134-580: Madhavrao I (Madhavrao Ballal Bhat; 15 February 1745 −18 November 1772) was the son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy . During his tenure, the Maratha Confederacy recovered from the losses they suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat , an event known as Maratha Resurrection . Madhavrao Bhat was the second son of Peshwa Nanasaheb , son of Bajirao . He
268-724: A disregard for conventional constraints. An anecdote involving the Bhonsle chief of Nagpur illustrates his ability to gather intelligence and enforce his will. Madhavrao Peshwa I is remembered as a transformative leader who left an enduring legacy on the Maratha Empire. His contributions to administration, welfare, and military might solidified his position as one of the most capable figures of his era. Justice Kashinath Trimbak Telang citing James Grant Duff narrates an amusing story that illustrates Madhavrao's ruthlessness, omniscience and disregard for religious restrictions. Assessing
402-516: A fine on Raghunathrao for misconduct during the Nizam's invasion, a decision that led to a temporary estrangement from his mother, Gopikabai. However, their bond remained strong, as evidenced by their correspondence. Madhavrao was instrumental in reforming the Maratha administration. He introduced stringent measures to combat corruption, including public flogging of errant officials. The judicial system
536-594: A force of 4,000 soldiers on a need basis. In 1748, Javed Khan, a rival of the Mughal wazir Safdar Jang invited the new Nizam of Hyderabad Nasir Jung , to join an alliance against the wazir. Safdar Jang requested Maratha support against Nasir Jung. Balaji Rao dispatched Scindia and Holkar chiefs to prevent Nasir Jung from reaching Delhi, and thus, saved Safdar Jang. Starting in 1748, the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali) launched several invasions of India, forcing
670-416: A garden, a wooden hall and a fountain outside this favourite temple. 18 November 1772, early morning approximately at eight: Madhavrao died at the temple premises of Chintamani, Theur. Thousands of citizens visited the site and paid their last respects. Madhavrao was cremated on the banks of the river which was about half a mile from the temple. A small memorial carved out of stone rests today at that place as
804-575: A large army under the command of Ramchandra Ganesh Kanade and Visaji Krushna Biniwale in order to recover territory lost in the North due to the defeat of Third battle of Panipat they were joined by Mahadji Shinde and Tukoji Rao Holkar . This Maratha army marched towards Udaipur . The Rajputs there agreed to pay him 60 lakhs as tribute. On 5 April 1770, the Marathas defeated Jats of Bharatpur . In October 1770 they vanquished Najib Khan Rohilla ,
938-506: A letter from the Peshwa loyalist Mahadji Purandare, who denounced him as a traitor. Subsequently, Gaekwad changed course and started advancing towards Satara. Mahadji's brother Trimbakrao Purandare led a 20,000-strong force against him. Gaekwad defeated him at Nimb, a small town north of Satara. He then marched to Satara, where he was received by Tarabai. However, Trimbakrao re-formed his army and on 15 March 1751, he attacked Gaekwad's army, which
1072-437: A memorial. His wife Ramabai chose to commit sati with his body at the time of cremation. Madhavrao Peshwa I was a prominent figure of the Maratha Empire, renowned for his administrative acumen and leadership. During his tenure, he implemented significant reforms and exhibited a deep sense of empathy for the populace. Humanitarian and Administrative Abilities An incident highlighting Madhavrao's compassion occurred during
1206-492: A result, Balaji Rao ordered Damaji to be put in iron chains at Lohagad. He then sent a military expedition to Gujarat, under his brother Raghunath Rao . Raghunath Rao managed to recover revenues from Surat , but could not advance north of the Tapti River . Meanwhile, Balaji Rao received a setback when his general Shankarji Keshav Phadke was defeated at the siege of Parner . As a result, he decided to seek reconciliation with
1340-506: A section of Tarabai's troops in the Satara garrison rebelled against her. Although she crushed the mutiny, she realized that it would be difficult to continue the fight against Balaji Rao. She, therefore, agreed to a peace treaty. She met Balaji Rao in Pune, and accepted the superiority of the Peshwa's office. She agreed to dismiss her lieutenant Baburao Jadhav, whom the Peshwa disliked. In return,
1474-465: A subordinate, and asked Balaji Rao to consult Umabai. On 30 April, Balaji Rao launched a surprise evening attack, and Damaji's camp surrendered without resistance. Balaji Rao then surrounded the Satara fort, and asked Tarabai to release Chhatrapati Rajaram II, whose physical and mental condition had deteriorated considerably. Tarabai refused, and Balaji Rao left for Pune, since a siege of the well-provisioned and strong Satara fort would not be easy. Later,
SECTION 10
#17327728057911608-670: A time. The Maratha army moved through Mewar from Indore and on its way collected a ransom of one lakh from Jawad and attacked Ranikheda in March 1757. Reaching Jaipur in April 1757, Ragunathrao demanded pending payments from Madho Singh and laid siege to Barwada, then belonging to the Shekhawats . Lacking siege materials the Maratha army could not force the Shekhawats to surrender, and the long-standing siege started taking its toll on
1742-576: A treaty with Hyder Ali , much to Madhavrao's disappointment. Raghunathrao intentionally made this move, since he was now fearfully aware of Madhavrao's burgeoning power. The power of the Young Peshwa Madhav Rao could be seen from a letter which Raghunath Rao wrote to Gopika Bai in 1765 which was as follow. " He has become very wise. He is managing everything and doing more than Nana Saheb Peshwa and Bhau Saheb ever did." Additionally, his loyal assistant Sakharam Bapu also warned him against
1876-494: A treaty. Raghunathrao agreed to sign the treaty with Madhavrao and asked him to move back to a non-attacking position. Madhavrao did so. However, Raghunathrao deceived Madhavrao. When the Maratha camp under Madhavrao was relaxed and unsuspecting of a battle, they were caught unawares as Raghunathrao attacked treacherously. Thus, Madhavrao was defeated in the Battle of Alegaon and on 12 November 1762, surrendered near Alegaon. After
2010-508: A war by offering him ₹ 4,000,000; but, Raghunath Rao was not satisfied with the offer. The Marathas besieged Bharatpur's Kumher fort in early 1754 for around four months, before a peace treaty was concluded. The Marathas accepted an offer by Suraj Mal to pay ₹ 3,000,000 in three yearly installments. During Baji Rao's tenure, the Mughals had nominally granted the Malwa to the Marathas, but
2144-645: A war of succession between Bakht Singh and Ram Singh . Ram Singh sought help from Jayappa Scindia. By the time Scindia marched to Jodhpur in September 1752, Bakhat Singh had died. He was succeeded by his son Bijay Singh, who sought help against the Marathas from the Mughals, the Rohillas and Madho Singh. With Madho Singh's help, Maharaja Vijay Singh resisted the Marathas for a year, before he agreed to peace talks. During one such peace negotiation, Jayappa Rao Scindia
2278-463: A war on Ishwari Singh for his failure to pay the arrears. Ishwari Singh was desperate as he did not have sufficient money to pay off the Marathas, and he could not impose excessive taxes on his citizens. As a result, he committed suicide by consuming poison. After Ishawari Singh's death, Madho Singh became the ruler of Jaipur. However, he no longer trusted the Marathas, having seen their treatment of his elder brother. He participated in battles against
