Indonesian built BT-2 tank.
The modern Tamil state was founded by the armed forces of the Tamil Liberation Army during the collapse of the Indian Union at the end of 1985, after the nuclear exchange with Pakistan. The Tamils suffered severely during the nuclear exchange, with the former state capital of Chennai, the former Madras, being wiped entirely out by several Pakistani and/or Soviet/and or Chinese nuclear weapons. Despite the damage, the Tamil Nadu State Government continued to function in an attenuated fashion and a succession of military dictators used that governmental machinery to forge a new, independent Tamil state.
Growing border disputes between the State of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu erupted into open warfare in 1989. The war drags on until 1994 and is very costly to both sides. Both sides exhaust their supplies of pre-1985 armaments, ending the fight armed with muskets. The Tamils win decisively, annexing southern Karnataka.
In line with most of the post-1985 states, it evolved into a hereditary monarchy in 1997, when Marshal Poovendan Kumar, victorious commander in the war with Karnataka, overthrew the ruling dictatorship and proclaimed himself the Emperor of the Tamils.
In 2002, the Tamils began their long cherished dream of liberating their compatriots on the island of Sri Lanka, by invading the Empire of Lanka. The Empire of Andhra intervenes in the war on behalf of Lanka later that year, hoping to take advantage of the Tamil's distraction. In 2006, the Tamils grant Andhra small slices of border territory in exchange for giving the Tamils a free hand in Lanka.
Emperor Poovendan of the Tamils dies in 2008 and is succeeded by his son, the Emperor Suruli. Suruli, a ruthless ruler, continues his father's ambition to "liberate" all lands owned at any time in history by the amils.
By December 2012, the Kingdom of Lanka finds itself exhausted by the burdens of continuing to defend against the far more numerous Tamils, and they are forced to sign a peace treaty that grants the Tamils a large swath of coastal Sri Lanka, confirming the gains made by the Tamils in the Great Ten Years' War.
In 2016, Suruli orders the invasion of Karnataka, beginning the Second Karnataka-Tamil War. The fighting grinds on indecisively until the fall of 2018. The death of the emperor of Karnataka in 2019 leads to a realignment of alliances, with Karnataka joining with the Tamils.
The Great South Indian War begins in 2021, with a carefully planned attack by the Tamils and Karnataka on Andhra and Lanka. In 2023, Indonesia sends its fleet to help the Tamil/Karnataka Alliance to interrupt sea lanes between Andhra and Lanka. A year later, the Japanese begin to send military supplies to Andhra overland from neutral ports. The Roman Empire also sends advisors to Lanka. The Great South Indian War ends indecisively in 2029, for Karnataka and Andhra, though Lanka is reduced to an unwilling satellite of the Tamil Empire.
The Tamil Emperor Suruli dies of natural causes in 2033 and is suceeded by his son, the Emperor Puviyarasu. The new emperor decides that to compete militarily with the great powers, the Tamils would ahve to modernize their armed forces. The Tamils continued their close relationship with the Indonesians, and began to cultivate better relations with Japan and the Roman Empire. Tamilpilcy remained, and remains, bitterly hostile to the Mongols and the UKA.
Indonesian built BT-2 tank.
Estimated Imperial Army Strength: