alliance soldiers, the Coalition's multi-pronged approach means that the Alliance forces find themselves increasingly outflanked. This strategic disadvantage, coupled with mounting casualties, leaves Valcourt with little choice but to tactically retreat.
 
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