2412-650: The British East India Company on 6 March 1775. According to the treaty it was decided that Thane , Vasai and Sashti were to be handed over to the British, and in return the company would assist Raghunathrao to become the Peshwa. However, the company was not yet ready for war, so that the treaty between the Baarbhai and the company was signed at Purandar . After the Treaty of Purandar (1776) ,
2546-626: The Durrani Empire at Sirhind and Attock and brought Northwestern India and the surrounding territory including Attock , Lahore , Multan and Peshawar under Maratha rule for a brief period. Ahmad Shah Abdali sought revenge against the Marathas for capturing Punjab and defeating the Durrani armies. He made preparations for another campaign in India. Raghoba asked for a large financial assistance in order to check Abdali's advance which
2680-830: The Hooghly River . During this period, warriors called as " Bargis ", perpetrated atrocities against the local population, against Hindu Bengalis Muslims and Biharis . As reported in Burdwan Kingdom's and European sources, the Bargis are said to have plundered villages, and Jan Kersseboom, chief of the Dutch East India Company factory in Bengal, estimated that perhaps 400,000 Hindu civilians in Western Bengal and Bihar were dead owing to
2814-534: The Keladi Nayaka Kingdom and her son who were kept in confinement in the fort of Madhugiri by Hyder Ali. They were rescued by Madhavrao I and were sent to Pune for protection. Sira subah was absorbed into Maratha confederacy. who retained it until Haidar's son, Tipu Sultan , recaptured it in 1774. The Peshwas were expanding their territory in the northern regions of India. Raghunathrao , Holkars and Shindes together marched towards Delhi with
SECTION 20
#17327728057912948-706: The Maratha army . Kaniram, who was the Jaipur minister offered Raghunathrao payment as agreed in the past between Marathas and Rajputs, but Raghunathrao was adamant. He demanded 40 to 50 lakhs and territory worth 14 lakhs or threatened to wait out the siege and take territory worth 40 to 50 lakhs from the Rajputs. Madho Singh, king of Jaipur refused all of Raghunathrao's terms and asked all his feudatories to fortify their posts and stay vigilant. The Maratha army in Rajputana at
3082-695: The Rohillas , and by recovering from them an additional tribute of Rs.40 lakhs. Mahadji Shinde made his mark as a Maratha general while serving with Biniwale in North India. During his northern campaign Biniwale persuaded the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam to return to Delhi and reclaim his throne in 1771. Peshwa Madhavrao I was so delighted with Visaji Krushna's grand victory in the Rohilkhand that he specifically mentioned in his written will to shower golden flowers on him during his arrival at
3216-618: The Third Battle of Panipat and conquered much of the lost territories which they lost after the Third Battle of Panipat. Shah Alam spent six years in the Allahabad fort and after the capture of Delhi in 1771 by the Marathas, left for his capital under their protection. He was escorted to Delhi by Mahadaji Shinde and left Allahabad in May 1771. During their short stay, the Marathas constructed two temples in Allahabad city, one of them being
3350-465: The Third Battle of Panipat in early 1761. The Maratha forces suffered heavy losses, including Nanasaheb's eldest son and heir Vishwasrao Bhat , and cousin, Sadashivrao Bhau . He died on 23 June 1761, at Parvati Hill in Pune . After his father's death, the sixteen-year-old Madhav Rao was made the next Peshwa of Maratha Confederacy . His paternal uncle, Raghunathrao was to act as regent . At
3484-618: The Battle of Talegaon, the East India Company was defeated. A treaty was signed at Vadgaon according to which Raghunathrao's claim on the position of Peshwa was rescinded. Raghunathrao moved to Kopargaon to his trusted Sardar Santajirao Wable's place and died on 11 December 1783 of unknown causes at Kopargaon . He had two sons Baji Rao II and Chimaji Rao II; in addition, he had adopted Amrit Rao . After his death, his wife Anandi Bai and his three sons were kept in confinement by
3618-523: The Company openly distanced itself from Raghunathrao and asked him to live as their pensioner. But due to the fear of the Baarbhai, Raghunathrao was unhappy to leave Surat and in fact the Company did not insist on it, so he kept on living there. In 1776, Raghunathrao unsuccessfully tried to get help from the Portuguese . After that he came to Bombay . During that period Company gave him Rs 15000. At
3752-590: The Dabhades to share Gujarat revenues as per the agreement. Umabai personally met him in 1750 and argued that the agreement was void because the Dabhades had signed it under force. The Peshwa refused to entertain this argument. Umabai dispatched 15,000 troops led by her lieutenant Damaji Rao Gaekwad in support of Tarabai's rebellion. Gaekwad initially advanced towards Pune, prompting the Peshwa's mother Kashibai and his grandmother Radhabai to flee from Pune to Sinhagad . While encamped at Pargaon near Pune, he received
3886-479: The Dabhades were also arrested, and deprived of their jagirs and titles. In Pune, Balaji Rao repeatedly pressurized Damaji to cede half of Gujarat on behalf of Yashwant Rao Dabhade. Damaji kept refusing, and on 19 July 1751, Balaji Rao placed him and his dewan Ramchandra Baswant in strict confinement. On 14 November, he sent them to captivity in Lohagad . A few weeks later, Ramchandra Baswant escaped to Gujarat. As
4020-559: The Doab region at the time, occupied Patparganj , and Shamsher Bahadur with the artillery division reached Rewari on 27 July 1757. Grain was stopped from entering the city. Najib Khan in preparation of the coming battle, dug trenches at Khizrabad outside the city to halt the cavalry advance of the Marathas. Najib Khan on hearing of Ragunathrao's advance, sent his wakil Meghraj to Imad-ul-Mulk to seek terms of peace, but Imad proposed humiliating terms which were unacceptable to Najib. And so there
4154-572: The Fort. Najib Khan had the long range cannons dragged to the northern section of the fort and commenced bombardment on enemy's troops which resulted in several hundreds of Bahadur Khan's troops being killed. After this, the fighting stopped once again. Najib being all alone in the fort with his soldiers being reduced to 2000 men, sought to make terms by sending his diplomat (wakil) Meghraj to Malharrao. Raghunathrao set forth terms that Najib Khan should resign his post of Mir Bakhshi (Paymaster-General), vacate
Madhavrao I - Misplaced Pages Continue
4288-569: The French, but the English refused to get involved in the conflict. The Marathas wanted Salabat Jung's brother Ghazi ud-Din Khan to be appointed as the Nizam; as he had promised them a payment of ₹ 6,000,000 among other favours. However, Khan was poisoned to death by his step-mother. Ultimately, Balaji Rao and Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau concluded a peace treaty. Raghoji Bhonsle also agreed to peace on
4422-526: The Gaekwads. In March 1752, Damaji finally agreed to abandon Dabhades and join Balaji Rao. In return, he was made the Maratha chief of Gujarat, and Balaji Rao offered him assistance in expelling the Mughals from Gujarat. Gaekwad promised to pay an annual tribute of ₹ 525,000 to Peshwa in addition to a one-time payment of ₹ 1,500,000. He was also asked to maintain a cavalry of 20,000 horses in service of
