Hindustani Empire (Cromwell the Great)

Hindustani Empire امپراتوری هند (Persian) ہندوستانی سلطنت۔ (Urdu) हिंदुस्तानी साम्राज्य (Hindi) Timeline: Cromwell the Great OTL equivalent: Mughal Empire 1526–1540. More exactly Hindustani Empire. In this case refers to the Indo-Gangetic plain
Flag of the Durrani Dynasty (The Yellow Rose of Suleyman Shah Durrani) Imperial Seal of the Hindustani Empire (simplified)
Motto:  تَكْبِير (Arabic: God is the greatest)
Capital		Shahjahanabad, Delhi
Other cities		Lucknow, Lahore, Agra and Karachi.
Official languages		Persian/Farsi (official and court language), Arabic (for religious ceremonies) and Urdu (official status)
Other languages		Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Balochi, Saraiki, Rajasthani, Pashto, Sindhi, Chagatai Turkic, Ottoman Turkish, and other South Asian languages.
Religion		Sunni Islam (official) Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Parsis, Catholicism, Judaism, Protestantism, and Mazhab-e-Ittehad.
Government		Absolute monarchy (1526-1823), later constitutional monarchy (1823 to date).
-	Padishah	Ahmad Shah II
-	Grand Vizier	Nawab Zarang Jafari
Legislature		Imperial Majlis
Establishment
-	First Battle of Panipat / Establishment Hindustani Empire by the Mughal dynasty	1526
-	Empire interrupted by Sur Empire	1540–1555
-	Durrani dynasty	1762
-	Great Imperial Decree	1823
Currency		mohur (gold), rupee (silver) and dam (copper)
Date formats		Hijri calendar (AH), reformed Jalali calendar (AH), Vikrami calendar / Hindu calendar

The Hindustani Empire is a large polity that comprised the majority of the Northwest Indian subcontinent. The Hindustani Emperor (Padshah-i Hind) is considered the paramount leader of India, tough in reality as little or no political and military power outside its domains. The Hindustani Empire is historically divided in the Timurid (1526-1762) and Durrani (1762 to date) dynasties.

Founded by the Timurid dynasty, the Hindustani Empire traced its lineage to the Turco-Mongol Chagatai roots of Central Asia, boasting direct descent from both Genghis Khan, via his son Chagatai Khan, and Timur. This illustrious lineage was further enriched by significant Rajput and Persian ties, forged through strategic marital alliances. The empire's first two Mughal monarchs were of pure Central Asian heritage, while their successors predominantly carried Persian and Rajput bloodlines. This melding of cultures birthed an Indo-Persian ethos, seamlessly blending Persianate traditions with indigenous Indian influences, evident in the empire's courtly practices and administrative norms. As time progressed, the Durrani emperors of the empire experienced a political, economic and cultural renaissance, influenced by the Ottoman Tanzimat.

History

Flag (Alam علم) of former Mughal dynasty (1526-1762).

In the later years of the Mughal dynasty, Internal dissatisfaction arose due to the weakness of the Empire's administrative and economic systems, leding to its break-up and declarations of independence of its former provinces by the Nawabs of Bengal and Awadh, the Nizam of Hyderabad and other small states. In 1739, the Mughals were crushingly defeated in the Battle of Karnal by the forces of Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty in Persia, and Delhi was sacked and looted (March 1739), drastically accelerating their decline. By the mid-18th century, the Marathas had routed Mughal armies and won over several provinces from the Punjab to Bengal. Adding the loss of prestige of the Moghuls, was the self proclamation and crowning of King Louis XVI of France as Emperor of India in 1764, after the Third Carnatic War (1756–1760).

The Durrani invasion of northern India in 1762 was a decisive defeat of the Mughal armies and that ended with the execution of Emperor Shah Alam II and most of the imperial family effectively ending the Mughal dynasty and installing Ahmad Shah Durrani as the first Durrani emperor of the Hindustan. The spheres of influences of the French and British as spelled out in the Clive-Dupleix Agreement (1761) gave breathing space to the Durrani, as save for the limits between Hindustani Oudh and Commonwealth Bengal, all of the Northwest and North of India was assumed to be of no inmnediate interest for the main colonial powers. The main internal conflicts would be with the Sikh polities and the Maharatas until the dissolution of their confederation, that would leave Central India for the taking either by diplomacy, treaties or force by the French, British and the Peacock Throne.

