It could potentially be interesting to have an Indo-Persian culture and Urdu language, noted!
Hi Pavia!
As a result of Tinto Flavour #18 and an EU5 review video I watched on youtube, I decided to prepare this text. While preparing it, I got some historical sources and the help of artificial intelligence.
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I watched a gameplay video of EU5. In this video, the youtuber said that he left the construction and management to the artificial intelligence and that it built the necessary structures. Since the artificial intelligence cared about building schools and hospitals and did not manually add mosques, after a while he said that the Balkan region became Turkified but the people remained Orthodox. This seems like a bug, in fact it is completely against the assimilation policies of the Ottoman and Tughluq states, but I think the best part of EU5 is that it is somewhat under the control of the player. I think we should reflect every option in history into the game without going too far beyond reality, after all, there are many rulers in history who changed religion and culture, and even created them.
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Now let's explain the current situation of the Tughluq Dynasty and then list my expectations from the current game:
1- Understanding the Tughluq Dynasty:
This Turkic-origin dynasty, which included Afghan and Tajik ethnic elements, probably spoke an old language close to Karakhanid Turkish, old Turkish or Khwarezm Turkish. However, the Persian communities from which they learned Islam created a religious identity for them as well as the use of the Persian language in the bureaucracy. This actually forms the "Palace Language" mechanic in Crusader Kings 3.
2- Assimilation in the Tughluq Dynasty:
This military class, originating from Gilman and Balaban, adopted the Turkish-Islamic (Persian) palace culture and defined its identity based on religion, and considered non-Muslim elements as its enemies, which created a caste system in which Turks and Muslims were superior within the state, and subjects could only integrate into the state when they became Muslims. However, the distance of Turkish, Arabic and Persian from the local Indian languages was a great debuff for assimilation. They did not have enough cultural population/influence to transform the people. The caste system maintained its continuity with Turkish or other local slaves brought from the slave markets in the Khwarezm/Transaxonia region.
3- Assimilation events that should have happened for the Tughluq Dynasty:
We start the game in perhaps the most complicated period of the Delhi Sultanate. The state cannot establish a bond with the people and is surrounded by enemies. Their enemies are actually so strong that according to my research, they cannot even reach the Mamluk slaves, which are the main element of the state, due to the enemy states in Multan and Sindh. First of all, there should be a quest in the Quest Tree:
"Maintain your connection with the roots" and it should trigger some events. When an alliance is made with the enemy countries in this region or when the Delhi Sultanate annexes them, the Turkish migration from Central Asia should be triggered. This should open 4 different paths for the dynasty:
- Strengthen the Palace and Army
* Reduces negative buffs related to the Palace, increases military capacity
- Revitalize the Settlement Policy
* For example, 1 family that is settled in Central Asian families starts to transform the culture in a way that will affect four families, changes linguistically and culturally (clothing) according to the situation of the mosques and schools in the region, portraits change over time according to the nature of the migration they receive
- Assimilate the newcomers (if the ruler has adopted Hinduism or another religion)
* The Hinduized dynasty, as if taking revenge on its past, does not accept Muslims to practice their traditions.
- The Hindavi/Dehlavi people in the provinces close to the palace in Delhi taking on a more Turkic appearance.
- How did the decisions taken by the Tughluq Dynasty trigger developments in history?
There should be events that will be triggered as a result of the decisions taken by the palace and the constructions it made:
* The birth of Urdu! The language spoken by the Hindavi/Dahlavi people takes on a new form (For example, in a scenario where the dynasty remains under Chinese influence, this hybrid people who become the main element of the state should speak Urdu with more dominant Chinese words.
* The Urdu nation is born! This hybrid people, who resemble a typical Turko-Persian community with their language, religion and culture, defend a different affiliation with their Central Asian roots despite their similar appearance to Indians!
* If it is an Indianized dynasty, there may be special events for this
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FOUR STAGE ASSIMILATION MECHANICS (Based on CK3)
MIGRATION
- Dominance of the migrating population and local justified removal
- It is taken in line with what the state takes.
