Ideas for a Plausibly Different Europe with a 1770 India POD

[Rhand]

So, I've been working on Saffron Phoenix, an ATL where a Maratha Empire survives as an imperial federation and a regional power in its own right. The POD is that instead of getting tuberculosis and dying, Peshwa Madhavrao I lives a long and fruitful life. As a result, the political upheavals and succession crises that facilitated British encroachment in India are butterflied away (though Britain continues to dominate Ceylon, Bengal, and Burma, and is still arguably the world's most powerful empire).

The big issue is how the butterflies affects Europe. I have a different American Revolutionary War, with a less successful America-France-Spain alliance (Britain is investing more in America because the First Anglo-Maratha War doesn't exist as we know it. Britain keeps the Ohio River Valley and Florida, though America goes free anyways). The French Revolutionary Wars still happen, and Britain takes over Louisiana from France. "Canada" becomes a continent-spanning "Columbia," and Britain is even less interested in Europe as it focuses on growth and development abroad.

That's all I have ironed out so far. What I was hoping for were ideas on a few things:

1) How might the French Revolutionary Wars look different?
2) How might the German Unification Wars look different?
3) How might the diplomatic map of Europe look different in a world where Britain's "Splendid Isolation" continues indefinitely?

Thanks for all your help! To be clear, I'm going for a Type II Alternate History in terms of plausibility: I'm fine with predetermined outcomes and fun/weird/crazy things, so long as there's minimal wanking or ASB.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility

[punkrockbowler805]

The alt US and Columbia including the Louisiana area will cause a future war with Britain. For irony's sake, maybe Columbia with both Quebec and New Orleans becomes a giant French speaking state that turns against Britain in the 1840s but still fights with the US.

If Britain stays Hanoverian maybe they oppose German unification or try to control it.

Have Sultan Tipu of Mysore involved in the stronger India.

Hope those help

[steve59]

Nov 9, 2017 18:37:34 GMT Rhand said:

So, I've been working on Saffron Phoenix, an ATL where a Maratha Empire survives as an imperial federation and a regional power in its own right. The POD is that instead of getting tuberculosis and dying, Peshwa Madhavrao I lives a long and fruitful life. As a result, the political upheavals and succession crises that facilitated British encroachment in India are butterflied away (though Britain continues to dominate Ceylon, Bengal, and Burma, and is still arguably the world's most powerful empire).

The big issue is how the butterflies affects Europe. I have a different American Revolutionary War, with a less successful America-France-Spain alliance (Britain is investing more in America because the First Anglo-Maratha War doesn't exist as we know it. Britain keeps the Ohio River Valley and Florida, though America goes free anyways). The French Revolutionary Wars still happen, and Britain takes over Louisiana from France. "Canada" becomes a continent-spanning "Columbia," and Britain is even less interested in Europe as it focuses on growth and development abroad.

That's all I have ironed out so far. What I was hoping for were ideas on a few things:

1) How might the French Revolutionary Wars look different?
2) How might the German Unification Wars look different?
3) How might the diplomatic map of Europe look different in a world where Britain's "Splendid Isolation" continues indefinitely?

Thanks for all your help! To be clear, I'm going for a Type II Alternate History in terms of plausibility: I'm fine with predetermined outcomes and fun/weird/crazy things, so long as there's minimal wanking or ASB.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfAlternateHistoryPlausibility

  That is evil, posting tvtropes links.  I'v lost another hour or so, damn you!   That site is far, far too addictive.

  I think I replied to this on another site.  In response to punk's reply I would say:

The alt US and Columbia including the Louisiana area will cause a future war with Britain. For irony's sake, maybe Columbia with both Quebec and New Orleans becomes a giant French speaking state that turns against Britain in the 1840s but still fights with the US.

  Definitely agree with the 1st part.  The 2nd would have a good measure of irony as he says but would be difficult given the probable large scale British colonisiation of Columbia.

If Britain stays Hanoverian maybe they oppose German unification or try to control it.

  Possibly but the link with Hanover and the monarchy's attachment to it, with associated influences on British politics was already somewhat controversal in Britain so you could end up with at worst a civil war and say the monarchy fleeing to Hanover.  However some indirect factors, such as Britain coming to Hanover's aid in a 1866 equivalent conflict could well occur.

Have Sultan Tipu of Mysore involved in the stronger India.

  I rather doubt it as he was Muslim and would fit in poorly, or quite possibly explosively, in a Maratha dominated India.  Mind you, although he fought the Marthas and defeated them in one conflict, according to his Wiki article he did at one point repair Hindu temples in his lands which had been sacked by the Marathas, which rather clouds the issue.

[Rhand]

Thanks for all the advice!

India ends up split between Britain and the Marathas. The Marathas become a regional power, never approaching the strength of the first rate European powers, but also being more prosperous and powerful than in OTL. Their political trajectory parallels OTL Austria-Hungary, minus AH's loss in OTL's Great War.