The consolidation under the Durranis' would take several years and of reforms that would became the cornerstone of the Second Mughal empire in northern India. Taking a hold on and promoting Sufism and helped by the reformist Bhakti movement that would later become Sikhism, the ruling Hindustani-Durrani elites were able to have make conversions to Islam or an acceptable monotheism in the form of Sikhism acceptable to many Hindus. The Anglo-Franco-Maratha Wars broke up the Maratha Confederacy enabling the Durrani to recover territories and gain vassals. Many of these vassals, specially Muslim rulers, took refuge in the Moghuls rukle as mean to safeguard their positions in the partition that the French and British were doing as spoils of their victory over the Marathas.

Under the Durrani the Mansab system became the de-factor civil and military administration. The Mansab besides being staffed by Muslims, it also recruited into the imperial Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Parsis and Hindus. The only condition for all non Muslims groups was the prohibition of religious proselytise in the military and civil administration. Besides the Mansab, the zamidar became the other pillar of the administration in their functions of collecting taxes and local intermediaries with the Imperial administration. To become a zamindar one had to be a Muslim or Sikh. This religious policy was ruthless pushed among the peasantry and non Islamic aristocracies of northern India. Several Hinduist revolts against taxes were crushed and its leaders severely punished.

The Ottoman Tanzimat reforms provided a model for the refoundation of the Hindustani Empire. Reorganizing of the offices of the Grand Vizier and the supremacy of the law courts over Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others under the protection of the emperor. The reformed army, had its training under supervision of French and British advisors, and the recruitment of Sikhs allowed the Imperial Army to become one of the cornerstones of the newly centralized authority of the padishah. The New Schools became the centers for training the new state bureaucracy, military and governing classes. Trade treaties were negotiated with the Commonwealth, France and the Netherlands. The Great Imperial Decree established a quasi-constitutional monarchy by centralizing the power and authority of the Padishah,

Padishah (Emperor)

The Peacock Throne, the jewelled throne that is the seat of the padishahs of India, also used as metonym for central government of the Hindustani Empire.

The Padishah (Emperor) is the supreme political power of the Hindustani Empire. Until 1823, the Empire was an absolute monarchy. The padishah freely named and organized the administration of the Empire. The Diwan served as an a body of direct advisors to the Peacock Throne. The wazir (the chief minister), the highest office of the Diwan, was concerned with revenue and finance.

The Great Imperial Decree of 1823 established a constitutional monarchy. The Padishah-i Hind (Emperor of India) as supreme head of state names the ministers of the Diwan, chaired by the Grand Vizier. The already large imperial administration was organized in ministries and departments. The subahdars and lower officers, as the padishah's deputies are named by the him on advice of the Diwan, copied the main departments of the central administration.

The Imperial Majlis, the supreme legislative assembly of the Empire, is partially named and elected.

Previous ones same as OTL.