- It increases rebellions to a great extent. Central Asian type migration model
INSTITUONAL ASSIMILATION
- As the state builds structures such as places of worship, schools, madrasahs, there is a transformation in the people
- Instead of cultural change in conquered lands, both linguistic and religious assimilation occurs in the communities there. (Ottoman type assimilation model Bosnians and Albanians)
- Religious, cultural and linguistic assimilation of the local people taken into the army, retired soldiers mix with the local people and assimilate the society (people who are considered to belong to the primary identity group but have the genetic characteristics of the secondary culture group)
LINGUISTIC/ETHNIC HYBRIDIZATION
- Communities that are geographically distant from the culture they belong to; When communities like Mamluks, Cumans or Yugurs were dominant:
- If there was cultural distance but intense interaction - New Hybrid Culture Formed
- Natural evolution in an environment left without coercion by the state: Birth of Urdu (Tughluq dynasty model of assimilation. The elite minority was above the whole society, the local people created a hybrid language inspired by the Palace language in order to integrate into the order)
- Event Chain: "Linguistic oppression failed: "New angelic culture emerged"
EVOLUTONARY ASSIMILATION
- Dynamic cultural evolution over time, regional density and intermarriage. Character portraits according to the population of the primary culture in the regions where the cultural groups in the country were located, the new community naming itself. "Please do not do this with names like Turco-Persian or Greco-Bulgarian. I want to follow the change adventure of the local, secondary culture group within itself, and see these culture groups and communities transform. (Ancient Thracians, Thracian Turks, etc.)
- The feature of progressing with AI and player initiative should continue
- The existing primary culture should not resemble the original in the border provinces:
Example: The Indian-Turkish mixed "Dehlavi" Culture spreading to different provinces, but not resembling the Dehlavi in Delhi
Event buffs/debuffs
"Surface Assimilation buff" (Tughluk model)
- Culture does not change but rebellions decrease
- Speeds up the process leading to Urdu
"Khwarazm Migration" Event Chain
- Refugee flow from Khwarezm: Brings Turkic soldiers and families, increases the population, and increases the Turkic origin rate in cultures. (such as the culture aesthetics, culture language, femininity and masculinity found in ck3)
---One of two ways open:
A) Use Only for Military Service:
Assimilation is slow (when soldiers retire)
Turkish Culture remains limited to the elite class
B) Place it in the public and integrate.
Cultural dominance increases
Delhi and the surrounding states of Dehlavi culture gain 5% - 15% Turkish population
Portraits change with marriages as in CK3
Over time, Hindavi culture turns into a Turkic culture.
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What I have explained may seem complicated. However, in history, every Turkish state or every state shapes the community it is in according to the conditions. I have mentioned Migration the least among the mechanics. This is as simple as the "Missionary implements religious assimilation" we did in EU4. One tribe expelled another tribe. It is quite logical for Horde type states. However, the subject of assimilation has different depths in the Ottomans or Tughluqs. The Tughluqs were actually as interested in the transformation of the people as the Ottomans. They just did not have a Muslim population like Anatolia and there was no Turkish migration that they could feed on. However, modern Urdu and Indo-Islamic identity started in this community. Perhaps a state spirit mechanism is introduced and even if the dynasty adopts the local culture, a mechanism that will trigger migrations from those geographies as the state approaches the geography where its ancestors lived can fix the "culture of the Sultan of Delhi" confusion. We cannot say that it has become Persian just because it speaks Persian. The Turkic-Persian-Tajik communities of that period acted together in superordinate identities, with a single identity centered on religion, without losing their own identities. In the 500-year period extending from the 1200s to the 1700s, we can see the stories of modernization with the peoples assimilated by the Delhi Sultanate, which was affected by modernism, and I think you can create a mechanic in EU5 where we can radically affect cultural textures with each new save and actually transform every culture in terms of fundamentals and genetics. This may come later as a DLC, but a game of this scale definitely needs to have this depth of gameplay.
""Finally, please correct the Ottoman Sultan who changed to Selahattin Eyyubi. Please! These types of mistakes deeply hurt the Turkish player base.""
* You may also consider using terms such as Khan or Sultan Khan for Turkish-Muslim rulers.
