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Conquest of the British Raj

Venocara

God Save the King.
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With a POD anytime after the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1805 is it possible for a foreign power (most probably Russia or China) to wrest control of the Indian subcontinent from the British East India Company? If so, is it still possible to do by the end of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, by which time British rule in India was even stronger?
 
Interesting question.



The Russians would have faced IMMENSE logistical problems in deploying an army across Central Asia - Afghanistan was one hell of a roadblock, as the British found out - and it would be very difficult for them to get a creditable force into striking range of British India. It’s possible that Napoleon’s grand dreams could be realised - France and Russia unite, take over the Ottomans and Persians and then head to India - but they’d still be extremely difficult to get to work. Problem is, the UK controlled the seas and there’d be no way to get a large army to India by sea.



The Chinese would have to implement major reforms if they wanted to pose a threat to India - Hendryk can probably comment on that.



The Ottomans and/or Persia might be able to invade India, but - again - it would be hard for them to get an army into striking range.



It’s possible they might work to ally with an Indian force already there - the Sikhs, perhaps, or Afghans - but that would still require sending them arms and suchlike.



Chris
 
The Chinese would have to implement major reforms if they wanted to pose a threat to India - Hendryk can probably comment on that.

@Hendryk what are your thoughts on this? Do you think that the Qing Empire ever had the capabilities to grow to a level where they could contest India with Britain? If so, how long do you think these reforms would have taken?
 
@Hendryk what are your thoughts on this? Do you think that the Qing Empire ever had the capabilities to grow to a level where they could contest India with Britain? If so, how long do you think these reforms would have taken?
I don't think the Qing dynasty, even at the height of its power, had the capability nor, in fact, the will, to vassalize the Indian subcontinent. What might happen, however, is that China's attempt to invade Burma in the 1760s is successful and the kingdom gets turned into a tributary state. This in turn would mean that Britain would have to wait until the latter decades of the 19th century to claim it, assuming no major butterflies.
 
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