Portrait / Reign name (birth name)		Reign	Notes
	Muhammad Shah (Roshan Akhtar Bahadur)	1719–1748	Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Fought a long war with the Marathas, losing Deccan and Malwa in the process. Suffered the invasion of Nader Shah of Persia in 1739. He was the last emperor to possess effective control over the empire. First Carnatic War (1744–1748).
	Ahmad Shah Bahadur	1748-1754	Son of Muhammad Shah. Second Carnatic War (1749–1754). Mughal forces defeated by the Marathas at the Battle of Sikandarabad. Deposed and murdered.
	Alamgir II (Aziz-ud-din)	1754-1756	Son of Jahandar Shah (Padishah 1712-1713). In 1756, Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India once again and captured Delhi and plundered Mathura. Marathas became more powerful because of their collaboration with Imad-ul-Mulk, and dominated the whole of northern India. Murdered by Imad-ul-Mulk.
	Shah Alam II (Muhi-ul-millat)	1756-1762	Son of Alamgir II. Third Carnatic War (1756–1760). Deposed and murdered by Nadir Shah ending the Timurid dynasty.
	Ahmad Shah Durrani	1762-1772	Also Shah/Emir of Afghanistan (Durrani Empire). Founder of the Durrani Dynasty.
	Suleyman Shah Durrani	1772-1799	Son of Ahmad Shah Durrani and brother of Timur Shah Durrani Shah/Emir of Afghanistan. Reformed provincial administration.
	Iskander Ghazi	1799-1810	Son of Suleyman Shah Durrani. Consolidated control of northern India and conquered Sikh Kingdom.
	Bahadur Iqbal	1810-1821	Son of Iskander Ghazi. Started the New Order reforms. Killed during the Ghilman Revolt of 1821-1822.
	Ayesha Begum	1821-1832	Daughter of Iskander Ghazi. Regent Imperial. Signed the Great Imperial Decree that established a constitutional monarchy.
	Iskander Jahangir II	1832-1835	Grandson of Iskander Ghazi. Murdered in palace coup.
	Muhammad Akbar II	1835-1862	Grandson of Iskander Ghazi.
	Shah Jahan II	1862-1870	Son of Muhammad Akbar II
	Fatima Begum	1870-1875	Daughter of Shah Jahan II. Regent Imperial on the death of her father
	Akbar Shah II	1875-1890	Son of Fatima Begum
	Iskander Shah II	1890-1898	Son of Muhammad Shah IV
	Ahmad Shah II	1898 to date	Brother of Iskander Shah II

Administrative divisions

Subah (Urdu: صوبہ) is the term for a province in the Hindustani Empire. The governor of a Subah was known as a subahdar (sometimes also referred to as a subah), which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian Army. The subahs were established by padshah (emperor) Akbar during his administrative reforms of 1572–1580; initially they numbered 12, but his conquests expanded the number of subahs to 15 by the end of his reign. Subahs were divided into Sarkars, or districts. Sarkars were further divided into Parganas or Mahals. His successors, most notably Aurangzeb, expanded the number of subahs further through their conquests.

A succession of short reigning Mughal emperors that were ineffective rulers began the period were the empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many subahs became effectively independent, or were conquered by the Marathas or the British and French. At most the paramount rulership of the Mughal emperors of India became a symbolic one.

Under the Reforms of Iskander Ghazi (1805) the subahs were reorganized and reduced in their number. A new administrative division, the riyasat, was created for the semi autonomous provinces of Kalhora, Punjab, Oudh and Gujarat.

The Treaty Port Districts (1811) were established to open up foreign trade for the Hindustani Empire. Foreigners were allowed and encouraged to lived in sections newly built for them on the existing port cities.

The original twelve subahs created as a result of administrative reform by Akbar and the ones added until the reign of Aurangzeb (1687) were:

1. Kabul Subah (Kashmir added 1586) (Capital: Kabul) Lost to Afghanistan
2. Lahore Subah (Lahore)
3. Multan Subah (Multan)
4. Ajmer subah (Ajmer)
5. Gujarat Subah (Ahmedabad)
6. Delhi Subah (Delhi)
7. Agra Subah (Agra)
8. Malwa (Ujjain)
9. Awadh Subah (Faizabad, later Lucknow)
10. Illahabad Subah (Illahabad)
11. Bihar Subah (Patna)
12. Bengal Subah (Tanda 1574-95, Rajmahal 1595-1610, 1639-59, Dhaka 1610-1639, 1660-1703, Murshidabad 1703-57)
13. Berar Subah (Ellichpur 1596)
14. Khandesh (or Dandesh) (Burhanpur 1601)
15. Ahmadnagar Subah (Renamed Daulatabad in 1636, further renamed Aurangabad) (Capitals: Ahmadnagar 1601-1636, Daulatabad, Aurangabad 1601, conquest completed 1635)
16. Orissa Subah (Cuttack)
17. Kashmir Subah (Srinagar)
18. Thatta subah (Sindh) (Capital: Thatta)
19. Qandahar subah (Qandahar, 1638. Lost in 1648 to Afghanistan)
20. Telangana Subah (Nanded, 1636 Merged into Bidar in 1657)
21. Balkh (Balkh 1646. Lost in 1647)
22. Badakhshan Subah (Qunduz 1646. Lost in 1647)
23. Bidar Subah (Bidar 1656)
24. Bijapur Subah (Bijapur 1684. Lost in 1724))
25. Golkonda Subah (later Haidarabad) (Capital: Haidarabad 1687)
26. Sira Subah (Sira 1687. Lost in 1757)

