HISTORY ASSIGNMENT (103)

TOPIC – MARATHA
ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICS

SUBMITTED BY SUBMITTED TO
JAIVARDHAN SINGH Dr. H Bharti
2201049
 INTRODUCTION
The Maratha Empire, also known as the Maratha Confederacy, dominated a
large portion of India during the 17th and 18th century. The Maratha Empire
formally began with the rise of Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1674. The Maratha
Empire brought an end to the chaos that prevailed in the Deccan Plateau, as a
result of the expansion and advent of the Mughal Empire into south India.
Hence, Maratha Empire is largely credited with ending the Mughal rule in India
and is often seen as a true Indian power, as it dominated the Indian subcontinent
during 17th and 18th centuries. At its peak, the Maratha Empire extended from
Peshawar in the north to Thanjavur in the south. The Marathas, who started as a
warrior group emerging from the Deccan Plateau, went on to control most parts
of the Indian subcontinent before their decadence in the early 19th century.
 HISTORY
For many years, the western Deccan Plateau served as the home for a group of
Marathi warriors, which flourished under a prominent warrior named Shivaji
Bhonsle. The Marathas, as they called themselves, were led by Shivaji in a protest
against the rule of the Sultanate of Bijapur in 1645. Subsequently, Shivaji coined the
term ‘Hindavi Swarajya,’ which called for self-rule among the Hindus. The
Marathas were also determined to drive the Mughal rulers out of India as they
wanted their country to be ruled by the Hindus. Also, Shivaji’s conflicts with the
Mughals, which started from the year 1657, served as one of the primary reasons for
the hatred towards the Mughals. Meanwhile, Shivaji had accumulated large areas of
land through his campaigns. He had also gathered an armed force to tackle issues
with various other rulers, including the Mughals. However, he lacked an official title
to rule over the new land of the Marathas. Hence, with an aim of establishing and
expanding a Hindu state in the subcontinent, Shivaji was declared the ruler of the
Maratha kingdom on June 6, 1674.

The coronation of Shivaji took place in such a manner that it sent out a message to
all the non-Hindu rulers. The message was loud and clear – it is time for the Hindus
to take control over their motherland. By hosting a grand coronation, which included
the act of feeding over 50,000 guests, Shivaji announced himself on the big stage,
which sent a direct warning signal to the Mughals. Also, the title ‘Chhatrapati’ was
bestowed upon Shivaji, which proclaimed him to be the king of the new Maratha
kingdom. At the time of his coronation, Shivaji had 4.1 percent of the subcontinent
to rule and hence focused on expanding his territory right from the outset. Making
Raigad as the capital, Shivaji acted almost immediately after his coronation by
raiding Khandesh on October 1674. He then went on a spree by capturing the nearby
territories like Ponda, Karwar, Kolhapur, and Athani within a span of two years. In
1677, Shivaji entered into a treaty with the ruler of the Golkonda sultanate, who
agreed to Shivaji’s terms to oppose the Mughals unitedly. In the same year, Shivaji
invaded Karnataka and marched further southwards to seize the forts of Gingee and
Vellore.

After Shivaji’s demise, the Maratha Empire continued to flourish under his son
Sambhaji. Despite constant threat from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the
Sambhaji-led Maratha forces never lost a battle to the forces led by Aurangzeb for
eight consecutive years. However, in 1689 Sambhaji was captured and executed by
the Mughals on various charges, including rape and murder. The Maratha Empire
was then ruled by various rulers like Sambhaji’s half-brother Rajaram, Rajaram’s
widow Tarabai, and then by Sambhaji’s son Shahu. Under Shahu’s rule, Balaji
Vishwanath was appointed as the Prime Minister (Peshwa) of the Maratha Empire
in 1713. This would later go down in history as one of the prominent events as the
empire would later be ruled by the Peshwa clan. Shahu’s rule also saw the expansion
of the empire in the east, thanks to his skilled and brave general, Raghoji Bhosale.
As days passed by, Shahu became more of a puppet at the hands of his Prime
Minister Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, who took major decisions for the betterment of
the empire.