4556-673: The Ganga Doab under the command of Sakharam Bapu , Vithal Shivdev, Tatya Gangadhar and Antaji Mankeshwar into the Ganga Doab reached Agra in May 1757. On reaching Agra , the Marathas made peace with Suraj Mal and advanced to the Yamuna . They crossed the Yamuna at Agra, occupied Etawah and Sikandra , and encamped at Kasganj on the southern bank of the Ganga on 17 June 1757. Antaji Mankeshwar went to Anupshahr about 2 July 1757. Meerut which
4690-456: The Governor of Ajmer and Agra . The Marathas were also granted the right to collect chauth from Lahore , Multan , Sindh , and some districts of Hissar and Moradabad . However, the Mughal emperor had also ceded Lahore and Multan to Ahmad Shah Durrani in order to pacify him. In addition, he did not ratify the transfer of Rajput-ruled territories like Ajmer to the Marathas. This brought
4824-533: The Maratha soldiers to attack Delhi fort from the Northern side of Kashmir Gate . Imad-ul-mulk's troops under Bahadur Khan Baluch and Jamil-ud-din Khan supported them. Santajirao Wable and Manaji Paygude entrenched himself opposite Kabul Gate in the north-western section of the Fort. On 25 August 1757, Bahadur Khan and Nagar Mal led an attack on the outskirts of the fort, forcing the Rohilla defenders to fall back to
4958-468: The Marathas and Mughals arrived at Lahore, they took Lahore fort with no resistance from the Afghans. The Marathas pursued Timur Shah and the Afghans, first crossing Ravi river, then defeating the rear guard of Mir Hazar Khan. Timur Shah alarmed by the possible scenario of being captured crossed Chenab river with his Durrani clansmen, leaving all his other soldiers and supplies behind. They were captured by
5092-630: The Marathas and Mughals. The Marathas later crossed the Chenab river and captured Attock , Multan , Rohtas , Dera Ghazi Khan and Peshawar . On 15 September 1758, only a few months after victory, Adina Beg died at Khanpur near Hoshiarpur . The Marathas appointed Dattaji Scindia and then Sabaji Shinde to succeed him as the governor of the Punjab. In 1760, Ahmad Shah Abdali's forces defeated and killed Dattaji Scindia in Battle of Barari Ghat near modern-day Delhi. To counter this sitiation, Raghunathrao
5226-426: The Marathas and the Nizam over the control of various territories in the region. Legend has it that the original command was "Hyala Dharaava" (Have him seized) written on a parchment of paper, and while the message was handed over to Anandibai to pass it on to the minions, she changed the letters to mean "Hyala Maraava" (Have him killed). And therefore when the assassins attacked the young Peshwa, he ran over outside of
5360-402: The Marathas in conflict with Durranis as well as Rajputs. From 1741 to 1751, the Marathas under Raghuji Bhonsle invaded Bengal six times. The first one in 1741, The second in 1742, as also the third in 1744 and the fourth in 1745 were led by Raghuji himself. The fifth in 1747 and the sixth in 1748 were undertaken by Janoji and Sabaji respectively. These invasions caused heavy destruction in
5494-513: The Marathas) was made provincial governor of Orissa under nominal control of the Nawab of Bengal . It made The Nawab of Bengal a tributary to the Marathas who agrees to pay Rs. 1.2 million annually as the chauth of Bengal and Bihar, and the Marathas agreed not to invade Bengal again. The Nawab of Bengal also paid Rs. 3.2 million to the Marathas, towards the arrears of chauth for
Madhavrao I - Misplaced Pages Continue
5628-528: The Marathas, but later left the alliance due to a misunderstanding with Bhau. Between 1759 and 1761, the Durranis and the Marathas fought each other in several skirmishes and small battles, with varying results. Due to the extended duration of the siege of the Maratha garrison at Panipat which Balaji's reinforcements were supposed to break but never reached beyond the Narmada , the Durranis decisively defeated
5762-456: The Marathas, until Safdar Jang intervened and convinced the Marathas to leave with an apology and some compensation. After Safdar Jang's death, the Marathas again invaded the Rajput territories. This forced Madho Singh to seek help from Safdar Jang's successor Shuja-ud-Daula as well as the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali). In 1749, Abhai Singh of Jodhpur (Marwar) died, leading to
5896-428: The Marathas. The Marathas were unable to storm the fort from the south, so Raghunathrao decided to attack the fort from all sides and lay siege to the place. Grain supply to the fort was stopped and Maratha troops encircled the fort. Najib countering these plans placed guards and cannons on all sides of the fort, preventing the Marathas from getting in the range of these cannons. Malharrao Holkar with Vithal Shivdev led
6030-413: The Marathas. Madho Singh later sought arbitration from Balaji Rao, who personally came to Jaipur and convinced Ishwari Singh to cede 4 mahals to Madho Singh. Ishwari Singh initially agreed, but refused to abide by his promise after Balaji returned to Pune. Malhar Rao Holkar then not only forcefully captured the mahal s for Madho, but also imposed a tribute on Ishwari Singh. In 1750, the Marathas declared
6164-547: The Mughals to seek Maratha help. In 1752, the Rohillas of the Doab region rebelled against the Mughal emperor. They defeated Safdar Jang in a battle, and invited Durrani to invade India. Once again, Safdar Jang sought assistance from the Marathas, who helped him crush the rebellion. The Marathas and the Mughals signed an agreement in 1752. The Marathas agreed to help the Mughals defeat external aggressions as well as internal rebellions. The Mughals agreed to appoint Peshwa Balaji Rao as
6298-582: The Nizam. After months of chasing, the Peshwas faced the Nizam's army on 10 August 1763, in the Battle of Rakshasbhuvan near Aurangabad . the Nizam's army suffered huge losses in this war, and Nizam retreated. In January 1764, for the second time, Madhavrao gathered his defences and conquer Hyder Ali . This time his massive army included efficient generals like Gopalrao Patwardhan, Murarrao Ghorpade, Vinchurkar and Naro Shankar. Raghunathrao declined his offer to join him, and instead chose to visit Nashik . This
6432-557: The North-west. The fort was bombarded by Maratha cannons from all sides, resulting in two of the bastions of Delhi Gate being demolished. The cannon fire from all sides of the fort continued till 31 August 1757. Najib's soldiers tried forming a counterattack and drove away Imad-ul-mulk and Ahmad Khan Bangash 's men from Lahore Gate. Another sortie was successfully executed by Najib's soldiers at Turkoman Gate , where Dilel Singh (diwan of Wazir), lost some soldiers. With famine raging in
6566-561: The Peshwa forgave her. On 14 September 1752, the two took oaths at Khandoba temple in Jejuri , promising mutual peace. At this oath ceremony, Tarabai swore that Rajaram II was not her grandson, but an impostor from the Gondhali caste. Nevertheless, the Peshwa retained Rajaram II as the titular Chhatrapati and a powerless figurehead. In May 1751, Balaji Rao had arrested Damaji Gaekwad and his relatives, and sent them to Pune. Sometime later,
6700-526: The Peshwa title was passed on to Madhavrao I , second son of Nanasaheb . Madhavrao was a minor when appointed Peshwa. Therefore, Raghunathrao was appointed as the regent to the young Peshwa. He soon fell out of favor with Madhavrao and even tried to conspire against him by joining the Nizam of Hyderabad against the Peshwa. The alliance was defeated at Ghodegaon , and Raghunathrao was placed under house arrest . After Madhavrao I 's death in 1772, Raghunathrao
