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The timeline starts at 1556, at the pivotal Battle of Panipat. A brief overview, it is meant to give a more generalised outlook on how the world evolves after the point of divergence.
1500s[]
The Battle at Panipat saw Hemu's forces emerge as victors in 1556, ending any real chance of a Mughal revival in northern India. Although Hemchandra Vikramaditya, as he styled himself, did emerge victor of the battle, Akbar managed to flee northward to Kabul with some two and a half thousand men and his remaining generals began the process of raising more men for his cause. The victorious vazier of Adil Shah Suri now believes himself to have enough support within the army and usurps the throne of Delhi from his Sultan (of course this was more a symbolic move, Adil Shah Suri was still campaigning in Bengal). On 7 December, Hemchandra would officially be crowned as Samrat Vikramaditya Hem I of the Chandra dynasty.
With the throne of Delhi, and all its incomes, now his, in early 1557 Hemu would see his army better armed by buying many new weapons from trading powers making port in Sindh and Gujarat and hiring mercenaries. He moved to ensure the garrison of major population centres of Lucknow and Patna are well armed and trained, before consolidating the fealty of various Rajas and Sultans now under his domain as his vassals. It is interesting to note for the majority of the year Hemu made no attempt to expand his domain northward even though it could be argued he held the momentum to do so, choosing instead to solidify his rule over the domains of the Ganga and Yamuna. Most of these vassals knew him to be a highly capable civil administrator and made no attempt to challenge independence. The few foolhardy enough to try were wiped out in various small battles.
However, this was not the case in Bengal, where chaos reigned supreme. His former emperor, Adil Shah Suri had been campaigning in the region to bring it under his heel, but had been killed early in the year and it is generally presumed news of Hemu's coronation never reached him before his death. His killer, Khizr Khan Suri had declared himself Sultan of Bengal following the death of his father at the hands of Hemu himself in 1555 and was in the process of trying to consolidate his hold over the region. It is important to note that this period is perhaps the closest Hemu came to failure - victory over the Mughals at Panipat had all but been assured - and it is important to note why. Although Hemu had usurped Adil Shah Suri, the former wazir was said to have held some respect for the man who allowed him to rise from such humble origins. Accounts of the time note clearly that Hemu seemed to have been driven by a desire to avenge his former friend when news of his death reached the Raja's ears. Indeed, it could be said he marched to Bengal under prepared. In his haste, he had not bothered to wait for more than half of the mercenaries he had hired and much of his army was under equipped.
He had, more crucially, left Delhi at the hands of someone else.
It is fortunate that Hemu had established solid control around his capital, and that Mughal forces were in no shape to challenge control over the city as at this crucial time period control over the region was less than guaranteed, and had someone been in a position to wage another campaign in the region things today may be very different. His luck held, however, and his capital would remain in the hands of his nephew while he campaigned to bring Bengal to heel. His army marched rapidly, accumulating more men as it marched through the floodplains but his rapid pace meant that the number of men gathered were oft on the lesser side. Hemu's aim was to march and rapidly destroy the would-be Sultan in one decisive battle. He would briefly stop at Chunar Fort, from where he had launched many of his previous attacks, giving his men much needed rest while also allowing more men to catch up to his army. It was at Chunar Hemu received word of Bahadur Shah's army, and he began the march into Bihar to finish off the threat once and for all. Meeting the Sultan's armies at Chausa, some 8 miles from where Humayun had fought Sher Shah Suri some 18 years before, the Battle of Chausa turned out to be the bloodiest battle of Hemu's life. Khizr Khan had a personal vendetta against Hemu, and led multiple charges against his position. Hemu, however, now preferred to fight on horseback; he had nearly been struck by arrows too many times to count in Panipat and had come to prefer the manoeuvrability of his current steed. This likely saved him. Barely coming out of the battle alive, Hemu would nonetheless see off the threat and destroy the armies of the Sultan. However, Hemu would spend a large part of the summer recovering at Chunar Fort, while sending his most trusted commanders to reaffirm nominal control over Bengal. Ensuring things were as stable as they could be, Hemu would return to Delhi during the monsoon season and work tirelessly to strengthen his control over his Raj.
It is thought it was around this time when the first overtures for a friendly relationship with Vijayanagar were made; diplomatic relations were established soon after by early 1558.
Numerous small skirmishes had already taken place with the Mughal remnant border to the north of Delhi by this time, but it was spring 1558 when Hemu raised his Bagh Banner. It is thought he chose the Tiger on his banners to highlight his difference from his contemporaries such as the Mughals or the Suris; known to have a fondness for Lion banners. After earning the name of the White Tiger due to his supposed speed on horseback, which accounts say made him look like a white blur, and of course his bravery in battle, he decided his personal standard would feature a white tiger instead of the orange gracing the banners of his commanders. Indeed it is well documented he owned a white tiger pelt later in life, which is said to have been made from the coat of the tiger brought down by his own hands while on a hunt in the forests of Bengal. Under his banner, he would lead an army to push the frontiers of his realm toward the northwest, to capture Punjab from the various powers that occupied the land. Although he would come to battle the Mughuls a handful of times, their presence in the region had been thoroughly weakened by various different factions who all sought to establish themselves in the void formed by shattered Mughal power.
