Chapter 1:The Huna Conquest of India
Chapter 1:The Huna Conquest of India
During 5th century , India was going through a golden age . The Gupta dynasty had unified most of North India unded their rule with various Vassals in the South. Many advancements were made in the field of Trade , Commerce ,Math , Science and Astronomy. Overall , it could be said that the Guptas were presiding over India at its peak of prosperity .
This Prosperity would meet an abrupt end with arrival of the Hunas in India . The Hunas were a people of mysterious origin . Believed to have originated among the Xiongnu , they seem to have been assimilated by their East Iranian Subjects and wounded up speaking a variety of Bactrian .
Their first foray into South Asia would come in the mid 4th century under Khingila who managed to carve a state in Afghanistan and Gandhara by destroying the Kidarites and wrestling territory from the Gupta Empire. His successors would continue his expansion into India , although they would withdraw from Afghanistan under pressure from the Nezak Huns. Under Toramana , the Huna Realm would expand to comprise most of North- Western India by 515 the same year he is believed to have die . His Son , Mihirakula , would sack the Gupta Capital of Pataliputra although he would withdraw from the regions , taking its riches along with the. In 528 , he defeated a Alliance of Indian rulers in the Battle of Sondani*, solidifying his hold over the Malwa Plateau and North-West India . After the Battle , Mihirakula would launch a large scale campaign to completely destroy the Guptas. After taking the Temporary Gupta residence of Tamralipti in 530 , Mihirakula captured and executed the Gupta King Narasimhagupta , claiming the title of Maharajadhiraja for himself. The last bastion of Gupta resistance in Bengal and Kalinga would fall to the Hunas in 532 , giving Mihirakula control of the entirety of North India , save for Saurashtra and Sindh .
After subduing the Gupta Empire, Mihirakula focused his efforts west on Sindh . Sindh had been ruled by the Rai dynasty since the Late Fifth Century after taking advantage of the weakening of the Gupta and Sassanid empires to establish a State Sindh. Despite regaining Sindhi dependence they were rather weak and had faced a number of internal struggles . In 533 , Mihirakula would invade Sindh and with the help of some local rebels , would overthrow the Rai dynasty and integrate Sindh into his growing realm.
This had left the Maitraka dynasty in Saurashtra the only kingdom in North India not conquered by the Hunas . The Maitrakas had maintained cordial relations with the Hunas and even agreed to marry of a Maitraka princess to Mihirakula’s designated successor, Toramana. This had largely shielded the Maitrakas from the prospect of violent conquest and even if conquered by non-violent means , they could exert an influence on the Royal Family . Overall , the Maitrakas and Saurashtra would largely survive the bloodshed the rest of the North endured , even if it meant they had lost their independence to the Hunas and were forced to pay a tribute .
Huna Administration
During Mihirakula‘s reign the Hunas had began to transition to the sedentary lifestyle of the Locals from their own Semi-Nomadic lifestyle. Hunas were settled in Many places but it was mostly in Panzabbo and Rajasthan with some settling in , oddly enough , in the Malwa . This seems to be have been a strategic decision by Mihirakula to pacify the unruly plateau by filling it with Hunas .
The Huna Kings largely retained the administrative structure left behind by the Guptas , filling some of the positions by Hunas instead. Mihirakula ruled over a somewhat decentralized realm with local rulers and chieftains holding a good amount of autonomy . However they were beholden to the Huna Bureaucracy in the Sagala and were usually checked upon by the Huna Army who held a significant amount of power in the realm . The Empire would decentralize more in the future , partially due to its nature though later rulers would try to undo the process, sometimes partially succeeding
* The Battle of Sondani is the PoD
This the second reboot of the TL . I hope i finish It but its rather hard considering my schedule and The fact that we know very little of the Hunas in India ( atleast in relative)