WI: Babur keeps Fergana and Samarkand

Mort the Reaper

Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India, got his start as ruler of Ferghana in 1494 at the age of eleven. Then he conquered Samarkand in 1497 when he was fifteen. However, this promising start got cut off when he lost both. After failed attempts to reclaim them, he was forced to stay with his uncle in Tashkent, starting a chain of events that would result in him mounting an invasion of India and leaving an indelible mark there.

But what if Babur had managed to hold on to Fergana and Samarkand, and thus didn't go to India? What effects would this have had?
 
Koprulu Mustafa Pasha

Koprulu Mustafa Pasha

Gone Fishin'
Mort the Reaper said:
Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India, got his start as ruler of Ferghana in 1494 at the age of eleven. Then he conquered Samarkand in 1497 when he was fifteen. However, this promising start got cut off when he lost both. After failed attempts to reclaim them, he was forced to stay with his uncle in Tashkent, starting a chain of events that would result in him mounting an invasion of India and leaving an indelible mark there.

But what if Babur had managed to hold on to Fergana and Samarkand, and thus didn't go to India? What effects would this have had?
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Huge effects on India. The Timurids may try to secure most of Central Asia and Afghanistan which may also involve wars with the Oirats.

I can't tell who will dominate India but it won't be Delhi.
 

Madhukar_Shah

Koprulu Mustafa Pasha said:
Huge effects on India. The Timurids may try to secure most of Central Asia and Afghanistan which may also involve wars with the Oirats.

I can't tell who will dominate India but it won't be Delhi.
Click to expand...
Not the Lodi’s at least- a more competent dynasty could well emerge in Delhi, and the city is a natural location for a capital considering its centrality in the indo gangetic plain, where it’s close enough to maintain west Asian influence.

The oirats would definitely be interesting, and there’s definitely animosity there as Babur called all mongols untrustworthy and base. Could they be islamised or will the need to oppose the timurids drive them into Tibetan arms sooner?
 
Superninja76

Superninja76

Could we see a renewal of the sayyid dynasty? Claiming to be of ali's ilk is no joke, and gives a helluvalot of legitimacy.
 
Koprulu Mustafa Pasha

Koprulu Mustafa Pasha

Gone Fishin'
Madhav Deval said:
Not the Lodi’s at least- a more competent dynasty could well emerge in Delhi, and the city is a natural location for a capital considering its centrality in the indo gangetic plain, where it’s close enough to maintain west Asian influence.

The oirats would definitely be interesting, and there’s definitely animosity there as Babur called all mongols untrustworthy and base. Could they be islamised or will the need to oppose the timurids drive them into Tibetan arms sooner?
Click to expand...

The position of Delhi is great. But without a competent dynasty, I'd expect it to play only a little influence in Indian history from 1500 onwards. Maybe a new Pashtun dynasty takes over and conquers along the Ganges and Indus.

The Oirats are really in reach to be converted to Islam. The Mongols are still Buddhist. If they fail to repell the Timurids then they have two options:
- Convert and use political marriage as an alliance vs Ming
- Get the strongest Mongolian Tribe or the Manchus to defend them
 
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