6834-542: The Peshwa. In 1751, Balaji Rao had invaded the territories of Nizam of Hyderabad Salabat Jung , who was supported by the French Governor-General of Pondicherry Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau . Due to Tarabai's rebellion and the French-trained enemy troops, the Marathas had to retreat. In 1752, Balaji Rao launched a fresh attack against the Nizam. He also sought support of the English to counter
SECTION 50
#17327728057916968-532: The Peshwa. He then returned to South India, where he defeated Chanda Sahib in March 1741, before being forced to retreat by Chanda Sahib's French allies from Pondicherry . After returning to Satara, Raghoji continued to oppose Balaji Rao. In 1743, Raghoji Bhonsle attacked Alivardi Khan 's forces in Orissa . Khan paid ₹ 2,000,000 to Balaji Rao, who helped him expel Raghoji from Orissa in 1744. Raghoji then complained to Chhatrapati Shahu, and got himself appointed
7102-421: The Peshwa. Shortly before Balaji's appointment as the Peshwa, Raghoji had led a Maratha force to South India. His mission was to help Pratap Singh of Thanjavur , a royal of the Bhonsle clan, against Dost Ali Khan . Raghoji killed Dost Ali in May 1740, and installed Dost Ali's son Safdar Ali Khan as the Nawab of Arcot . He returned to Satara, and unsuccessfully lodged a protest against Balaji Rao's appointment as
7236-477: The Raste family. She was impressed by Gopikabai's Orthodox Hindu upbringings as she was well versed in priestly religious matters and the prevailing customs followed in priestly Brahmin families. Despite her young age, Radhabai proposed the marriage of Gopikabai to her Grandson Balaji Bajirao, who was 10 at the time. The two eventually got married on 11 January 1730. The couple had three sons, Vishwasrao who died in
7370-463: The Yavateshwar garrison, defeating Tarabai's forces. He then joined Trimbakrao, who had been keeping a watch on Gaekwad's army. Gaekwad was compelled to declare ceasefire and meet Balaji Rao to discuss the terms of a peace treaty. Balaji Rao demanded from him half of Gujarat's territories in addition to a war indemnity of ₹ 2,500,000. Damaji refused to sign an agreement, stating that he was only
7504-504: The addition of Mahadji Shinde and Tukoji Holkar. At the end of 1756, Ahmad Shah Abdali was preparing to invade India and Delhi once again. Nanasaheb Peshwa, Ragunathrao, Sidhojiraje Gharge-Desai-Dehmukh, Malharrao Holkar and Dattaji Shinde prepared an army and it was decided that Marathas being the protectors of the Mughal Emperor would make another expedition to North India to stop another Afghan invasion. Nanasaheb Peshwa gave
7638-438: The aftermath of a war. Pune's citizens, facing dire circumstances due to the conflict, sought relief at Shaniwar Wada. Despite being occupied with treasury management,Madhavrao personally met with the affected families, ensuring their losses were compensated. This episode exemplifies his reputation as a benevolent ruler. Despite a strained relationship with his uncle Raghunathrao, Madhavrao maintained personal affection. He imposed
7772-495: The armies of the Nawab of Bengal. Nawab Alivardi Khan was successful in repelling only the first invasion in 1741. In 1743 two Maratha armies invaded - one belonged to Raghoji Bhonsle and the other of Balaji Rao. Alivardi Khan was obliged to pay him a subsidie, promising to pay him Chauth tax. The continuous conflict took a heavy toll on the population of Bengal. The Hindu Maratha warriors invaded and occupied western Bengal up to
7906-455: The ascendancy of Madhavrao, the Maratha Confederacy was in complete shambles as their defeat at Panipat had accumulated big debts to their wealth. At Shaniwar Wada , the prime residence of the Peshwa , religious rituals and ceremonies were frequently being conducted. The discipline required for the smooth running of administrative affairs was almost non-existent. The security at the treasury
8040-467: The battle of Panipat in 1761, Madhavrao who succeeded Nanasaheb as Peshwa and Narayanrao who succeeded Madhavrao in his late teens. Nanasaheb had an able brother called Raghunathrao whose ambitions to be the Peshwa became disastrous for the Maratha empire. In early years of Balaji Rao's tenure, Raghoji I Bhonsle helped extend Maratha influence in South and East India. However, he was not on good terms with
8174-488: The border of Pune . The Capture of Delhi was a battle in 1771 when the forces of the Maratha Confederacy led by Mahadaji Shinde captured Delhi along with the Red Fort, and gave Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II the throne back with the treaty. The Marathas captured Delhi from Najib Khan 's son Zabita Khan who was put in charge by the Afghans. With this capture, Marathas regained their lost supremacy in North India after
SECTION 60
#17327728057918308-541: The capital city of Pune and in other parts of the Maratha Empire. In his twenty-year reign as the Peshwa, Nanasaheb subdued three major powers under his tenure, viz. Mughals in the North, the Nizam in the South and the Bengal Sultanate. Along with that he also weakened the Afghan control over Punjab, stopped their repeated invasions on the imperial capital of Delhi, subdued the Rajputs and Rohillas and neutralized
8442-513: The city, many soldiers started deserting Najib Khan and leaving the city, and only a few remaining loyal with him. Being hopelessly outnumbered Najib realized that surrender was the only option. Malharrao convinced Raghunathrao and Imad-ul-mulk for peace while Abdul Ahad Khan pressed Najib to agree to peace. On 3 September 1757, Qutb Shah and Najib Khan visited Malharrao's camp at Qudsiabad and accepted all terms of surrender. This created some animosity between Malharrao and Raghunathrao, as Raghunathrao
8576-553: The city. Imad-ul-Mulk replaced Najib's agents in the city with his own men on high posts. Ahmad Khan Bangash was made imperial Paymaster-General. Thus, Delhi was freed from Rohilla and Afghan influence by the wazir and Marathas. On 22 October 1757, Raghunathrao and Malharrao Holkar left Delhi after celebrating the Dasahara festival and entered Doab. Raghunathrao marched to Garh Mukteshwar to bathe in those holy waters and Malharrao Holkar started plundering Saharanpur district , which
8710-463: The command of this expedition to Ragunathrao and Malharrao Holkar was asked to assist Ragunathrao. Malharrao Holkar left for Indore at the end of 1756 and Ragunathrao followed him with his army after few weeks in October 1756. Raghunathrao reached Indore on 14 February 1757 with Santajirao Wable and was joined by Malharrao Holkar. The purpose of Raghunathrao's northern expedition was twofold: first
8844-545: The condition that Nizam would grant him some jagirs in Berar . Balaji's father Baji Rao aimed to establish a Hindu Padshahi (Hindu kingship) in India, and maintained good relations with the Hindu Rajputs . However, during Balaji Rao's tenure, the Marathas alienated the Rajput rulers. When Jai Singh II of Jaipur died in 1743, a war of succession broke out between his sons Ishwari Singh and Madho Singh . Madho
8978-443: The condition that they would remit half of the revenues collected from Gujarat to his treasury. Umabai's minor son Yashwant Rao was made the titular Senapati , while she held the actual executive power in Maratha territories of Gujarat. The Dabhades never actually shared any revenues, but Shahu did not want to take any action against a grieving mother. However, after Shahu's death Peshwa Balaji Rao faced an empty treasury and pressurized
