The Marathas
Shivaji
(1627-80)
• Shivaji wasthe son of Shahji and Jijabai and was born in
the fort of Shivner.
• Shivaji inherited the Jagir of Poona from his father in
1637.
• His guru was Ramdas Samrath
• After the death of his guardian, Dadaji Kondadev, in 1647,
he assumed full charge of his Jagir.
• He conquered many Forts viz. 1. Singh Garh/ Kondana (1643)
2. Rohind and Chakan (1644-45) 3. Toran (1646) 4. Purandhar (1648) 5. Rajgarh/
Raigarh (1656) 6. Supa (1656) 7. Panhala (1659).
• In 1657 Shivaji first confronted the Mughals, talking
advantage of the Mughal invasion of Bijapur, he raided Ahamadnagar and
plundered Junnar.
• In 1659-60, Afzal Khan was deputed by Adil Shah of Bijapur
to punish Shivaji; but the later Afzal Khan was murdered by Shivaji in 1659. The
famous ―baghnakh‖ episode is related with the death of Afzal Khan.
• In 1660, Shaista Khan, governor of Deccan, was deputed by
Aurangzeb to check Marathas. Shivaji lost Poona, Kalyan and Chakan also
suffered several defeatstill he made a bold attack on Shaista Khan (1663) and
plundered Surat (1664) and later Ahmadnagar.
• Raja Jai Singh of Amber and Diler Khan were then appointed
by Aurangzeb to curb the rising power of Shivaji in 1665.
• Jai Singh succeeded in beseiging Shivaji in the fort of
Purandhar. Consequently the treaty of Purandhar (1665) was signed according to
which Shivaji ceded some forts to the Mughals and paid a visit to the Mughal
court at Agra.
• In 1666, Shivaji visited Agra but there he was insulted
• In 1670, Shivaji captured most of the forts lost by the
treaty of Purandhar.
• In 1674 Shivaji was coronated at capital Raigarh and
assumed the title of Haindava Dharmodharak (Protector of Hinduism).
• After that Shivaji continued the struggle with Mughals and
Siddis (Janjira). He conquested Karnataka during 1677-80.
• His last expedition was against Ginjee and Vellore.
Shambhaji:
1680-1689
• Sambhaji, the elder son of Shivaji, defeated Rajaram, the
younger son of Shivaji, in the war of succession.
• Heprovided protection and support to Akbar II, the
rebellious son of Aurangzeb.
• He was captured at Sangameswar by a Mughal noble and
executed (killed).
Rajaram:
1689-1700
• He succeeded the throne with the help of the ministers at
Rajgarh.
• He fled from Rajgarh to Jinji in 1689 due to a Mughal
invasion in which Rajgarh was captured along with Sambhaji‘s wife and son
(Shahu) by the Mughals.
• Rajaram died at Satara, which had become the capital after
the fall of Jinji to Mughal in 1698.
• Rajaram created the new post of Pratinidhi, thus taking the
total number of minister to nine (Pratinidhi+Ashtapradhan).
Tarabai:
1700-1707
• Rajaram was succeeded by his minor son Shivaji II under the
guardianship of his mother Tarabai.
• Tarabai continued the struggle with Mughals
Shahu:
1707-1749
• Shahu was released by the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah.
• Tarabai‘s army was defeated by Shahu at the battle of Khed
(1700) and Shahu occupied Satara.
• Shahu‘s reign saw the rise of Peshwas and transformation
ofthe Maratha kingdom into an empire based on the principle of confederacy.
Balaji
Viswanath (1714-20): The First Peshwa
• He began his carrier as a small revenue official and was
given the title of Sena Karte (marker of the army) by Shahu in 1708.
• Hebecame Peshwa in 1713 and made the post the most
important and powerful as well as hereditary.
• He concluded an agreement with the Syed Brothers-King Maker
(1719) by which the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar recognised Shahu as the king of
the Swarajya.
Baji
Rao I: 1720-40
• Baji Rao, the eldest son of Balaji Viswanath, succeeded him
as Peshwa at the young age of 20.
• He was considered the greatest exponent of guerrilla
tactics after Shivaji and Maratha power reached its zenith under him.
• Under him several Maratha families became prominent and got
themselves entrenched in different parts of India.
• He conquered Bassein and
Salsette from the Portuguese (1739).
• He also defeated the Nizam-ul-Mulk near Bhopal and
concluded the treaty of Doraha Sarai by which he got Malwa and Bundelkhand from
the latter (1738).
• He said about Mughals: Let us strike at the trunk of the
withering tree and the branches will fall of themselves‘.
Balaji
Baji Rao: 1740-61
• Popularly known as Nana Saheb, he succeeded his father at
the age of 20.
• After the death of Shahu (1749), the management of all
state affairs was left in his hands.
• In an agreement with the Mughal emperor Ahmad Shah, the
Peshwa was to protect the Mughal empire from internal and external enemies
(like Ahmad Shah Abdali) in return for Chauth (1752).
• Third battle of Panipat (Jan 14, 1761) resulted in the
defeat of the Marathas by Ahmad Shah Abdali and the death of Viswas Rao &
Sadashiv Rao Bhau. This event shocked the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao and after six
month he also died. This battle ended the Maratha power.