DAWN OF PESHWA
In 1714, Balaji Vishwanath came up with a brilliant strategy of entering into a treaty
(Treaty of Lonavala) with Kanhoji Angre, which gave the Marathas access to navy.
The army of the Marathas kept growing, which gave them the confidence to march
towards Delhi in 1719, where they managed to defeat the Mughal governor Sayyid
Hussain Ali, before deposing the then Mughal emperor. From this moment onwards,
the already weakened Mughal Empire started fearing the Marathas. In 1720, Baji
Rao I was appointed as the new Peshwa of the empire, after his father Balaji
Vishwanath’s demise in April. Baji Rao went on to become a prominent Peshwa of
the Maratha Empire as he was responsible for the empire’s great expansion from
1720 to 1740. Baji Rao I is said to have led the Maratha forces in more than 40
battles, winning most of them, including the ‘Battle of Palkhed’ (1728), ‘Battle of
Delhi’ (1737), and ‘Battle of Bhopal’ (1737).

After Baji Rao’s demise in April 1740, Shahu appointed Baji Rao’s 19 year old son
Balaji Baji Rao as the new Peshwa. During Balaji Baji Rao’s reign, the Maratha
Empire extended further, before reaching its peak. Another important reason for the
empire’s impressive expansion is Raghoji I Bhonsale, a Maratha general who
controlled the Nagpur Kingdom of the empire. Raghoji then initiated a series of six
expeditions into Bengal, during which he was able to annex Odisha into the Maratha
Empire. In 1751, the then Nawab of Bengal, Alivardi Khan agreed to cough up 1.2
million rupees as an annual tax, which increased the already flourishing wealth of
the Maratha Empire. Marathas’ North Indian conquest looked impressive than ever
after their decisive victory over the Afghan troops. After capturing Peshawar on May
8, 1758, the Marathas were now prominent figures in the north as well. By 1760, the
Maratha Empire had reached its peak with a territory of more than 2.5 million square
km acres.

THIRD BATTLE OF PANIPAT

The expansion of Maratha power in the northern territory of the Indian subcontinent
caused a great concern in the court of Ahmad Shah Durrani. In an attempt to drive
the Marathas out of North India, Durrani joined forces with Nawab of Oudh and the
Rohillas, before challenging the Marathas for a battle. The ensuing battle that took
place on January 14, 1761 would later be called as the ‘Third Battle of Panipat.’
Before the battle, the Marathas had sought the help of the Rajputs and Jats in order
to combat the joint forces of Durrani, Rohillas, and the Nawab of Oudh. However,
the Marathas were deserted by Rajputs and the Jats just before the battle, which
ensured Marathas’ defeat at the battle. The Marathas were later criticized for failing
to treat their fellow Hindus equally when they were in power. While explaining their
motive behind turning their back on the Marathas, Rajputs and the Jats cited
Marathas’ arrogance and haughtiness as reasons for abandoning them at the cusp of
an important battle.

RESURRECTION OF MARATHA
POWER
After the battle of Panipat, Madhav Rao I, the fourth Peshwa of the empire, began
to resurrect the Maratha Empire. In order to manage the empire more effectively,
he gave semi-autonomy to selected knights, who took charge of various semi-
autonomous Maratha states. Hence, leaders of various groups like the Peshwas,
Holkars, Gaekwads, Scindias, Bhonsales, and Puars started ruling different
Maratha states. After the battle of Panipat, the Rajputs were defeated by the forces
led by Malhar Rao Holkar, which restored Maratha rule in Rajasthan. Another
prominent leader who was largely responsible in restoring the Maratha power was
Mahadji Shinde. After defeating the Rohillas and the Jats, Shinde’s forces
recaptured Delhi and Haryana, which brought the Marathas back into the picture in
the north. Meanwhile, Tukojirao Holkar defeated a prominent South Indian ruler
known as Tipu Sultan in the ‘Battle of Gajendragad,’ which extended the territory
of the Marathas till Tungabhadra River in the south.

