Maratha Domination of India

What if the Marathas won the third battle of Panipat, and by the late 1700's ruled over majority of the Indian subcontinent?


Specifically:

1) Development of industry due to textiles.
2) Level of Urbanization
3) Level of Mercantilism
4) Religious matters
5) Domestic Policy
6) Foreign Policy
&) Structure of Government (is a parliament created?
 
These questions are difficult to know given that we don't really have much to go on. A large part of that is simply not having access to the extensive Marathi sources like the Peshwas daftar. There's a huge amount of written material from the Maratha government that rivals European states. I've read as much English language scholarly work and primary sources as I can get my hands on (though there's still a lot more that I haven't gotten to yet) but even a lot of that is based around the 18th c after Panipat. I can give you a bit on some of the things you ask for if I dig around in my folders maybe...but I'm tired now. Maybe later.
 
These questions are difficult to know given that we don't really have much to go on. A large part of that is simply not having access to the extensive Marathi sources like the Peshwas daftar. There's a huge amount of written material from the Maratha government that rivals European states. I've read as much English language scholarly work and primary sources as I can get my hands on (though there's still a lot more that I haven't gotten to yet) but even a lot of that is based around the 18th c after Panipat. I can give you a bit on some of the things you ask for if I dig around in my folders maybe...but I'm tired now. Maybe later.

Thanks. Would definitely appreciate that. Give them when you can :)
 
I think they could do pretty well and if they avoided British subjugation, they could also recognize American sovereignty as a way to further stick it to the British. They could also get closer to China. I figure a Marathas India could do quite well as they organize.
 
I think they could do pretty well and if they avoided British subjugation, they could also recognize American sovereignty as a way to further stick it to the British. They could also get closer to China. I figure a Marathas India could do quite well as they organize.

What kind of borders do you envision? All the way down to Tamil Nadu?
 
What kind of borders do you envision? All the way down to Tamil Nadu?

I figure yeah, especially as they get more international allies. If China remians in isolation, then the Marathas would be the dominant Asian powers and probably control a good deal of Southeast Asia. If I had to take a guess, they'd focus on those that still had Hinduism as a main focus and let the Muslim nations be hassled by the Europeans.
 
I figure yeah, especially as they get more international allies. If China remians in isolation, then the Marathas would be the dominant Asian powers and probably control a good deal of Southeast Asia. If I had to take a guess, they'd focus on those that still had Hinduism as a main focus and let the Muslim nations be hassled by the Europeans.

That might be hard due to the Dutch and Spanish presence in SE Asia as well as the tech gap being less. Just ruling from the Kashmir valley to the Tamil Nadu and from Gujarat to Bengal would already a sizable Empire, one that could have industrialization and large scale urbanization in certain areas. If becoming a constitutional monarchy, the politics would be fascinating with primarily trade based areas, primarily industrial based areas and primarily agrarian areas.
 
That might be hard due to the Dutch and Spanish presence in SE Asia as well as the tech gap being less. Just ruling from the Kashmir valley to the Tamil Nadu and from Gujarat to Bengal would already a sizable Empire, one that could have industrialization and large scale urbanization in certain areas. If becoming a constitutional monarchy, the politics would be fascinating with primarily trade based areas, primarily industrial based areas and primarily agrarian areas.

I meant in the sense of being influential. Like an Indian sphere of influence pretty much. I imagine they would at least have good relations with the Spanish and Dutch to avoid the troubles.
 
I meant in the sense of being influential. Like an Indian sphere of influence pretty much. I imagine they would at least have good relations with the Spanish and Dutch to avoid the troubles.

I would also be interested if there's a sizable middle class as well as a large urban population yet majority rural population (Kind of like 1890's percentages for America) that could develop. Meaning, Hindu William Jennings Bryan!
 
I would also be interested if there's a sizable middle class as well as a large urban population yet majority rural population (Kind of like 1890's percentages for America) that could develop. Meaning, Hindu William Jennings Bryan!

India and the USA could be mirrors to one another. Tibet would be India’s Canada and SEAsia its Central America XD
 
How much persecution would Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians suffer under the Marathas?
Well, Muslims I think would be the main sufferers. The Sikhs may not join under the Marathas if they ally with another European power or serve as an ally (Sikhs could expand into Central Asia). Christians I think would probably not suffer if mainly to avoid upsetting any Europeans
 
How much persecution would Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians suffer under the Marathas?

