From Humble Beginnings...
From the remains of Alexander's conquests in the Far East when the Greco-Bactrian King Demetrius invaded the Sub-continent in the early 2nd century BCE, the Greco-Indian Kingdom that would later become Yavanarajya was born. Spanning across Afghanistan and into the the Indus River Valley, the Kingdom based itself on both some of the most defensible land on Earth as well as some of the most fertile. After the death of its founder Apollodutus I in 163 BCE, the Kingdom found itself in the middle of a succession crisis that would plunge the Kingdom into chaos on and off until 150 BCE when Menander I of the Euthydemus dynasty became King. Over the course of his reign, he would solidify his hold on power by appointing eunuchs to many positions of power, instituting dynastic succession and ensure great stability for the Kingdom. Towards the ends of his reign, he and his sons and his eldest grandson, Polyxenios, would march with their troops on the neighbouring kingdoms of North-West India and conquer the entire Indus River Valley and Rajasthan in long campaigns that cost many Greek lives. Towards the end of these wars in a battle to take Kannauj, King Menander I led a charge with his sons and grandson against a numerically stronger local garrison, which led to the mortal wounding of the King and his three sons. In the fighting, Polyxenios himself proved to be an extraordinary warrior in the field and merciful ruler, sparing those whom had mortally wounded his father, grandfather and uncles. His heroic displays led to his fellow Greeks proclaiming him the Emperor of the Greeks in the East and likewise the Northern Indian troops proclaiming him to be the messenger of the Buddha on Earth, naming him Patriarch of the Dharma and the rightful successor of Ashoka the Great. Following the ascension of Polyxenios, the Greco-Indian Empire would go on to conquer the lands known as 'Āryāvarta', where he established a new city named 'Alexandria in the Āryāvarta'. This was to become the new capital of the burgeoning Empire and the home for the Emperors of the Euthydemid Dynasty for the next 1900 years.
Consolidation
Over the course of his reign Polyxenios would prove himself truly worthy of the titles bestowed upon him on his ascension to the throne. Polyxenios began the journey that would lead to the modern state of Yavanarajya in 95BCE, by having his children raised by both Greek and Indian tutors and himself adopting the title of Devanampriya, or 'Beloved of the Gods', a title which Ashoka had used centuries before. In 90BCE, the Indo-Scythian hordes began their incursion into the Empire, causing chaos and destruction in Afghanistan, who's people had already felt abandoned by Polyxenios' turn to his Indian subjects, leading to the revolt of a local garrison in Afghanistan. Fortunately, this revolt was put down, but not by Polyxenios' hand but by the Indo-Scythians as they proceeded to sack Arachosia. Learning of this, Polyxenios marched his armies west towards Arachosia and faced the Indo-Scythians in battle at the battle of Arachosia in 85BCE. Proving victories, Polyxenios and his enormous and largely Indian army then followed this up by pushing the Indo-Scythians back into Central Asia. While the Indo-Scythians would continue to harass the Greco-Indian Empire for some time after the death of Polyxenios in 70 BCE, they would never regain their lost strength which they once had; eventually fading into obscurity. Following the defeat of the Indo-Scythians, Polyxenios would retire from most of his duties; giving power to his eldest son, Diomedes.
Diomedes the Great
All Hail Devanampriya Diomedes, Emperor of the Greeks in the East, Patriarch of the Dharma and Emperor of the Indians. It was this last title, which had changed from 'Successor of Ashoka', which was to be the most prominent of them all over the next 34 years of Diomedes' reign. An administrator at heart, Diomedes personally led thorough bureaucratic and administrative reforms across the Empire in the first few years of his reign, admitting thousands of Indians previously kept out of the bureaucracy into it. Appointing the first Indian Chancellor of the small council, the first Indian general and most important of all, the first Indian consort. Diomedes was the first of the Yavanarajya.
The reconquest of India
In 15CE, the Great-Grandson of Diomedes, Apollophanes, came to the throne. It was Apollophanes who dropped both the titles of Emperor of the Greeks in the East and Emperor of the Indians. Instead, Apollophanes adopted the title of Emperor of the Yavanarajya. Upon adopting this title at his coronation, Apollophanes declared his intent to 'reconquer' his birthright as the successor of Ashoka and conquer all of India. With dignitaries of many neighbouring kingdoms present at this ceremony, Apollophanes proved his intent by arresting those dignitaries present and sending them home with a letter demanding each local ruler submit to the authority of Apollophanes or be put to the sword. The Bengali lords and those few remaining northern rulers submitted to Apollophanes; those of the Deccan Plateau however resisted. It was with this, that the war of unification began. Lasting for the almost the entirety of Apollophanes' reign of 15 years, the Deccan plain was covered with the blood of hundreds of thousands of Indians. By the end, Apollophanes' army stood victorious and had subjugated all of the subcontinent.
Splendid Isolation until....
Following the unification war and Apollophanes' death, the Empire turned inwards; not seeking expansion and not interested in foreign entanglements. It remained this way for centuries; occasionally fending off invading migrating tribes from Central Asia, but no real threats as by this stage the Empire was almost 'too big too fail'....that was until the Europeans came East in search of spice, wealth and power. In 1630 the East India Company first arrived on Indian shores. Given permission to trade from several cities in the southern tip of the subcontinent, the East India company eventually began pitting local rulers against each other until they 'helpfully' offered to step in and restore order....for a price. By 1860, that price was too high; even for the here unto silent and passive Emperor, who marched the ill-prepared, under-equipped and largely obsolete army south to retake their land. The First Anglo-Yavanarajya War was, at first, a decisive victory for the Yavanarajya Empire; however once the British government sent reinforcements and nationalised the EIC into the newly formed British Raj, they quickly retook their possessions and made quick work of the much larger Imperial Yavanarajya Army force that was sent to hold the area.
The Beginning of the End
The defeat of the Imperial Army in the First Anglo-Yavanarajya War in 1860 marked the beginning of the end for the Euthydemus Dynasty, which had ruled for near-on 2000 years. Revolutionaries of all colours began to appear across the empire; from hardline nationalists, to democratic revolutionaries and even a few socialists. Eventually, these revolutionaries rose up in revolt once the utterly humiliating terms of peace were decided in the Treaty of London (1862), however with no unified purpose other than to defeat the Emperor, most of the revolutionaries quickly dispersed once the Imperial Guard began firing on them. But not the Yavanarajya Socialist Worker's Party. The Democratic Socialists of the Yavanarajya Socialist Worker's Party charged forward into the barrels of the Imperial Guards' guns, causing the much of the Guard's morale to break and for them to flee, but not before hundreds of the revolutionaries lay dead on the streets of Alexandria in the Āryāvarta. News of these events spread like wildfire, which eventually reached the ears of Theodamas Aniketos; the leader of the Marxist faction of the Yavanarajya Socialist Worker's Party. He had kept his fellow Marxists on the sidelines during the revolution, believing the party's position not strong enough yet. Proved right by this massacre, which also endeared the public to the courage of the party, Theodamas saw an opportunity; he would take control of the party from the crippled Democratic Socialist wing and use the wave of popular support for the party to fill their ranks and secure his position.
The Revolution!
By 1884 the Yavanarajya Socialist Worker's Party, now swelling with Marxists after its takeover by Theodama Aniketos, was poised to strike. Having enveloped the nationalists and left-wing revolutionary movements and making false promises to the democratic revolutionaries, the party was now the most powerful force in all Yavanarajya. It began on New Year's Day 1885 with a bang; the carriage of the ailing Emperor Diomedes XVII was bombed, killing him and his entourage including the heir, Apollodatus. This was followed by two divisions of troops loyal to the party storming Alexandria in the Āryāvarta and the subsequent proclamation of the Yavanarajya Socialist Republic. However, this was not without its opponents. The Emperor's youngest brother, Apollophanus, fled the city and raised an army in rebellion to restore the monarchy. It did not take long however for the newly formed People's Army to chase down the Royalist Army, which it easily defeated in open battle. Following this, royalists across the nation either went into hiding or fled abroad; however it soon became apparent that there would be no pretenders left to take the throne following the capture and execution of the entire Royal family whom had resided at the Imperial palace.
Revolutionary Yavanarajya
With the entire former Empire under the control of the Socialist Worker's Party, Theodama Aniketos was named as the first President of the People's Council and his young protege Euthydemus named the General-Secretary of the Party. Following this, the two began implementing the much needed economic, social and political reforms that would transform the country from a backwater 'Sick man of Asia' into the Modern Socialist State that they wished it to be. First came the 5 year plans which introduced innumerable technological innovations hereunto ignored and exponentially expanded the industrialization of the country, which had been effectively limited to textiles and steel mills until that point. Then came the collectivisation. The aristocracy of old had been hunted down and their property seized by the state, while the merchants who had not submitted to the new regime suffered the same fate. This left much of the countryside unworked; something which if left unchecked could lead to a famine. Knowing of the dangers of famine from the mismanagement of the Imperial administration, the new authorities began collectivising these lands and work soon began on much of them.
Over the course of the next 15 years, the country would steadily progress towards its goal of industrialisation and the dream of a communist utopia. However it was not to be for Theodama Aniketos, who had struggled for years with the stress and anxiety of his new role and finally in 1896 it caught up with him; found dead at his desk passing from exhaustion. Following this, his no-longer-young - now experienced protege Euthydemus Theos took power as President of the People's Council, naming Diodotus Antimachus, the son of a former Imperial general, as his deputy and General-Secretary of the Party. Euthydemus and Antimachus; nationalists first and communists second; are dedicated to one cause; the reunification of Yavanarajya under their banner. Spending the next 5 years continuing the work of his old mentor, Euthydemus put emphasis on improving the local arms industry and instituting military reforms, led by Diodotus whom he appointed minister of war alongside General-Secretary. This 5 year plan for the Army is scheduled to be complete in 1906 and looks set to complete the Army's transformation from rabble and former imperial troops into a unified professional Army that would rival and even perhaps surpass most if not all of its neighbours. As 1906 dawns, Yavanarajya finds herself on the verge of re-emerging as one of the Great Powers, but without friends and with many who would gladly see the revolution crushed. Where shall fate lead her? That remains to be seen...