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Subahs and riyasats after the reforms of 1805:

Subahs

1. Delhi (Delhi)
2. Agra (Agra)
3. Ajmer (Ajmer)
4. Kach (Thatta)
5. Sind (Qalat)
6. Kashmir (Srinagar)
7. Malwa (Ujjain)
8. Multan (Multan)

Riyasats

1. Gujarat (Ahmadabad)
2. Punjab (Lahore)
3. Kalhora (Azharistan)
4. Oudh (Faizabad)

Treaty Port Districts (since 1811)

1. Surat
2. Karachi

Society

The Hindustani Empire is an amalgamation of diverse cultures, religions, beliefs, and traditions. Founded by the Timurid dynasty, the empire's roots traced back to the Turco-Mongol Chagatai lineage of Central Asia, with significant Rajput and Persian influences through marital alliances. This rich interaction of cultures gave rise to an Indo-Persian ethos, blending Islamic-Persian traditions with indigenous Indian practices.

The caste system, a deeply entrenched social hierarchy in the Indian subcontinent, underwent significant changes under the Hindustani rule. While the system persisted, the empire's governance introduced a form of Muslim meritocracy. The Mansab system, a hallmark of Mughal administrative machinery, became the de-facto civil and military administration under the Durrani dynasty. This system, while primarily staffed by Muslims, was inclusive, recruiting Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Parsis, and Hindus. However, religious proselytism within the military and civil administration was strictly prohibited. The zamindar system, another pillar of administration, was reserved for Muslims and Sikhs, emphasizing the empire's religious policy.

Sulh-e-kul, which translates to "universal peace" or "peace with all," was a policy of religious tolerance and neutrality introduced by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Rooted in the idea of religious harmony and the peaceful coexistence of different faiths, it was a cornerstone of Akbar's reign and was instrumental in fostering a syncretic culture in the Mughal Empire. Under the Durrani’s this policy became a major piece of statecraft and was not just limited to religious tolerance; it extended to cultural practices, languages, and even administrative reforms.

Religiously, Islam is the official faith and enjoys significant patronage from the imperial court, but the empire is also home to Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Parsis, Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and the syncretic Mazhab-e-Ittehad. The latter was followed by a minority of the educated elites not having a widespread proselytism or following. Sikhism, a monotheistic religion, with its emphasis on equality, justice, and community service, resonated with the empire's tolerance and neutral ethos. The martial tradition of the Sikhs found a prominent place in the Hindustani military. Thus Sikhs became an important part of the Empire.

In the linguistic diversity of the Empire, Farsi served as the official and court language, and Arabic was used for religious ceremonies and islamic law. Urdu, the lingua franca for the majority of the population, also held official status and at time replaced Farsi as the language of the administration and the imperial court. Other major languages spoken included Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Balochi, Saraiki, Rajasthani, Pashto, Sindhi, Chagatai Turkic, Ottoman Turkish, and other South Asian languages.

The New Schools (Naye Madaris, نئے اسکول), established by the Durrani dynasty represented a major transformative phase in the educational landscape of the Hindustani Empire. Rooted in the empire's commitment to modernization and progress, these institutions aimed to blend traditional knowledge with contemporary sciences and humanities, drawing inspiration from both Ottoman-Persian and Western educational philosophies. Urdu is the primary medium of instruction, along with English, French, and Dutch. However, Farsi (the old court language) and Arabic (for religious studies) were also taught. One of the revolutionary aspects of the New Schools was the emphasis on women's education. While traditionally, education for women was limited to domestic spheres, the New Schools established separate sections for female students, offering them the same or similar curriculum as their male counterparts. However, this had the effect of creating a mixed educational system on one side the modern New Schools and on the other side the madrasas, gurukul and gurudwaras.