Little to none. The Marathas weren’t some sort of Uber-Hindu revivalists as they are regularly painted. In fact they were simply the first major power on the subcontinent in a while that happened to be Hindu. Shivaji and Sambhaji bother made use of extensive Abyssinian privateers in their navy.

And as for all the people talking about striking a deal with the US and China, you guys just need to hold your horses a moment. The Marathas were not even willing to ally with a Rajput coalition against the Mughals! In fact there only 3 decisive moments in which the Maratha empire could ever become more than a regional power and pulls Meiji, even then they would have to adopt one of two political systems. I don’t have much time ATM but I’ll do a proper write up of it once I get home.
 
Little to none. The Marathas weren’t some sort of Uber-Hindu revivalists as they are regularly painted. In fact they were simply the first major power on the subcontinent in a while that happened to be Hindu. Shivaji and Sambhaji bother made use of extensive Abyssinian privateers in their navy.

And as for all the people talking about striking a deal with the US and China, you guys just need to hold your horses a moment. The Marathas were not even willing to ally with a Rajput coalition against the Mughals! In fact there only 3 decisive moments in which the Maratha empire could ever become more than a regional power and pulls Meiji, even then they would have to adopt one of two political systems. I don’t have much time ATM but I’ll do a proper write up of it once I get home.

Maybe, but if they form a great Hindu Empire and pull a Meiji, something tells me that down the road Hindu nationalism will become very influential in Maratha Empire politics. Prime Minister Savarkar?
 
Could become in future. The Maratha administration was similar to the Japanese system where the Shoguns were the actual rulers while the emperors were nominal rulers. In the Maratha system Chchatrapati (Emperor) only reigned when Peshwa(Prime Minister) actually ruled. The Peshwas, after the death of Chchatrapati Shahu Maharaj allowed the throne to remain vacant and got rid of even a nominal emperor over them. But this action wakened their own power of control over the Maratha Generals like Scindia, Bhosale, Holkar, Gaikwad etc. who eventually became independent commanders and later rulers on their own. Peshwa became a just first among equals, transforming Maratha Empire into the Maratha Confederacy. This loosening of central control led to the weakening of the Maratha power and their final fall. The Maratha Generals like Scindia became native princes under the British Raj and lasted till the Independence.
 
Could become in future. The Maratha administration was similar to the Japanese system where the Shoguns were the actual rulers while the emperors were nominal rulers. In the Maratha system Chchatrapati (Emperor) only reigned when Peshwa(Prime Minister) actually ruled. The Peshwas, after the death of Chchatrapati Shahu Maharaj allowed the throne to remain vacant and got rid of even a nominal emperor over them. But this action wakened their own power of control over the Maratha Generals like Scindia, Bhosale, Holkar, Gaikwad etc. who eventually became independent commanders and later rulers on their own. Peshwa became a just first among equals, transforming Maratha Empire into the Maratha Confederacy. This loosening of central control led to the weakening of the Maratha power and their final fall. The Maratha Generals like Scindia became native princes under the British Raj and lasted till the Independence.
Then perhaps having a stronger emperor could prevent that
 
Maybe, but if they form a great Hindu Empire and pull a Meiji, something tells me that down the road Hindu nationalism will become very influential in Maratha Empire politics. Prime Minister Savarkar?

Umm... Veer Savarkar was born nearly three decades into the heyday of British imperialism in India. Hindutva arose as a concept and reaction to the heavily educated Maratha, Bengali and Awadhi civil servants and middle class studying the past of their nation and understanding the past one thousand years of invasion and conquest by foreign powers.

The goal of the Maratha Empire was not to establish a ‘great Hindu Empire’. Nor was it to completely conquer the subcontinent (at least till the Bajiraos). It was to erode the political authority of the Mughal Empire. All that came alongside this was something similar to the Norman expansions that Europe saw in the 11th and 12th centuries. Though it can be easily argued that the Mughals also did exactly this, their very adherence to an Imperial bueareaucracy akin to China stopped them from achieving the same amount of cultural unity that the decentralised Maratha princes had. The lack of a powerful Peshwa or Shogun analogue alongside the Badshah meant that there was no strong position of power to unite the princes when the princelings and feudatories began jockeying for power with the British.
 
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