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LURE-THRU THE AGES

MARATHA CONFEDERACY UNDER THE PESH WAS 1714-1818 A.D.

Overview The Marathas under the Peshwas were the most formidable of the Hindu Kingdoms which made a bid for ascendancy on the disintegra- tion of the Mughal empire. The Peshwas were originally ministers in the Maratha Court. The first Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath was appointed as sole administra- tor with his headquarters at Poona. Later the Peshwa's son and grandsons were appointed as the Peshwas by Sahu and his successors. The Peshwas emerged as defacto rulers of the Maratha kingdom and organised a confed- eracy with the support of adventurers like the Holkars of Indore, Gaekwads of Baroda, Sindhias of Gwalior and the Bhonsles of Nagpur. A large part of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Malwa, Bundelkhand and Orissa, came under the Maratha confederacy. Under Mahadaji Scindia, the Marathas be- came the defendants of the later Mughul em- perors who ruled in and around Delhi and Agra. The third battle of Panipat fought between the Marathas and the Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1761 resulted in the complete rout of the Maratha army. Besides immense losses in men and money, the power and pres- tige of the Maratha confederacy received a mortal blow. Between 1761 and 1818, the Peshwa con- federates were engaged in civil wars and fi- nally the Peshwa was overthrown by the Brit- ish and the confederates entered into subsidi- ary alliances with the British. Advent Sahu, the Maratha Chhatrapati appointed Balaji Viswanatkas the sole administrator of the empire (Peshwa). Later on the peshwaship became hereditory and the sons and grandsons of the Peshwa were appointed as Peshwas.

* Raghunath Rao (Raghoba) (Uncle of Narayan Rao) (1773-74) * Madhava Rao Narayan (son ofNarayan Rao) (1774-95)

* Baji RaO II (son of Raghoba) (1795-1818)

Wars 1761 Third battle of Panipat; Afghan in- vader Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas. 1778-82 First Maratha War with English ended with Treaty of Salbai. 1802-4 Second Maratha War with English; Peshwa forced to accept subsidiary alliance of Lord Wellesly. 1817-18 Third Maratha War with English; Peshwa Baji Rao exiled; Peshwaship abolished. 1714-20 On Aurangzeb's death Sahu, grandson of Shivaji who had been captured by Aurangzeb, escaped from the Mughal camp and was crowned as Chhtrapati by the Marathas. His succession was challenged by Tarabai, the widow of Rajaram, another son of Shivaji. Shahu had as his main supporter Balaji Viswanatha, Brahmin, who was first appointed as organiser of the army and rose to be the Pe- shwa (Prime Minister). By virtue of superior talents and abilities, Balaji Vishwanath and his illustrious son and successor Baji Rao I, made the Peshwa the real head of the Maratha Empire, the Chhatrapati or the King being in the course of a few years, relegated to the back- ground. During his tenure, the Marathas taking ad- vantage of the weakness of the Mughal Em- pire, made inroads into the Mughal-held terri- tories of Malwa, Gujarat, Baglana and Khan- desh. The Mughal Governor of the Deccan, Husayn Ali, then signed an agreement with Shahu under which 1) Sahu was recognised as the lawful ruler of territories and forts that had at one time belonged to Shivaji, 2) the Marathas were confirmed in their legal possession of territories recently conquered by them in Khandesh, Berar, Gondwana, Karnataka and other places, 3) they were allowed to collect certain taxes from all the six Mughal Subas (districts) in the south, in return for which they were to serve the Mughal emperor with a Balaji Viswanath

contingent of 16,000 troops and pay him an annual tribute. Balaji died shortly thereafter. He was a capable administrator, as is testifed by the new methods of revenue collection, based on Sardeshmukhi and Chauth, which he set up for the Maratha state. The Sardeshmukhi gave its holder (jagirdar) a right to 10% of the taxes collected in his region. The Chauth was collected from semi-conquered territories, where the Marathas kept the peace but took no responsibility for internal welfare and administration. Maratha leaders could make inroads into distant territories, and if they succeeded in establishing control as jagirdar could treat those territories as their vatans (domains), to which they could make hereditary claims. Baji Rao 11720-40 His immediate concern was with the Ni- zam ul-Mulk, the Mughal Viceroy in the Dec- can who was in revolt against Mohammad Shah, the Mughal Emperor. In 1725 and 26 Baji Rao personally led two successful expeditions in Karnataka and established Maratha rule there. On March 6, 1728 the Nizam was forced to enter into an agreement, under which he ratified the Maratha claims accepted earlier by the Sayyid brothers, agreed to pay up the arrears of Chauth and Sardeshmukhi and recognised Shahu as the legitimate ruler over the Maratha dominions. Baji Rao then turned his attention to Malwa, Bundelkhand and Gujarat. His brother, Chimnaji, defeated a Mughal army led personally by the Governor of Malwa at AmjharanearDharonNov29,1728. He then

Chronology Balaji Viswanath

(1714-20) (1720-40)

BajiRaol

Balaji Baji Rao (son of Baji Rao i) (1740-61)

Madhava Rao I (son of Balaji Baji Rao) (1761-72) Narayan Rao (son of Madhava Rao) (1772- 73)