Maratha Empire – Shivaji & Peshwa

Maratha empire

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• Most important power emerged in the fading shadow of the Mughal dynasty was the Maratha empire.
• The physical environment of the Maratha country, mountainous regions and dense forests, resulted in certain peculiar qualities.
• This difficult terrain made the Maratha Soldiers expert in guerilla tactics.
• Deccan Sultanates of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar, which offered them a first-hand experience of administration.
• Spread of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra under the influence of spiritual leaders fostered social unity.
• Among them and the much-required political unity was conferred by Shahaji Bhonsle and his son Shivaji.

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Maloji Raje Bhonsle 

• He joined Nizam Shah with a small band of cavalry.

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Shahaji Raje Bhonsle 

• Served under Nizam Shah and Adil Shah, and came to prominence as a leading Maratha.
• After the fall of Ahmadnagar, he had transferred his services to Bijapur.

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Shivaji Raje Bhonsle (1674–80)

• Born in the hill fortress of Shivmer in Poona on Feb 19, 1630
• Belonged to the Bhonsle clan of Marathas.
• His mother was Jijabai.
• Shivaji, influenced by Dadaji Kondev (his teacher), Sufi saint Pir Shaikh Yacub, Guru Ramdas, Tukaram, Hazrat Baba of Ratnagiri, Ramayana, and the Mahabharata.
• He started his career as an independent young prince at Poona and Supa in 1637.
• After the death of Dadaji Kondadev in 1647 Shivaji assumed full charge of his jagir.
• In 1646, he captured Torna from Bijapur and built the fort of Raigarh.
• By 1654, Shivaji had captured forts in the Western Ghats and along the Konkan coast.
• Shivaji and his elder brother defeated invading armies of Adil Shah and secured the release of their father.
• He raided Portuguese settlement at Daman.
• Battle of Pratapgarh 1659 fought between Afzal Khan (represented Adil Shah of Bijapur) and Shivaji.
• Shivaji killed Afzal Khan with his tiger claws and became a local hero.
• He won Battle of Kolhapur against Rustemjaman (represented Adil Shah of Bijapur) .
• Aurangzeb, considered Shivaji as a mountain rat.
• In 1660, Aurangzeb sent Shaista Khan to fight against Shivaji, but war continued till 1663.
• In 1663 in a night attack on Shaista Khan, Shivaji injured him and killed his son.
• Shivaji sacked the port of Surat, important Mughal trading city in 1664.
• Aurangzeb sent Raja Jai Singh and Diler Khan, and they won and singed treaty of Purander in 1665 with Shivaji.
• His minor son Sambhaji was granted a mansab of 5000.
• When Shivaji visited Agra with his son, was house arrested by Aurangazeb.
• Shivaji escaped along with his son.
• In 1670, he recovered most of his lost forts and sacked Surat for the second time.
• Shivaji defeated Mughals in the Battle of Salher in 1672.
• Shivaji was coronated on 6^th June 1674 at Raigarh.
• He assumed the title Maharaja Chattrapati Haindava Dharmodharak (Protector of Hinduism).
• Shivaji issued the gold coin, Shivaraihon, on this occasion.
• He died in 1680 at the age of 53.
• Shivaji promoted Sanskrit, but respected all religions and opposed forced conversion.

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maratha empire shivaji history peshwa bajirao balaji vishwanath Balaji Baji Rao

Sambhaji (1681–89)

• Prince Akbar, the rebellious son of Aurangzeb, took shelter with him and in a pursuing battle at Sangmeshwar in 1689.
• He was defeated by the Mughal commander Muqqarrab Khan and was killed along with his personal counselor, Kavi Kalash.
• Widow of Sambhaji, Yesubai could not protect the fort of Raigarh, and she along with her son, Shahu were made prisoners.

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Rajaram (1689-1707)

• Younger brother of Sambhaji, who never sat on the throne, as he claimed that he was ruling on behalf of Shahu.
• Shifted his headquarters to Ginjee.
• After the Mughals conquered Ginjee, he fled to Vishalgarh and then to Satara, giving Hukumat Panha (King status) to Peshwa Ramchandra Pant.

• After his death in 1700, his widow Tarabai assumed control in the name of her infant son Shivaji II.

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Shahu (1707-49)

• Shahu was released by Zulfiqar Khan (Bahadur Shah) hoping for a civil war among Marathas.
• In 1707 with the help of a Chitpavan Brahman named Balaji Vishwanath, Shahu was successful in defeating Tarabai at the Battle of Khed.
• Tarabai went away to Kolhapur, establishing the Royal House of Kolhapur.
• In 1719, Shahu, under the advice of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, assisted the Saiyyad brothers in the execution of Farukkh Siyar and got his mother released.
• Soon after he declared Swaraja the Independence of Maratha land.

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Rajaram II (1749–77)

• Adopted son of Shahu
• Peshwa Baji Rao retained him as the titular Chattrapati.
• The power of the Chhatrapati was almost totally overshadowed by that of the Peshwa.

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maratha empire shivaji history peshwa bajirao balaji vishwanath Balaji Baji Rao

Royal House of Kolhapur

Shivaji II (1710–14)

• Son of Queen Tarabai and Rajaram, and was under the regency of Queen Tarabai.

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Sambhaji II (1714–60)

• Son of Rajaram from his second wife Rajabai, who deposed Shivaji II and Tarabai by the palace revolution in 1714.
• He signed the Treaty of Warna in 1731 with his cousin Shahu to formalize the two separate seats of the Bhonsle family.
• British sent expeditions against Kolhapur in 1765 and 1792.
• State entered into treaty with the British after the collapse of the Maratha confederacy in 1812.