Campaigning in Punjab would take many months, but battles outside towns and cities of Jalandher, Ambala and Lahore would be crucial victories for Hemu's forces. Victories such as those would bring him into contact with the small sect of Sikhs, whom he is documented to have shared various langars with during his battles. Later in his reign, he would also partake in langar with sufis, whom he would come to regard as a people with a gift for creating music; qawwali singers regularly gracing his court. The monsoon would lead to a halt in campaigning, but by this time much of Punjab would be under his sway. Punjab is also where Vikramaditya Hem would meet Rajput Rana Udai Singh, and his son Pratap, campaigning (though it was closer to raiding) to exact some measure of revenge against the weakening Mughal remnants early 1559, gaining prestige and loot in the process, in the void left by the Mughals. It is said the Rana Udai Singh had tears in his eyes when expressing his gratitude toward Hemu for avenging his father's death at the hands of Akbar's father. Such were his feelings, he promised loyalty of every Sisodia who would ever hold Chittor and expressed an interest in having his son serve alongside Hemu.
Thus, not only did Hemu come to control the majority of Punjab, he also found himself a loyal vassal of sorts (though the highly independent Ranas of Chittor would never admit to being called as such) and by mid 1559 found his position on the subcontinent rapidly strengthening. His ward, Pratap, also showed a great aptitude to learn and fought well alongside him. By the time the monsoon hit, Hemu was back in Delhi; allowing his soldiers much needed rest and recovery time.
Although his control over his domains strengthened each day, control over Bengal remained tenuous at best and closer to non-existent at worst. Using the monsoon to his advantage, Taj Khan Karrani rose up in rebellion in Sonargaon against the Chandra dynasty and planned to establish control over all of Bengal. Having used the chaos present in the region to curtail rivals in Bengal and co-opt many zamindars to his cause, he had managed to build himself a significant army. He would not be the only one, however. Shahbaz Khan, the last governor of Bengal during Suri rule, also rose up - from the city of Gauda. It had been barely two years since the Vikramaditya had put down rebellions in the region, yet Bengal seemed to give him continuous duress. Waiting till the monsoon season ended, Hemu used that time to ensure he could raise a large army to fight collective battles, by sending messages to the many rulers of the cities on the Ganga-Yamuna plains - summoning them to Chunar Fort, while he would march with men from Delhi. He hoped to bring Bengal to heel for good, and planned to install his nephew as the governor of Gauda in the aftermath to ensure the region would stay under his control. Thus he began his march in winter, to link up with the host already forming in the southeast.
Yet things never go quite to plan. One of the many commanders gathering at Chunar had ambitions of his own, and believing the best way to gain influence and control would be to defeat the rebels by himself, set about trying to convince the commanders to march with him under promises of reward and glory. It is unclear if the commander planned to eventually take power for himself or if it was just a ploy to get noticed by the Samrat, but his efforts meant slightly less than half the commanders and their men decided to follow him into battle. By the time word reached Hemu, the army had already set off on their march to Gaur. Vikramaditya Hem was said to have been furious, and the army which had until now maintained a steady pace now found themselves pushed hard to meet up with the remainder of the men still at the fort. Of course, by the time he actually reached the fort, there was no way to call the smaller army back and thus 1560 began with tensions running high between Hem and his commanders - for if he could not trust his generals then there was slim chance of being able to fight a battle, let alone put down multiple rebellions. The significant minority of his commanders who were of Afghan origin had, too, begun to waver - seeing their once majority dilute as more local rulers joined the ranks of Hemu's army. Victory and loot, as well as a personal appreciation of the Samrat's fighting spirit had kept them loyal, but they too were beginning to buckle under the strain of campaign and changing winds. But Vikramaditya Hem had no choice but to march and face his enemies, and so within a few weeks after the start of the year his army had set off to put down the rebellion once and for all.
It was at Patna he would find out that his insubordinate commander's army had been crushed by Shahbaz Khan, who was successfully managing to establish himself in the region following Akbar's loss. More bad news soon came when he was told Taj Khan had not only managed to take southern Bengal but had made a pact with Shahbaz Khan and was currently fighting in Orissa. In a stroke of quick thinking, Hemu decided to split his army. A smaller force, comprising of a third of his large army would be put under the command of his trusted general Bhagwan Das, with Pratap as his second, to take on Shahbaz Khan and regroup any soldiers who had survived the previous battle while another third would march with him to rout Taj Khan. The remainder would march on Gauda under his nephew Raamya and general Shadi Khan Kakkar and capture the city in his name, which was the administrative centre of Bengal. Splitting his army three ways was a dangerous gamble, yet seemed to be the only option available to the Raja, who knew time was of the essence, lest more rebellions arise. Thus some 30 miles from Patna, three armies marched to their destinations.
