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Eternal India
encyclopedia
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.
Chronology
Balaji Viswanath
(1714-20)
BajiRaol
(1720-40)
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)
*
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.
Balaji
Viswanath
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
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