9112-414: The consequences of conquering Hyder Ali. The Peshwa's failure to impose his authority over Hyder Ali triggered a major setback on Madhavrao's health. In 1767, Madhavrao I organized a 2nd expedition against Hyder Ali . Supported by the defection Hyder Ali's brother, he inflicted defeats on Hyder Ali in the battles of Sira and Madhugiri and made a surprise discovery of Queen Virammaji, the last ruler of
9246-400: The control was not actually passed to the Marathas. After becoming Peshwa, Balaji Rao approached the Mughal emperor through Jai Singh II , and managed to get appointed as the Deputy Governor of Malwa (with Ahmad Shah as the titular Governor). In return, he pledged faithfulness to the Mughal emperor. He also agreed to keep a force of 500 soldiers at the emperor's court, in addition to providing
9380-445: The death of his father, the Peshwa Bajirao I . During his tenure, the Chhatrapati (Maratha Emperor) was a mere figurehead. At the same time, the Maratha empire started transforming into a confederacy , in which individual chiefs—such as the Holkars , the Scindias and the Bhonsles of Nagpur kingdom —became more powerful. During Balaji Rao's tenure, the Maratha territory reached its zenith. A large part of this expansion, however,
9514-403: The degree of power that lay with the judiciary in a well-governed state. But Shastri was dismissed from his office by Raghunathrao and went back to his native village. While Shastri was conducting his investigation, Sakharam Bapu ensured that pregnant Gangabai, the widow of Narayanrao, was secure and safe from harm's way. If Gangabai were to give birth to a male child, he would become the heir to
9648-498: The evening of 7 September 1769. Madhavrao was returning from the Parvati temple at Pune with his comrades, when one of his generals Ramsingh suddenly attacked him with a sword. Madhavrao was warned just in the nick of time, and he suffered a blow from the sword on his shoulder as he tried to dodge Ramsingh. Madhavrao believed that this was Raguhnathrao's attempt to murder him, but he imprisoned General Ramsingh. In 1769, Madhavrao sent
9782-429: The famished and under-equipped Maratha army in the Third Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761. According to Suresh k Sharma, "It was Balaji Bajirao's love of pleasure which was responsible for Panipat. He delayed at Paithan celebrating his second marriage until December 27th, when it was too late." The defeat at Panipat resulted in heavy losses for the Marathas, and was a huge setback for Peshwa Balaji Rao. He received
9916-513: The famous Alopi Devi Mandir . After reaching Delhi in January 1772 and realising the Maratha intent of territorial encroachment however, Shah Alam ordered his general Najaf Khan to drive them out. In retaliation, Tukoji Rao Holkar and Visaji Krushna Biniwale attacked Delhi and defeated Mughal forces in 1772. The Marathas were granted an imperial sanad for Kora and Allahabad. They turned their attention to Oudh to gain these two territories. Shuja
10050-527: The fort with all his troops and withdraw to his Rohilla jagirs and pay an indemnity of 50 to 60 lakhs. Najib Khan preferred to die instead of accepted such humiliating and exorbitant demands and prepared the defense of the fort with renewed vigor. The battle was renewed on the night of 29 August 1757, when Raghunathrao attacked the Delhi Gate in the south and Imad-ul-mulk attacked the Lahore Gate in
10184-461: The house of Raghoba crying "Kaakaa, malaa waachwaa" (Uncle, save me). His cry fell on deaf ears as Raghoba stood by imagining Narayanrao to be overacting while his nephew was eventually killed. After Narayanrao's murder, Raghoba became Peshwa, but he was shortly overthrown by Nana Phadnavis and 11 other administrators in what is called "The Baarbhaai Conspiracy" (Conspiracy by the Twelve). Raghunathrao
10318-479: The impact of the loss of Madhavrao, the writer James Grant Duff eulogised: And the plains of Panipat were not more fatal to the Maratha Confederacy than the early end of this excellent prince… Balaji Baji Rao Balaji Baji Rao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), often referred to as Nana Saheb I , was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy . He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon
10452-528: The in-charge of Marathas in Orissa, Bengal and Bihar . By 1752, Raghoji had taken over administration of Orissa, and also frequently raided Bengal and Bihar to collect chauth . The instability brought by him to Bengal later paved way for the rise of the East India Company there. Tarabai , the senior widow of Rajaram Chhatrapati after being released by her stepson Sambhaji II of Kolhapur
10586-401: The intention of expanding the Maratha Confederacy in these territories. Meanwhile, Madhavrao made a bold decision of bonding with his old rival, Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II . The Nizam also genuinely expressed his desire to do so, and thus the two met at Kurumkhed on 5 February 1766. The next few days saw some cultural exchanges and open expressions of concern. A level of mutual understanding
10720-461: The invasion of Bargis. The resulting casualties of Bargi onslaught against in Bengal are considered to be among the deadliest massacres in Indian history. According to the 18th-century Bengali text Maharashtra Purana written by Gangaram: In 1751, the Marathas signed a peace treaty with the Nawab of Bengal , according to which Mir Habib (a former courtier of Alivardi Khan , who had defected to
10854-633: The kingdom. But if she were to give birth to a female child, Sakharam Bapu contemplated the idea of making Ali Bahadur, the grandson of Baji Rao, the Peshwa of the Maratha empire. He convinced most of the Maratha chiefs from Raghunathrao's camp to switch sides without rousing his suspicion. He laid the foundations of a group of twelve Maratha officials and chiefs who were collectively known as the Barabhai Council ("Twelve Comrades"). These included Nana Phadnavis, Haripant Phadnavis, Babuji Naik, Maloji Ghorpade, Bhavanrao Pratinidhi, Raste, Patwardhans with
10988-467: The main culprit and in addition about fifty persons more or less responsible for the murder (forty nine males and one female servant). Of these forty nine men, thirteen were Gardis (eight Hindus and five Muslims), twenty six were Brahmin, three were Prabhu and seven were Marathas. The twenty six Brahmins were essentially clerks who acted as agents in planning and executing the details of the plan. Vyankatrao Kashi, his brother Laxman and Sakharam Hari Gupte were
11122-424: The main opponent of the Battle of Panipat (1761) . In November 1771, Visaji Krushna Biniwale was appointed ‘In Charge of the Northern front of Marathas ’ by Peshwa Madhavrao I. In February 1772, along with Mahadji Shinde, he overpowered the Rohillas of Rohillkhand at Shukratal by defeating Zabita Khan . They avenged the defeat of Panipat by breaking the tomb of Najib Khan , by looting the artillery and wealth of
11256-539: The news of the defeat of Panipat on 24 January 1761 at Bhilsa , while leading a reinforcement force. Besides several important generals, he had lost his own son Vishwasrao and cousin Sadashivrao Bhau in the Battle of Panipat. He fell in depression and died on 23 June 1761 at Parvati hill and was succeeded by his younger son Madhav Rao I . Raghunathrao Raghunathrao , also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada (18 August 1734 – 11 December 1783),