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maratha empire shivaji history

Office of the Peshwa (1640–1818)

• The word ‘Peshwa’ probably originated in Persian, meaning ‘foremost’, and was introduced in Deccan by the Muslim rulers.
• Duties of a Peshwa were equal to that of a Prime Minister.

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peshwa bajirao balaji vishwanath Balaji Baji Rao

Sonopant Dabir (1640–52)

• First unofficial Peshwa

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Ramchandra Pant Amatya (1689–1708)

• Peshwa under Rajaram.
• Rajaram had to escape to Ginjee in 1689, he gave Hukumat Panha (King status) to Pant before leaving.
• He wrote Adnyapatra.

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Balaji Vishwanath (1713–19)

• Balaji Vishwanath belonged to the Bhatt family of Shri Vardhan in the Konkan region.
• He made the post of the Peshwa hereditary.
• He helped Shahu become the Maratha empire ruler by seeking the support of all Maratha leaders for Shahu.
• Shahu conferred the title of Sena-karte (organizer of forces) to him.
• In 1719, he got certain rights from the Farrukh Siyar, recognition of Shahu as the Maratha empire king.
• He got permission to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from the six provinces of the Deccan.
• Nana Sahib belonged to this family.

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Peshwa Bajirao I (1720–40)

• The Eldest Son of Balaji Vishwanath who succeeded him as Peshwa at the young age of twenty.
• Baji Rao I was the most famous of all nine Peshwas and also known as “Thorale”, meaning ‘Elder’ Baji Rao.
• He was the greatest exponent of guerrilla tactics after Shivaji.
• During his lifetime, he never lost a battle and the Maratha empire reached its zenith under him.
• Baji Rao I preached and popularized the idea of Hindu Pad Padshahi.
• He defeated the Nizam on both occasions when they fought at Palkhed and Bhopal.
• In 1722, he captured Salsette and Bassein from the Portuguese.
• He shifted the administrative capital from Satara to Pune in 1728.
• He initiated the system of confederacy among the Maratha chiefs.
• They were the Gaekwads at Baroda, the Bhonsles at Nagpur, the Holkars at Indore, the Scindias at Gwalior, and the Peshwas at Poona.

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maratha empire shivaji history 

Balaji Baji Rao I/ Nana Sahib I (1740–61)

• Balaji Baji Rao succeeded his father as Peshwa at the young age of nineteen and was appointed as Peshwa by Shahuji.
• It was during his reign that the Maratha empire king Shahu died in 1749 without an issue.
• His nominated successor, Ramraja, was imprisoned by the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao at Satara.
• The supreme power of Maratha empire passed into the hands of Peshwa by the Sangola Agreement in 1750.
• He defeated Bengal Nawab Alivardi Khan and one third of the Indian sub-continent was under the Maratha empire.
• According to a agreement in 1752, the Peshwa gave protection to Mughal Emperor from internal and external enemies.
• Maratha got chauth of the north-west provinces and total revenue of the Agra and Ajmer provinces as per the agreement.
• Honouring this agreement, Marathas fought the 3rd Battle of Panipat in 1761 when Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India.
• The defeat of Panipat checked the expansion of Maratha empire and fragmented it.

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Madhav Rao (1761–72)

• Madhav Rao defeated the Nizam, compelled Haidar Ali of Mysore to pay tribute.
• He reasserted control over northern India by defeating the Rohillas and subjugating the Rajput state and Jat chiefs.
• In 1772, he brought back Emperor Shah Alam to Delhi.
• Maratha empire got weekened and divided into semi-independent states.
• The most important were the Gaikwads (Gaekwars), the Holkars, and the Scindias.

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Sawai Madhav Rao (1774–95)

• Son of Narayan Rao, who was merely 40 days old when crowned as Peshwa.
• The empire was managed by Nana Phadnavis, an able administrator and warrior.
• There were twelve member regency council called the Barbhai Council.
• Out of frustration, Raghunath Rao went to British for help which resulted in the First Anglo–Maratha war in 1775–82.
• At the battle of Talegaon in 1776, Nana Phadnavis defeated the British.
• The treaty of Purandhar in 1776 and the treaty of Salbai in 1782 were signed.
• After death of Nana Phadnavis in 1800 that the Maratha empire could not sustain against the British.

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maratha empire shivaji history peshwa bajirao balaji vishwanath Balaji Baji Rao

Baji Rao II (1796–1818)

• Son of Raghunath Rao.
• Baji Rao II signed the humiliating Treaty of Bassein with the British in 1802.
• He was defeated by the East India Company in the Third Anglo– Maratha War in 1818.
• After this the Peshwa’s territory was annexed to the British Bombay province, and he was pensioned off.
• Nana Sahib ( Dhondu Pant ) was the adopted son of Baji Rao II.

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Maratha Empire Administration

• King was assisted by a council of ministers called the Ashtapradhan
• Provinces were known as Prants.
• Prants divided into Tarfs Parganas.
• Mauzas or villages were the lowest unit.
• There were two divisions in the Maratha cavalry:
  • Bargirs: Equipped and paid by the state
  • Silahdars: Maintained by the nobles.
• Mavli foot soldiers played an important role in the infantry.
• Shivaji strongly discouraged revenue farming.
• Marathas employed a special script known as the ‘Modi script’ in the documents of the revenue and administrative records.
• Chauth and sardeshmukhi were two major sources of revenue
  1. Chauth: One fourth (1/4 th of the land revenue) paid to the Marathas in order to avoid the Maratha raids.
  2. Sardeshmukhi 1/10 of land revenue on those lands on which the Marathas claimed hereditary rights.

maratha empire shivaji history peshwa bajirao balaji vishwanath Balaji Baji Rao