FALL OF MARATHA EMPIRE

After defeating the Nawab of Bengal, the British East India Company had assumed
power in the east and was now eyeing the northern territory of India, which was
being largely controlled by the Marathas. At the ‘Battle of Delhi’ in 1803, the
Marathas were defeated by the English forces, which were led by General Lake.
During the ‘Second Anglo-Maratha War,’ which took place from 1803 to 1805, the
British forces led by Arthur Wellesley defeated the Marathas, which gave rise to a
number of treaties in favor of the British. Finally, during the ‘Third Anglo-Maratha
War,’ Peshwa Baji Rao II was defeated by the British, which marked the end of the
Maratha rule.
 ADMINISTRATION
An administrative system known as ‘Ashtapradhan’ was formed by Shivaji during
his reign. This administrative system, which consisted of a council of eight ministers,
formed the base of the Maratha administration. The eight ministers were ‘Peshwa’
(Prime Minister), ‘Amatya’ (Finance Minister), ‘Sachiv’ (Secretary), ‘Mantri’
(Interior Minister), ‘Senapati’ (Commander-in-Chief), ‘Sumant’ (Foreign Minister),
‘Nyayadhyaksh’ (Chief Justice), and ‘Panditrao’ (High Priest). Shivaji had
maintained a secular administration, which allowed the practice of any religion, as
per the choice of an individual. To improve the revenue of the empire, Shivaji
abolished the ‘Jagirdari System’ and introduced the ‘Ryotwari System.’ He also
imposed heavy tax on non-Maratha territories and threatened non-Maratha rulers
with dire consequences, should they fail to cough up the taxes imposed on them by
the Marathas.

As far as the military administration was concerned, Shivaji paid special interest in
building a strong navy as he had realized its importance as early as 1654. When it
came to the land-based armed forces of the Marathas, the standards of the infantry
and artillery were comparable to that of the standards of the European forces. The
Marathas used weapons like cannons, muskets, matchlocks, daggers, and spears
among other weapons. They were also intelligent in the way they used their weapons.
Keeping in mind the hilly nature of their territory, the Marathas chose light cavalry
over heavy cavalry, which proved advantageous during their battles against the
Mughals.

NOTABLE RULERS
Shivaji – Apart from founding the empire, Shivaji was also responsible in turning
the Maratha power into a prominent force. The great warrior king is revered even
today by a huge sect of people in India.

Sambhaji – After the demise of Shivaji, his eldest son Sambhaji ascended the throne
and continued the expansion of his territory. However, Sambhaji came across as a
cruel ruler as compared to his father.

Shahu – Under Shahu’s reign, the Maratha Empire saw a great expansion. He was
also responsible for introducing the rule of the Peshwas within the Maratha Empire.
Tarabai Bhosale – Tarabai served as the regent of the empire from 1700 to 1708.
She is largely credited for keeping the Mughals at bay after the demise of her
husband, Chhatrapati Rajaram Bhosale.

Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath – Balaji Vishwanath was the sixth Prime Minister, who
gained control of the empire during 18th century. During his reign as the Prime
Minister, the Maratha Empire was expanded northwards.

Baji Rao – Baji Rao continued to expand the Maratha Empire. He was one of the
reasons why Maratha Empire reached its pinnacle during his son’s reign. In his
illustrious military career, which spanned across a couple of decades, Baji Rao
remained undefeated in the battles.

Balaji Baji Rao – Also called as Nana Saheb, Balaji Baji Rao was one of the most
important Prime Ministers of the empire as the actual king was nothing more than a
mere figurehead during his tenure.

Madhav Rao I – Madhav Rao I was the fourth Peshwa of the empire. He became a
Maratha Peshwa at a critical time, when the Marathas had lost the ‘Third Battle of
Panipat.’ Hence, Madhav Rao I was largely responsible for rebuilding the empire,
before it was finally annihilated by the British.