11390-472: The north to expand the empire, he failed to do so. Instead, he came back to Anandvalli and was again tempted to form an alliance with his generals and fight against Madhavrao. This time, however; Madhavrao was extremely agitated with his uncle's repeated attempts to overthrow him. On 10 June 1768, he waged a war against Raghunathrao, captured him and put him under house arrest at Shaniwar Wada along with his assistant Sakharam Bapu Bokil . The incident occurred on
11524-405: The people, Raghunathrao was unable to even gather funds for the subsistence of his army and constantly sent letters to Poona asking the Peshwa for funds. I am feeding myself only by looting villages. In this country most places are fortified, and not a grain of food can be obtained without fighting. I have no money, and cannot even raise a loan. My soldiers have been fasting for one or two days at
11658-612: The plot. While the previous plan involved simply capturing Narayanrao, the new plan involved his murder and was partly based on the assumption that Sakharam Bapu would remain neutral with regards to the plot. Ram Shastri , the Nyayadhish ("Chief Justice") of the Maratha empire, likely began looking into the killing of Narayanrao immediately after the incident despite Raghunathrao's opposition. The investigation lasted for around six weeks and decisions were made in accordance with established judicial practices. Shastri found Raghunathrao as
11792-486: The position of Peshwa, Raghunath Rao sided with the East India Company in the First Anglo-Maratha War . His attempt was foiled as Marathas defeated the company in that war. He later died of an unknown reason in 1783 at Kopargaon . Raghunathrao Bhat, also known as "Raghoba", "Raghoba Dada" and "Ragho Bharari," was the younger brother of Nanasaheb Peshwa . His father was Peshwa Bajirao I & mother
11926-404: The post of Peshwa. When Rajaram refused, she imprisoned him in a dungeon at Satara , on 24 November 1750. She claimed that he was an impostor, and that she had falsely presented him as her grandson. Tarabai was unsuccessful in getting support from other ministers and the would-be Nizam Salabat Jung . However, she managed to enlist the help of another noblewoman, Umabai Dabhade. Umabai Dabhade
12060-445: The preceding years. The chauth was paid annually by the Nawab of Bengal up to 1758, until the East India Company took over. After his initial invasions of India, Ahmed Shah Durrani appointed his son Timur Shah Durrani as the governor of Punjab and Kashmir. Balaji Rao then dispatched Raghunath Rao to check the advance of the Durranis. In 1758, Raghunath Rao conquered Lahore and Peshawar , and drove out Timur Shah Durrani. This
12194-521: The province of Punjab from the Mughal Empire in his invasion of 1757. He had appointed his son Timur Shah as the governor of Punjab province. Timur Shah began strengthening his position in Punjab by sending Sarfaraz Khan to deal with Adina Beg , the Mughal governor of Punjab. Adina Beg successfully repelled Sarafraz Khan's invasion, but he knew his cause was doomed as he only had 10,000 troops with him. So he opened negotiations with Raghunathrao who
12328-571: The rising Maratha power. Under these circumstances, Ahmad Shah Durrani launched a fresh invasion of India, reaching Lahore by the end of 1759. He gained allies in the Rohilla noble Najib-ud-Daula and the Nawab of Oudh Shuja-ud-Daula . Balaji Rao responded to the Durrani invasion by dispatching a large force commanded by Sadashiv Rao Bhau . This force was supplemented by the contingents of Holkar , Scindia , Gaikwad and Govind Pant Bundele . The Jat ruler Suraj Mal of Bharatpur also joined
12462-456: The ruler of this state, had interfered in Jaipur politics in support of Ishwari Singh. This had antagonized Maratha chiefs like Malhar Rao Holkar, who had supported Madho. In 1754, the Mughal wazir Safdar Jang sought Suraj Mal's help against the Mughal emperor. To counter him, the imperial loyalist Imad-ul-Mulk , sought Maratha help. Raghunath Rao used this opportunity and sent a force led by Malhar Rao Holkar to Bharatpur. Suraj Mal tried to avoid
12596-571: The south-east side of the city, where Qutb Shah commanding 2,500 troops fired bombardments on the Maratha soldiers from the Blue Bastion. Realizing that the old city was lost, Najib Khan and Qutb Shah retreated to the inner City with all their Rohilla troops. In retaliation, Rohillas attacked and plundered Imad-ul-mulk's house in Delhi, and dishonored Imad-ul-mulk's women in his harem . Imad-ul-mulk met with Raghunathrao and cemented an alliance with
12730-563: The state of Oudh. Balaji Rao was born in the Bhat family , to Peshwa Baji Rao I , on 8 December 1720. After Bajirao's death in April 1740, Chhatrapati Shahu appointed 19-year old Balaji as the Peshwa in August 1740, despite opposition from other chiefs such as Raghoji I Bhonsle . Radhabai, the Grandmother of Balaji bajirao came across Gopikabai , a noble girl aged 6, during her visit to
12864-470: The surrender, Raghunathrao decided to control all the major decisions under the assistance of Sakharam Bapu. He also decided to befriend the Nizam, but this proved to be a wrong move as the Nizam slowly started infiltrating the zones of Maratha Confederacy . As time slipped by, Madhavrao pointed out the gravity of the situation to his uncle. Eventually, on 7 March 1763, the Peshwas, once again under Madhavrao's leadership, decided to attack Aurangabad to crush
12998-643: The territories from Delhi to Thaneshwar. At this time, Abdus Samad Khan was on an expedition against Ala Singh and was greatly alarmed at the approach of the Marathas. He quickly settled the expedition and returned to Sirhind fort on 12 January 1758 and started making defensive preparations. But Malharrao again did not rise to the bait and retreated from Kunjpura after exacting a tribute of five lakhs. Raghunathrao entered Punjab in February 1758 with Malharrao Holkar , Dattaji Shinde , Jankoji Shinde and Shamsher Bahadur I (Krishna Rao) to lay siege of Sirhind fort. He
13132-411: The three Prabhus who were declared to have played a prominent role in the plot. When Shastri approached Raghunathrao, the latter downplayed the murder as a private, personal affair and asked the former to not concern himself with it. Shastri on his part, without an ounce of fear, told Raghunathrao that he was the main culprit for the murder of his nephew. Hence Raghunathrao and the general public understood
13266-454: The throne with Imad-ul-Mulk as his wazir. But Abdali gave all the real power to Najib-ud-Daulah, his supreme agent in India and made him Mir Bakhshi . Alamgir II, Imad-ul-Mulk all wanted to be free from Najib Khan's dominance and asked the Marathas for aid in liberating Delhi from Afghan influence. Ragunathrao agreed and marched on the imperial capital in July 1757. Sakharam Bapu who was present in
13400-431: The time did not have the numbers necessary to storm forts of Barwada and Jaipur and so on 12 July 1757 Raghunathrao agreed to peace talks with Madho Singh. He accepted a payment of eleven lakhs from Jaipur, six of which were paid immediately. On 12 July 1757, Raghunathrao wrote to Peshwa: I have no money, nor is any loan available. My troops are in debt. Prices here are very high. I am daily getting my food only by sacking
13534-476: The two, Raghunathrao decided to abandon the troops midway and return to Pune , while Madhavrao continued. Eventually, a treaty was signed with the Nizam and Madhavrao returned. Both Madhavrao and Raghunathrao had their preferences even over the Sardars (Generals). Madhavrao usually preferred the company of Gopalrao Patwardhan, Tryambakrao Mama Pethe, Nana Fadnavis and Ramshastri Prabhune ; while Raghunathrao