The empire, particularly under the Durrani emperors, underwent a cultural renaissance influenced by the Ottoman Tanzimat. The Tanzimat reforms provided a blueprint for restructuring the Hindustani Empire, emphasizing the supremacy of law courts over all religious groups and the reorganization of the army with European advisors. The New Schools became the training grounds for the state's bureaucracy, military, and governing classes. Trade treaties with the Commonwealth, France, and the Netherlands further integrated the empire into global commerce.

While the Hindustani Empire showcased a blend of cultures and was relatively inclusive, it was not without its challenges and tensions. The insistence on Muslim or Sikh identity for certain administrative roles, coupled with the prohibition of religious proselytism in the administration, hinted at underlying religious tensions and discrimination. The caste system, although modified, still persisted, indicating that deep-rooted social hierarchies were hard to dismantle entirely and at times a major drawback for social reforms. The empire's reliance on European powers for military training,trade treaties, western knowledge and financial capital and investment alluded to a degree of dependency that could potentially undermine the Empire’s sovereignty.

Economy

The Mughal economy was large and prosperous until the rise of Marathas and internal conflict started the decline of the Mughals. The Maratha Empire and Anglo-Franco-Maratha Wars led to the loss of Bengal Subah, the Moghuls wealthiest province to the British and of southern and central India to the French. The loss of these territories marked the economic downfall of Mughal prosperity and tax revenue.

The main base of the empire's collective wealth is agricultural taxes, instituted by the Mughals. These taxes, which amounted to well over half the output of a peasant cultivator are paid in silver currency, and caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.

The Mughals had adopted and standardized the mohur (gold), rupee (silver) and dam (copper) currencies. Despite India having its own stocks of gold and silver, the Mughals and Durranis produced minimal gold of their own, but mostly minted coins from imported bullion, as a result of the empire's strong export-driven economy.

The Mughals and Durranis were responsible for building an extensive road system and later railroads. This network is vital to the economic infrastructure, built by a public works department set up by the imperial administration which designed, constructed and maintained roads linking towns and cities across the empire, making trade easier to conduct.

Hindustani India's economy has been described as a form of proto-industrialization until the 18th century. Hindustani India is one of the important manufacturing centers for international trade in south Asia. Key industries include textiles, shipbuilding and steel. Processed products included cotton textiles, yarns, thread, silk, jute products, metalware, and foods such as sugar, oils and butter.

Europe imported products from Hindustani India, were cotton textiles, spices, peppers, indigo, silks and saltpeter (for use in munitions). In contrast, demand for European goods in Hindustani India was light. Exports were limited to some woolens, ingots, glassware, mechanical clocks, weapons and a few luxury items. This early trade imbalance caused Europeans to export large quantities of gold and silver to Hindustani India to pay for South Asian imports. However Hindustani industrialization required increasing imports of machinery, coal, oil, steel, rubber, aluminum and manufactured goods causing a trade balance in favour of the Europeans.

The largest manufacturing industry are cotton textile manufacturing, which includes the production of piece goods, calicos and muslins, available unbleached in a variety of colours. The cotton textile industry was responsible for a large part of the empire's international trade. The most important center of cotton production was the former Bengal Subah province. However the Commonwealth and France restricted imports of Indian cotton and fabrics heavily affecting Indian production.

The Durrani kept the Mughal’s tri-metallic coinage and tax system. Though they later licenced paper banknotes. However they promoted the further development of Gujarat and Punjab. In the former the industrial base lost from Bengal was reinstalled and promoted. In the Punjab extensive investment in irrigation works and resettlement underwent an agricultural revolution as arid subsistence production was replaced by the commercialised production of huge amounts of wheat, cotton and sugar. The economic relations with the Commonwealth and France were negotiated by means of treaties and agreements that established foreign concessions and trade-factors and model factories and workshops. The port districts (Surat and Karachi) channelled foreign investment and productions and large tracts of land were set aside to built exchange warehouses and bazaars.

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