The easiest campaign of the rebellion was taking the city of Gauda. Although a sizeable garrison faced Raamya and Kakkar, the more experienced veterans managed to rout the army facing them. What made it a quick battle was the defection of the lower rank and file Hindu commanders to his side, leaving the remainder woefully outnumbered and thus subsequently destroyed. The capture of the city was the first time in over a century and a half that a Hindu commander once more administered the city. In a bid to grow his army, Shahbaz Khan had gambled on abandoning his capital and heading eastward to recruit more men. What he had failed to consider was the majority of those inclined to join him had already set off instead with Taj Khan, leaving his action a significant blunder. Quickly realising his mistake, he marched to Sonargaon to fortify the city and force his enemies to lay siege to him.
Bhagwan Das marched hard, the distance needing to be covered fairly significant. Although he did pick up remnants of the previous army, it barely swelled his own by a quarter. His army took a more circular route, fording the Jamuna a good deal north of Sonargoan which ensured Shahbaz Khan could not sally out in time to meet him in field of battle. What he had not been made aware of in time was that Kakkar had begun to march to Sonargoan too with the bulk of the Afghani soldiers who had begun growing restless in Gauda. This nearly proved fatal. (need a map of the rivers in the area to make this easier to follow) (might remove most of this and put it on its own separate page leaving a brief overview)
Marching southeast, Kakkar followed the Ganga until it merged into the Padma, from where he crossed with his soldiers. He had taken half of his original contingent, leaving Raamya to pacify the region around Gauda with the other half. It is likely the outriders he sent to Das never made it, had they done so a modicum of collective strategy could have been employed. As it was, Shahbaz Khan got wind of Kakkar's movements and decided to defeat his enemies in detail - wiping off Kakkar and then turning to either engage Das or retreat back to Sonargoan. Thus, as Kakkar got close to the city, and began fording the Meghna, he was soon set upon by Shahbaz Khan's cavalry. The first engagement of the Battle of Sonargaon was a brutal defeat for Kakkar, who lost a complete third of his soldiers. It was only his position overseeing matters on the western bank allowed him to salvage his army and prevent a rout. Subsequently, he decided to dig in. Although the army opposing him was more than triple his own, he knew by holding his position he would pin Shahbaz Khan's army, forcing the latter to either cross himself to deal with Kakkar or retreat and allow Kakkar to potentially link up with Das. Khan chose the former, and over the next few days launched multiple attacks attempting to ford the river himself - running Kakkar's men and cavalry ragged in the process. It was on the fifth day that Khan was finally able to land a significant enough beachhead to push Kakkar back and although fighting frantically, Kakkar saw his tired soldiers pushed back and buckle. Kakkar himself led cavalry charges in a bid to halt the crossings but struggled to do so compared to the relatively fresh soldiers opposing him. Things looked dire.
So it was rather good timing then that Bhagwan Das' cavalry chose this moment to smash into the rear of Khan's crossing troops.
Having finally received word of Kakkar's foolhardy ploy, Bhagwan Das force marched his soldiers before leading his cavalry into the thick of it when it seemed like the battle had already begun. Managing to arrive just in the nick of time, his cavalry made quick work of unprepared soldiers in the rear before his infantry turned up to pin Khan against the river and slowly grind them down. Shahbaz Khan made attempts to escape, but a cavalry engagement cut him and his personal guard down and ended the battle. It was a bloody victory, and the newly combined army decided to spend much needed time garrisoned in Sonargaon, which was taken swiftly - the local commander surrendering to prevent a sack of his city.
Concurrently, the Samrat had marched into Odisha.
1600s[]
Early 1600s: Japan expands into traditionally Manchu areas, possibly through warring, possibly through exploration. They consolidate their territories in the north and send soldiers to man the border with the uncivilized lands to the north. Families of the soldiers arrive and begin the colonisation of the land by building houses and beginning to farm the land.
1603: Elizabeth I dies and is succeeded by her cousin James VI of Scotland. He takes up residence in England and quickly begins to consolidate his new territories. He is coronated James I of England in a very public ceremony and thousands line up to see him.
Mid 1600s: The Russians reach the Amur river and come into contact with the Chinese and Japanese Empires. The Tsardom begins to stabilize. After an extensive campaign liberating Ukraine, the nation comes partially under the control of Russia. The nation also reaches the Pacific coast and begins to fund expeditions eastward. The fur trade begins to expand in Siberia.
Late 1600s: The Tsardom of Russia expands more into Siberia and discovers Japanese troops in the Kamchatka peninsula. Some skirmishes between the two sides take place. This will become the start of the drive to move people Eastward.
1700s[]
1800s[]
1900s[]
1922: Antonov is founded in the Russian Empire.