13668-474: The villages. But no help was provided by the Peshwa from Pune. Having thus concluded the business in Rajputana, Raghunathrao and Malharrao Holkar with the remaining Maratha forces started making for Delhi to liberate it from the Afghan agents at the end of July 1757, by which point of time Ahmad Shah Abdali was well away to his country. The Maratha troops sent by Raghunathrao to recover lost possessions in
13802-816: Was Kashibai . Raghunathrao was born in Mahuli near Satara on 8 December 1734. Much of his childhood was spent in Satara . A small time after his birth, his step-mother, Mastani gave birth to his brother, Krishna Rao, also named Shamsher Bahadur I . In his early years he fought with great success in the north. His expedition during 1753–1755 was concluded by an advantageous treaty with the Jats . Raghunathrao helped Imad ul mulk imprisoning Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur and made Alamgir II puppet monarch. He returned after taking over several forts, but made little economic gains. Between August 16 and 30, 1773, Peshwa Narayanrao
13936-424: Was assassinated by his uncle Raghunathrao and Raghunathrao's wife Anandibai . Since Raghunathrao could not leave his confinement, the preparations for the plot were carried out by Tujali Pawar, an influential personal servant. Tujali additionally felt he had been wronged by Narayanrao and possibly Madhavrao, and regardless of whether this supposed offense was real or not, it motivated him to play an integral part in
14070-511: Was Najib Khan's jagir . Najib with his Afghan forces retreated against the Maratha onslaught and moved to his interior domains. Then, Raghunathrao and Malharrao decided to withdraw from the Doab, and gave its lands to the Wazir, Imad-ul-Mulk and started focusing on Punjab expedition to liberate that province from the Durrani empire . Ahmad Shah Durrani (of present-day Afghanistan ) had annexed
14204-520: Was a delicate one, Ahmad Shah Abdali was busy in Khurasan with a rebellion, the Lahore fort was in a state of disrepair, he was surrounded with a hostile population of Sikhs and he himself had very little soldiers to make a defence. So Timur Shah decided it wise to retreat against the Maratha onslaught. Timur Shah fled Lahore on 19 April 1758 and crossed Ravi River with all his troops and supplies. When
14338-764: Was a particularly long conquest in areas of former Sira Subah which went for almost a year in Karnataka . However, Hyder Ali somehow managed to escape the clutches of the Peshwas. In November 1764, the major Dharwar Fort came into the charge of young Peshwa with the assistance of Gopal Rao and Anand Rao. Only Bankapur was left under the control of Haider Ali. Again Madhavrao defeated Hyder ali on many occasions on such occasion of Battle of Jadi Hanwati and Battle of Rattihalli which eventually gives Hyder Ali many casualties. Eventually, Madhavrao decided to call Raghunathrao for his assistance, but Raghunathrao only signed
14472-404: Was assassinated by emissaries of Vijay Singh of Marwar in July 1755. This led to further hostilities between the Marathas and the Rajputs until Dattaji Rao Scindia concluded a peace treaty in February 1756. The Marathas- Jat relations also worsened during Balaji Rao's reign. Balaji's younger brother Raghunath Rao wanted a share of revenues from the prosperous Bharatpur State . Suraj Mal ,
14606-546: Was born in Savnur in 1745. At the time of his birth, the Maratha Confederacy was stretched across a sizeable portion of Western, Central, and Northern India . On 9 December 1758, Madhavrao married Ramabai in Pune . Nanasaheb had greatly expanded the Maratha Confederacy and had tried to establish better governance. However, he was held partially responsible for the severe defeat of the Marathas by Ahmad Shah Abdali at
14740-534: Was currently in Delhi. Adina Beg promised to pay 1 lakh rupees for each marching day and half a lakh for each day of halt. Hearing of this, Abdus Samad Khan Mohmand of Sirhind, a close ally of Abdali, marched to Thaneshwar in October 1757, where he was joined by Najib-ud-daulah's son. Raghunathrao and Malharrao avoided the bait of attacking Abdus Samad Khan and circled around Delhi for a time. Then in December 1757, Malharrao laid siege to Kunjpura and raided most of
14874-497: Was dearer to Sakharam Bapu Bokil , Gulabrao and Gangoba Tatya. The discord between Madhavrao and Raghunathrao was increasing, and on 22 August 1762, Raghunathrao fled to Vadgaon Maval where he started grooming his own army. Raghunathrao's men started looting the nearby villages for warfare and this act angered Madhavrao. He decided to wage a war against his uncle Raghunathrao on 7 November 1762. However, Madhavrao didn't wish to battle against his own uncle and thus, proposed for
15008-536: Was encamped on the banks of the Venna River . Gaekwad was defeated in this battle, and forced to retreat with heavy losses. Trimbakrao kept pursuing him and cornered his force near a gorge in the Krishna River valley. Meanwhile, on hearing about the rebellion, Balaji Rao left the Mughal frontier, and quickly advanced towards Satara, covering 400 miles in 13 days. He reached Satara on 24 April, and stormed
15142-536: Was given asylum by Chhatrapati Shahu, her nephew. In the 1740s, during the last years of Shahu's life, Tarabai brought a child to him: Rajaram II . She presented the child as her grandson, and thus, a direct descendant of Shivaji . Shahu adopted the child, and after his death in 1749, Rajaram II succeeded him as the Chhatrapati . The next year, Peshwa Balaji Rao left to fight against the Nizam of Hyderabad . In his absence, Tarabai urged Rajaram II to remove him from
15276-460: Was however, unwilling to give them up and made appeals to the English and the Marathas did not fare well at the Battle of Ramghat. The Maratha and British armies fought in Ram Ghat, but the sudden demise of the Peshwa and the civil war in Pune to choose the next Peshwa forced the Maratha army to retreat. In June 1770, the Peshwas set out to conquer Hyder Ali for the third time. However, Madhavrao
15410-399: Was in command of the Northern expedition and peace talks were conducted by Malharrao Holkar. The peace became operative on 6 September 1757 where Najib vacated his seat with all the Rohilla soldiers and their belongings and encamped at Wazirabad . Raghunathrao released all Rohilla prisoners. Grain was brought from ferries and supplied to the starving city and Maratha soldiers started guarding
15544-508: Was infected with tuberculosis , and his health started deteriorating. Tuberculosis was also termed as "Raj-Yakshma" or the "prince of diseases". Madhavrao had to return from Miraj as the effects of the disease had started becoming prominent. He was even recommended an English doctor for treatment of the terrible disease, and he would follow the advice given by the doctor. However, there were no signs of improvement and slowly it started developing further. The disease had affected his intestine. There
15678-613: Was instructed to campaign in the north. Raghunathrao's requested a large military and financial investment since their ally Adina Beg was dead. This request was denied by Sadashivrao Bhau , Raghunathrao's cousin and Diwan of the Peshwa . Since Raghunathrao declined to march north, Sadashivrao Bhau was made commander in chief of the Maratha Army, under whom the Third Battle of Panipat was fought. After Maratha defeat at Third Battle of Panipat , his brother Nanasaheb Peshwa's death and his half brother Shamsher Bahadur's death in 1761,
