If the Marathas Had Ruled Europe: A Historical Thought Experiment

History often teases us with “what if” scenarios. One of the most fascinating among them is imagining how the balance of power in another part of the world might have looked if a great Asian empire had transplanted itself westward. The Maratha Confederacy, which reached its peak in the mid-18th century under the Peshwas, was the largest indigenous power in India after the decline of the Mughals. At its zenith, the Maratha realm covered nearly the entire Indian subcontinent, stretching from Tamil Nadu in the south to Peshawar in the northwest, and from Bengal in the east to Gujarat in the west. Their empire, approximately 2.8 million square kilometers in size, was comparable in expanse to the European Union today.

But what if this military and political powerhouse had instead emerged in Europe? Which nations would have been under its sway, and how might Europe’s political map have looked under Maratha dominance?

The Scale of the Maratha Empire

The Maratha Confederacy was not a centralized empire in the same way as the Roman Empire or the British Raj. It was a confederated structure, with the Peshwa in Pune as the prime ministerial head, supported by powerful regional chiefs such as the Holkars, Scindias, Gaekwads, and Bhonsles. Together, these families ensured that Maratha power extended across the subcontinent.

By the 1760s, they had subdued or extracted tribute from Bengal, Orissa, Rajputana, Mysore, and even the Mughal emperor in Delhi. Their cavalry could cover hundreds of kilometers in days, and their taxation system—the chauth (a quarter of revenue)—ensured a steady flow of wealth from nearly all Indian regions.

If we project this level of dominance onto Europe, the Marathas would not have been content with ruling a single country. They would have extended their direct control and tributary influence across most of the continent.

Directly Ruled Territories

In India, the Marathas held direct authority over a massive core territory: the Deccan Plateau, Gujarat, Malwa, and large parts of central and northern India. Translating that to Europe, the Marathas would likely have directly governed some of the continent’s largest and wealthiest nations.

  1. France – Just as Maharashtra was the cultural and military heartland of the Marathas, France would have served as their European center. Its fertile land, rivers, and strategic location mirror the advantages the Deccan provided them in India.
  2. Spain and Portugal – Comparable to Maratha dominance over western coastal India, Spain and Portugal would have been vital for trade and naval activity.
  3. Italy – Like southern India, Italy’s fragmented states would have been consolidated under Maratha power.
  4. Germany and Austria – The patchwork of German states could have resembled the Maratha approach to Rajputana: direct control over some regions, heavy tribute from others.
  5. Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) – These economically vibrant regions might have mirrored Gujarat under Maratha supervision, contributing wealth through taxation and trade.
  6. Switzerland – Though mountainous, it would have fallen within Maratha administrative influence, just as they managed hilly regions in the Western Ghats.

Altogether, about 10 countries of Western and Central Europe could have been directly governed.

Tributary and Vassal States

Much of Maratha strength came from forcing smaller states to pay chauth while leaving them with nominal autonomy. In Europe, such a system would have been applied to regions in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

  • Poland, Hungary, and Czechia/Slovakia – These large kingdoms and territories would have become tributary states, similar to how Awadh and Bundelkhand functioned in India.
  • Balkans (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania) – The Balkans, long contested between empires, would have mirrored the Maratha frontier with Hyderabad and Mysore: often rebellious, yet ultimately subject to Maratha tribute and intervention.

In total, about 14–15 countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe might have functioned as tributaries.

Fringes and Contest Zones

Even at their height, the Marathas faced challenges at the frontiers. The Afghan Durrani Empire in the northwest, Bengal’s Nawabs in the east, and Mysore in the south were recurring rivals. A European equivalent would have been found in Scandinavia, Russia, and Britain.

  • Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland) – These northern regions would be on the fringe, akin to Punjab for the Marathas. Control would be partial, influence inconsistent, and loyalty difficult to enforce.
  • Ukraine and Belarus – These areas, part of the vast steppe, would have been Europe’s equivalent of the Maratha–Afghan frontier: contested zones, occasionally under Maratha raids but never fully secured.
  • Russia – Just as the Marathas never crossed deeply into Persia or Central Asia, Russia’s enormous size and resources would have kept it beyond effective Maratha authority.
  • Britain and Ireland – An island power resistant to continental domination, Britain would have resembled the Portuguese in Goa or the British traders in Bombay: small but persistent adversaries, always contesting Maratha supremacy through naval power.

Thus, another 5–6 countries would fall into the contested influence category.

Total European Reach

Adding these categories together:

  • Direct Rule: ~10 countries
  • Tributary States: ~15 countries
  • Fringe Influence: ~5 countries

That brings the total to around 30 European nations under Maratha rule, tribute, or influence.

This nearly matches the reality of 18th-century India, where the Marathas directly ruled vast tracts, extracted revenue from many others, and contested power at the edges of their empire.

Implications for European History

If such dominance had occurred, Europe’s history would have been transformed:

  1. Fragmented Monarchies Replaced by Confederacy: Instead of absolute monarchs like Louis XV or Frederick the Great, Europe would have been governed by a Peshwa-style central authority with regional chiefs holding significant autonomy.
  2. Military Tactics Shift: Maratha light cavalry and rapid campaigns would have overwhelmed the traditional European reliance on slower, infantry-heavy armies.
  3. Trade Routes Reoriented: Like their control of Indian trade routes, the Marathas in Europe would have monopolized Mediterranean and Atlantic commerce, taxing goods from Asia and the Americas.
  4. Colonial Expansion Curtailed: If the Marathas dominated Europe, the colonial projects of Spain, Portugal, France, and Britain might have been redirected or slowed. Instead of overseas empires, wealth would have been extracted internally to sustain the confederacy.
  5. Cultural Fusion: Just as the Marathas patronized Sanskrit, Marathi, and regional traditions in India, Europe under their rule might have seen a flourishing of local languages and folk cultures instead of dominance by French or English elites.

Conclusion

The Maratha Confederacy’s peak power in India was remarkable: it created one of the world’s largest empires of the 18th century. If we transpose their reach onto Europe, the result is striking. Nearly 30 modern European countries—from France and Spain in the west to Greece and Romania in the east, from Italy in the south to Sweden in the north—would have fallen under Maratha authority, either as directly ruled lands, tributary states, or contested regions.

While history never played out this way, the exercise reveals the sheer scale of Maratha influence. In India, their legacy was eventually overshadowed by the British. But imagining their rule transplanted into Europe highlights just how formidable their confederacy was: a power capable of reshaping an entire continent.

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