Flocculencio
Donor
I've decided to set down a proper TL for the world in which my Sons of Alexander stories are set.
Initial POD: Alexander does not die young but instead lives twenty more years. He conducts a second campaign into India and manages to seize the Indus Valley. He takes an Indian princess as another wife and fathers a son, Heraklios, on her in 325 BC
307 BC: Alexander appoints the 18 year old Heraklios as Satrap of the Indus. Heraklios takes well to his new position, conducting some minor but successful campaigns against recalcitrant Indian vassal states.
305 BC: Alexander dies. Immediately, the Empire erupts in chaos as the satraps and Alexanders children begin to grab at the reins of power. Almost all of Alexanders adult children are slain in the first confused months. Only Heraklios, safely in India with a strongly loyal army, survives.
304-300 BC: The first Diadochi war. The Empire descends further into chaos. In India, the Diadochi war sets off a chain reaction as various vassal kingdoms, sensing that the time is ripe to drive the Greeks from India begin to fight against Heraklios and each other. The war ripples outwards until almost all of India is involved. Heraklios is fortunate in that Selukos, Satrap of Persia is too busy fending off Ptolemy and Antigonos in the West to have time to campaign to the East across the Hindu Kush. Still, the fighting in India is terrible and entire districts are depopulated. As the dust settles, Heraklios has managed to expand his power base, playing off the Indian kings against each other. He takes the title of Basileos of India, ruling as overlord of almost all of North India from the Hindu Kush to the Ganges Delta.
299-288 BC: The canny Heraklios decides to attempt to Indianise his realm, and begins a propaganda campaign to syncreticise Hinduism with Greek religion and philosophy. Most importantly, he establishes an Imperial cult declaring that his father, Alexander, was in fact the tenth incarnation of Vishnu. This cult of the Tenth Avatar flourishes. Due to the almost wholesale destruction and depopulation of many areas, the socio-religious landscape of India is ripe for reform with many of the old religious hierarchies massacred. Heraklios' syncreticism gains power. Meanwhile, the knock-on effects of the Diadochi war continue to makes themselves felt in South India where the carnage is appalling.
Many South Indian kings request Heraklid help against their rivals and through careful manouevering, Heraklios becomes somewhat of a kingmaker. In exchange, he recieves the vassalage of the rulers he has helped. By 330 BC, he is the de facto emperor of almost all of India, not ruling directly but as overlord and King of Kings. Eager to extend his nascent syncretic Indo-Greek culture further into India, Heraklios shifts his capital from Hastinapura in North India to a new city which he builds in the far South at the site of OTL Cochin. This city, which he names Alexandria Herakles will forever after be the base of his Imperial operations.
288-265 BC: During this period, Heraklios consolidates his empire. Though much of the Empire consists of vassal kingdoms, other areas were granted to the Emperor himself by grateful vassals. Heraklios settles many of his Greek soldiers and mercenaries in these areas, making their settlements the nuclei of Greek-style poleis. He further divides the Empire into provinces, each overseen by a Governor. While the vassal kings and polei councils oversee their own districts, they in turn must report to these Imperial Governors.
265 BC: The Second Diadochi War. In this war, India's manpower problems begin to show. So much of the population was killed in the earlier round of wars that the Heraklid forces, even with the levies sent by the vassal kings, are hard pressed to defend the North-Western Frontier against the Selucids. Although no gains are made in this war, no major losses are either and the situation returns to status quo with the frontier staying at the natural Indo-Persian border along the Hindu Kush. It will take generations for India's population to regenerate. However, one of the effects of this drastic loss of manpower is that the caste system begins to crumble. The old Indian social order cannot maintain itself with so mayn diverse jobs to be done and not enough people to do them. Slowly, the syncretic Indo-Greek culture will begin to replace the old Indian one.
262 BC: Heraklios dies to be succeeded by his son, Heraklios II Vishnudharma
Initial POD: Alexander does not die young but instead lives twenty more years. He conducts a second campaign into India and manages to seize the Indus Valley. He takes an Indian princess as another wife and fathers a son, Heraklios, on her in 325 BC
307 BC: Alexander appoints the 18 year old Heraklios as Satrap of the Indus. Heraklios takes well to his new position, conducting some minor but successful campaigns against recalcitrant Indian vassal states.
305 BC: Alexander dies. Immediately, the Empire erupts in chaos as the satraps and Alexanders children begin to grab at the reins of power. Almost all of Alexanders adult children are slain in the first confused months. Only Heraklios, safely in India with a strongly loyal army, survives.
304-300 BC: The first Diadochi war. The Empire descends further into chaos. In India, the Diadochi war sets off a chain reaction as various vassal kingdoms, sensing that the time is ripe to drive the Greeks from India begin to fight against Heraklios and each other. The war ripples outwards until almost all of India is involved. Heraklios is fortunate in that Selukos, Satrap of Persia is too busy fending off Ptolemy and Antigonos in the West to have time to campaign to the East across the Hindu Kush. Still, the fighting in India is terrible and entire districts are depopulated. As the dust settles, Heraklios has managed to expand his power base, playing off the Indian kings against each other. He takes the title of Basileos of India, ruling as overlord of almost all of North India from the Hindu Kush to the Ganges Delta.
299-288 BC: The canny Heraklios decides to attempt to Indianise his realm, and begins a propaganda campaign to syncreticise Hinduism with Greek religion and philosophy. Most importantly, he establishes an Imperial cult declaring that his father, Alexander, was in fact the tenth incarnation of Vishnu. This cult of the Tenth Avatar flourishes. Due to the almost wholesale destruction and depopulation of many areas, the socio-religious landscape of India is ripe for reform with many of the old religious hierarchies massacred. Heraklios' syncreticism gains power. Meanwhile, the knock-on effects of the Diadochi war continue to makes themselves felt in South India where the carnage is appalling.
Many South Indian kings request Heraklid help against their rivals and through careful manouevering, Heraklios becomes somewhat of a kingmaker. In exchange, he recieves the vassalage of the rulers he has helped. By 330 BC, he is the de facto emperor of almost all of India, not ruling directly but as overlord and King of Kings. Eager to extend his nascent syncretic Indo-Greek culture further into India, Heraklios shifts his capital from Hastinapura in North India to a new city which he builds in the far South at the site of OTL Cochin. This city, which he names Alexandria Herakles will forever after be the base of his Imperial operations.
288-265 BC: During this period, Heraklios consolidates his empire. Though much of the Empire consists of vassal kingdoms, other areas were granted to the Emperor himself by grateful vassals. Heraklios settles many of his Greek soldiers and mercenaries in these areas, making their settlements the nuclei of Greek-style poleis. He further divides the Empire into provinces, each overseen by a Governor. While the vassal kings and polei councils oversee their own districts, they in turn must report to these Imperial Governors.
265 BC: The Second Diadochi War. In this war, India's manpower problems begin to show. So much of the population was killed in the earlier round of wars that the Heraklid forces, even with the levies sent by the vassal kings, are hard pressed to defend the North-Western Frontier against the Selucids. Although no gains are made in this war, no major losses are either and the situation returns to status quo with the frontier staying at the natural Indo-Persian border along the Hindu Kush. It will take generations for India's population to regenerate. However, one of the effects of this drastic loss of manpower is that the caste system begins to crumble. The old Indian social order cannot maintain itself with so mayn diverse jobs to be done and not enough people to do them. Slowly, the syncretic Indo-Greek culture will begin to replace the old Indian one.
262 BC: Heraklios dies to be succeeded by his son, Heraklios II Vishnudharma