15812-532: Was joined by Adina Beg 's forces and Sikh mercenaries. Maratha raiding bands spread all over the district to plunder the villages around. The siege lasted few days, after which on 21 March 1758, Abdus Samad Khan along with Jangbaz Khan and other Afghan captains were captured by the Marathas while escaping, though they were well treated by Raghunathrao. Thus, Sirhind was captured by the Marathas. The Marathas and Adina Beg's forces advanced to Lahore to liberate it from Afghan supremacy. Timur Shah's position at Lahore
15946-446: Was led by the individual chiefs of the Maratha Empire. Balaji Bajirao's administration worked with his cousin Sadashivrao Bhau , introducing new legislative and financial systems in the state. Under his leadership, the borders of the Maratha Empire expanded to Peshawar in present-day Pakistan , Srirangapatna in the South, and Medinipur in present-day West Bengal. Nanasaheb built canals, bridges, temples and lodges for travellers in
16080-509: Was no cure for tuberculosis in those times. Madhavrao decided to spend his last days in his favourite Ganesha Chintamani Temple, Theur . According to Grant Duff "The third battle of Panipat was not that much fatal to the Maratha empire than the early death of Peshwa Madhav Rao in 1772. " On 6 October 1772, Raghunathrao tried to escape from the house arrest at Shaniwar Wada, but he was caught again. Madhavrao had become excessively weak, and he could no longer bear such incidents. He had constructed
16214-466: Was no other alternative to settle this conflict other than war. Raghunathrao reached Khizrabad on 11 August 1757 with his lieutenants where he was joined by Sakharam Bapu who had crossed over from Doab. Raghunathrao sent two Maratha divisions to attack Delhi. The first division fought their way to the old city through Lal Darwaza and captured it swiftly after defeating Najib's troops under the leadership of Bakhtawar Khan. The second division attacked from
16348-534: Was occupied by Najib Khan 's agents resisted the Marathas but were swiftly defeated. Imad-ul-mulk sent his diwan Nagar Mal to Anupshahar to establish friendly relations with the Marathas once again. Shuja-ud-daulah had agreed to remain neutral in the conflict between Najib-ud-daulah and the Marathas. Thus most of the Doab was freed of Najib's agents and came under the control of Marathas. Ahmad Shah Abdali, before heading home in Afghanistan, kept Alamgir II on
16482-427: Was opposed by many of the Maratha nobles who saw Madhavrao I's younger brother Narayan Rao as the legitimate Peshwa. Raghoba then got involved in the assassination of his nephew Narayan Rao in 1773 and himself became the new Peshwa. However his reign proved to be short lived as Narayan Rao's infant son Sawai Madhavrao was recognized as the legitimate Peshwa by the Maratha nobles in 1774. Due to his removal from
16616-429: Was overhauled under the guidance of Ram Shastri, establishing a reputation for impartiality. Furthermore, Madhavrao prioritized the welfare of the citizens,optimizing revenue utilization for public benefit and strengthening the empire's military capabilities. Character and Leadership While feared by his servants, Madhavrao was approachable to the common people. His leadership style was characterized by decisiveness and
16750-482: Was poor. When these weaknesses were brought to Madhavrao's notice, he introduced changes by personally looking into the administration, accounts and the treasury. He also reduced the religious practices being followed at Shaniwar Wada . In February 1762, Peshwas set out to conquer Karnataka . This was one of the earliest wars against the Nizam ( Battle of Uruli ). When conflict arose between Madhavrao and his uncle Raghunathrao . Due to difference of opinion between
16884-479: Was reached and this relationship started growing stronger. On 3 December 1767, an East India Company officer named Mastin arrived in Pune. Mastin wanted to establish a military presence in the regions of Vasai and Sashthi, but was confronted by Madhavrao who was suspicious of his intentions. Mastin's repeated requests to acquire these regions in return for defeating Hyder Ali fell on deaf ears, and Madhavrao never agreed to them. Though Raghunathrao had marched to
17018-417: Was refused by Peshwa Nana Saheb . Nana Saheb's decision of not sending Raghoba as the main commander of Maratha armies against Ahmad Shah Abdali ultimately culminated in the defeat at Panipat . After the death of Nana Saheb, his son Madhavrao I became the new Peshwa under the regency of Raghoba. The untimely death of Madhavrao I created a vacuum for the post of Peshwa. Raghoba wanted to become Peshwa but
17152-424: Was released from house arrest. He then became the regent of Madhavrao's younger brother Narayanrao . Together with his wife Anandibai , he had his nephew Narayanrao murdered. In 1773, the Maratha Empire, under the command of Raghunathrao, launched a military campaign to gain control of Bidar , an important fortress located in the territory of the Nizam. The Battle of Bidar was a part of the ongoing conflict between
17286-413: Was supported by Jagat Singh II of Mewar and Ummed Singh of Bundi . The Marathas, however, initially supported Ishwari, simply because he offered them more money. Later, Jagat Singh was able to enlist Malhar Rao Holkar on Madho's side, while Jayappa Rao Scindia continued to support Ishwari. This episode not only spoiled the Maratha relations with the Rajputs, but also resulted in internal strife among
17420-581: Was the high-water mark of Maratha expansion, where the boundaries of their empire extended north of the Sindhu river all the way down south to northern Kerala . The Marathas thus became the Durrani's major rivals in the north-western part of the subcontinent. Meanwhile, the Marathas had reduced the Mughal emperor to a figurehead, and Balaji Rao talked of placing his son Vishwasrao on the Mughal throne. The Mughal loyalist Muslim intellectuals of Delhi were alarmed at these developments, and appealed Durrani to check
17554-509: Was the matriarch of the Dabhade family, whose members held the title of Senapati (commander-in-chief) and controlled several territories in Gujarat . Her husband had been killed by the Mughals , and her eldest son had been killed by Balaji Rao's father for a rebellion against Chhatrapati Shahu. However, Shahu had forgiven the Dabhades and allowed them to retain their jagirs and titles on
17688-517: Was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He was known for his extremely successful campaigns in Northern India . He emerged victorious against the Rohillas in the Battle of Delhi (1757) , by this victory Marathas became de-facto rulers of Delhi with Mughal Emperor Alamgir II having no actual power. He also led successful campaigns against
17822-416: Was to defend the Mughal Emperor from Afghan invasion and second to collect taxes and tributes to meet with Peshwa's growing debts. So in the middle of May 1757, Raghunathrao sent an advance force of 20,000 into the Ganga Doab to recover lost possessions of Marathas, and with Malharrao Holkar and the remaining force decided to invade Rajputana to collect taxes. Due to the fortified lands and the martial nature of
17956-424: Was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by the justice Ram Shastri Prabhune but the sentence was never carried out. At Kasegaon near Pandharpur the first battle between the Baarbhai and Raghobadada took place in 1774. He then went to Khambhat with hope of getting help from the British, who did not help but transported him to Surat from their ship. At Surat a treaty was signed between Raghunathrao and
#790209