I certainly will. Only downside is that you will cease to exist in OTL and must live in 18th century Central India. Cool?
Swarajya - Maratha hegemony in the Indian subcontinent, a timeline (1707-1828)
- Thread starter sarsenapati
- Start date
Who said it need to be accepted by pune bramhans? Can rajput bramhans under chatrashal not declare his grandson one or his grandfather ritually adopt him as his descendent? Even that way he can become a Hindu and can be allocated with a noble position as well under his grandfather. But it is your story and it is upto you.
Storywise, Baji Rao could just ignore everyone and create a Muslim noble position, something like the position of Defender of Islam so that he could show he is tolerant of all religions
I´ll take magistrate
I´ll take magistrate
IOTL, Shamsher's descendants were the Nawabs of Banda. If he had been a Hindu he would be just another boring subedar like Shinde or Holkar
By the way, Maratha kingdom/empire had an official freedom of religion edict that was proclaimed by Shivaji early on in his reign, I think 1675 or '76.
If Chhatrasal adopts him, yes, then he can be recognized as a kshatriya. However that will create a conflict over the succession among the Bundelas since Chhatrasal's actual son Hriday Shah is next in the succession. And besides, it would take him OUT of the line of succession in the Bhat family.
Adopting him does not mean accepting one as heir which is different. It is more like acknowledging his bloodline. Main goal his providing him a caste not to settle inheritance. He can work under his grandfather or father which provide him with best benefits. I am fine with multicultural maratha but there is no need to insist such a historical freak accident aka conversion as unchangeable event. He could have converted or not. He mostly done so due to rejection. Current timeline is different and baji Rao far more powerful. If baji Rao take steps to fix his moves carefully them it is possible his son acknowledged as hindu. But it is ultimately your story and I sm fine with your decision.
Actually, I don't see it as a freak accident. The two big support bases of the Maratha state are the 'Maratha' landowners, yes, but also the Brahmins of Maharashtra. The financial health of the state, in particular, depends on the support of the saukaars or major moneylenders who during this period are mostly Brahmins from Konkan. See Gopika, Balaji's wife, who was the daughter of Bhikaji Raste, one of the state bankers - she was ultra-orthodox in terms of religion. So Baji Rao having to accommodate the Brahmins is something intrinsic to the structure of state and society at that time.
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He could seize wealth and start a state bank, though it would be a multigenerational project
And don't worry, Shamsher is going to have a good, long and happy life (one of my goals for this TL) and being a Muslim in a Hindu kingdom will not change that.
Please, we're trying to get away from the wanton plunder, not lean into it
Hundred of years later it will be made as a beautiful historical film starring several well known actors and actresses.
Bajirao Mastani - Wikipedia
Will the Maratha's create any sort of intelligence or spy service to keep an eye on their nobility?
There is a intelligence service that is quite extensive, utilising Indians of all ethnicities as informers and merchants as couriers, modelled on the OTL Maratha intelligence service pioneered by Bahirji Naik during Shivaji's reign. I wasn't able to find the name of Baji Rao's intelligence chief so for the purposes of this TL it will be Hari Gupte, his secretary and confidant. The primary purpose of the service however is to be informed about events in rival states, not their own nobles.
Edit: Of course, Peshwa and Raghuji Bhonsle are spying on each other as much as possible.
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Weekend Bonus 2
(Letter addressed to Shaniwar Wada dated December 1729)
Respected Mother and Father,
Salutations.
I am your son Balaji [1]. I am at Satara.
I am living in the palace of Shahu Maharaj. The king is very wise. He sits on a lion throne.
There are many people here. Some are from other countries.
The king gives us very good food. I eat mangoes and bananas.
There are cooked birds, rabbits and goats here. But I don’t eat any because Mother told me not to.
Guruji has taught us
The king has many big dogs.
Guruji says I will learn to ride horses soon.
I have learned arithmetic already.
Your obedient son.
—-------
(Mahakaleshwar ruins, Near Ujjain, Malwa Province)
Peshwa Baji Rao and Malhar Rao Holkar, the faujdar (regimental commander) and acting subedar of Malwa, rode at the head of the cavalry company. They had set out early that morning, eager to see the site of the renowned temple that had once been a major site of Hindu pilgrimage. Revered as one of the 18 maha-shakti-peetham or sites of great power, Mahakaleshwar had been mentioned in the religious literature as far back as the puranas.
Kailash Pandit, the local Brahmin whose family had looked after the ruined site for generations, stood patiently as the two Maratha leaders dismounted and walked over to join him. The weary, lined face and prominent ribs of the local priest said more about his family’s situation than words ever could. Baji Rao and Malhar Rao followed him to the site of the ruined temple itself. The stone foundations were all that remained, but even so the site was majestic, occupying a place of honor alongside the Kshipra river.
“How long has it been like this, pandit-ji?” Baji Rao queried.
“I do not know, Great Lord. Three hundred years at the least. People say the Turks of Delhi demolished it, and vowed to slay anyone who tried to rebuild.”
Baji Rao nodded, taking in the scene one last time before - the foundations, the rushing river, the city of Ujjain barely visible in the distance. He looked at Malhar Rao, who had adopted an attitude of silence, before continuing.
“Pandit-ji, I thank you for all that your family has done. I will speak to our Master [2] as soon as I return to the south. We are going to rebuild the grand temple that stood at this sacred site. Holkar-Saheb will ensure that all assistance and security is provided.”
The two began to turn away towards where their horses were tethered alongside the men escorting them, but Baji Rao hesitated and turned back towards the priest. He pulled a coin-pouch, heavy with silver rupees and gold mohurs, out from his belt and handed it to the priest. “Consider this your arrears in payment from the royal treasury, pandit-ji,” but the priest was too shocked to respond.
The three men bid farewell to each other with folded hands.
—-------
(Purnagad, Ratnagiri District on the Konkan coast)
Sekhoji leaned forward with the lit torch and lit the funeral pyre of his father, Kanhoji Angre.
Terror of the western sea, Kanhoji had died at the peak of his power leaving his sons in the possession of more than a dozen coastal forts and a small but formidable fleet. Acknowledged as a sea-lord both by Shahu Maharaj and his predecessor Rajaram I, Kanhoji’s crew included Indians of all religions, Dutch deserters, and even a Jamaican-born English pirate, James Plantain.
Although he took orders from no man, Kanhoji had reluctantly acknowledged the primacy of Shahu Maharaj as Chhatrapati and pledged his assistance to the Maratha cause. He had made a fortune and won much renown for himself among the Indians living on the western coast, capturing merchant ship after merchant ship, and the Europeans had proved incapable of apprehending him.
Now with the venerable old admiral gone, his eldest son Sekhoji would command the men and vessels of the Angres. Sekhoji’s younger brothers, Sambhaji and Tulaji stood by him in support. It remained to be seen whether Sekhoji would fall in with Shahu Maharaj and the Peshwa and their grand plans of Empire, or maintain the Angre’s independence as fiercely as his father did.
—-------
[1] Baji Rao's oldest progeny, Balaji would have been 9 years old in 1729.
[2] Shahu Maharaj
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