Rule of Peshwas (1713-1818)

• Peshwa is a Persian word which means “Foremost” or the “First Minister”.

Balaji Viswanath (1713 - 1720)

• Assisted the Maratha emperor Shahu.
• Kanhoji Angre - powerful naval chief on the western coast. Support Tara bai during civil war.
• Peshwa convinced him and secure his loyalty to Shahu.

Baji rao I (1720 - 1740)

• Balaji Viswanath, his son Baji Rao I was appointed Peshwa in 1720 by Shahu.
• Defeating the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Rajput Governor of Malwa and the Governor of Gujarat.
• Maratha got one third of the territories from its ruler. Peshwa assumed the office of the commander-in-chief also.
• Treaty of Warna signed in 1731, Sambhaji of Kolhapur was forced to accept sovereignty of Shahu.
• Thana, Salsette and Bassein were captured from the Portuguese in 1738.
• English made friendly right to free trade in the Deccan region

Balaji Baji Rao (1740–1761)

• Nana Sahib, he proved to be a good administrator and an expert in handling financial matters.

Carnatic Expedition

• Chanda Sahib son-in-law of the Nawab of Arcot, capturing Tiruchirappalli threatened to lay siege to Thanjavur, appealed to Shahu for help in 1739.
• Sent Raghoji Bhonsle (Sahu’s brother-in-law) to Thanjavur, defeated and killed the Nawab of Arcot, Dost Ali, in 1740. Tiruchirappalli was captured and Chanda Sahib imprisoned.
• Mohammed Ali, who succeeded Dost Ali, retake Arcot and recapture Tiruchirappalli in 1743.
• Peshwa then sent his cousin Sadasiva Rao to the Carnatic, authority of the Marathas was re-established. Tiruchirappalli could not be regained.

Battle of Udgir, 1760

• The army sent by Peshwa under Sadasiva Rao won the battle of Udgir in 1760.
• Marathas had brought Rajaputana under their domination after six expeditions between 1741 and 1748.
• 1751 - Nawab of Bengal had to cede Orissa and pay an annual tribute to the Marathas.
• Mughal throne entered Delhi in 1752 to drive out Afghans and Rohillas from Delhi.
• Imad-ul-Mulk who was made the Wazir with the help of Marathas became puppet.
• Major conflict with Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durani Empire in Afghanistan) became therefore inevitable.
• Find allies among the powers in the north-west, but earlier deeds had antagonized all of them. Sikhs, Jat chiefs and Muslims did not trust them.

The Third Battle of Panipat, 1761

• Defeat in the battle dealt a severe blow to the Marathas and the Mughal Empire and thereby paved the way for the rise of the British power in India

Circumstances

• Mughal Empire neglected the defence of the North-West, Nadir Shah & Ruler of Afghanistan, to invade India.
• Mughal ruler, Muhammad Shah, provided asylum to the Afghan rebels. So, his invasions started in 1739. Delhi was plundered. The Kohinoor diamond and the valuable peacock throne were taken away by Nadir Shah.
• 1747, Nadir Shan assassinated. Ahmad Shah Abdali became ruler started military expeditions.
• Mughal emperor made peace with him by ceding Multan and the Punjab.
• Mir Mannu, appointed as governor of Punjab, act as agent of Ahmad Shah Abdali.
• On Mir Mannu’s death, the widow of Mir Mannu, with the help of the Wazir of Delhi, Imad-ul-Mulk, appointed Mir Munim as the Governor of the Punjab, without the consent of Abdali.
• Abdali invaded India and captured the Punjab. Captured Delhi in January 1757.
• Abdali appointed Mir Bakshi as his agent in Delhi.
• An expedition under Malhar Rao Holkar and Raghunatha Rao reached Delhi after Abdali had left. They removed the agent of Abdali at Delhi and appointed a man of their choice as the Wazir.
• Afghan forces were defeated. So, Abdali returned to India in October 1759 and recovered the Punjab. The Marathas were forced to withdraw from Lahore, Multan and Sirhind.
• Dattaji Scindia, brother of Mahadhaji Scindia defeat & Killed in 1790.
• Malhar Rao Holkar defeated at Sikandara, Peshwa huge army under command of Sadasiva Rao.
• Abdali alliance with Najib-ud-Daulah of Rohilkhand and Shuja-ud-Daulah of Oudh. Maratha could not find allies.
• Under nominal command of Vishwas Rao, joined by the Holkar, Scindia and Gaikwar.
• Alamgir II, Mughal empire assassinated, eldest son crowned himself as Shah Alam.
• Sadasiva Rao intruded and deposed Shah Jahan III and proclaimed Shah Alam II as Emperor.
• Sadasiva Rao wait for until scarcity of food for Abdali army, but they in fertile doab get food without interruption.

Effects of the Battle of Panipat

• Maratha army was completely routed, Viswas Rao, Sadasiva Rao and numerous Maratha commanders were killed.
• Peshwa died broken hearted in June 1761.
• After the battle of Panipat, Abdali recognized Shah Alam II as the Emperor of Delhi. He got an annual tribute.
• Peshwa Madhav Rao I (1761–1772) and His Successors
• Son of Balaji Baji Rao. Madhav Rao tried to regain the Maratha power.
• 1763, fierce battle with Nizam of Hyderabad
• 1765 – 1767 again Haider Ali of Mysore were successful.
• Haider Ali soon recovered almost all his lost territories. But Madhav Rao regained them in 1772 and Haider Ali was forced to sign a humiliating treaty.
• Control over northern India by defeating the Rohillas (Pathans) and subjugating the Rajput states and Jat Chiefs.
• Shah Alam II, was in Allahabad under the protection of the British.
• As Madhav Rao I had no sons, his younger brother Narayan Rao became Peshwa in 1772. But he was murdered the next year. His posthumous son Sawai Madhav Rao (Madhav Rao II) was proclaimed Peshwa on the 40th day of his birth. After the death of Madhav Rao II, Baji Rao II, the son of Raghunath Rao became last Peshwa

The Anglo-Maratha Wars

The First Anglo Maratha War (1775-1782)

• Ragunath Rao, provided the scope for the Company administration. Company administration in Bombay supported Ragunath Rao in return for getting Salsette and Bassein.
• As Mahadaji Scindia and the Bhonsle of Nagpur turned pro-British, the Marathas had to concede Thane and Salsette to the latter. By the treaty of Salbai, in 1782, Ragunath Rao was pensioned off.
• Peace prevailed between company & Marathas for two decades.

The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1806)

• Death of Nana Fadnavis, Baji Rao II was dethroned, he accept the help of the British.
• Wellesley, Subsidiary Alliance on the Peshwa. & treaty of Bassein in 1802.
• Leading Maratha state regarded treaty, decided to defy it. Second Anglo-Maratha war broke out
• Maratha leaders were completely routed; The Subsidiary Alliance was accepted. The British got Doab, Ahmadnagar, Broach and all of the hilly regions.

The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1819)

• Baji Rao II became anti-British, as the prime minister of the Gaikwar (ruler) of Baroda Gangadhar Sastri was killed by Trimbakji, a favourite of Peshwa.
• Mountstuart Elphinstone, Trimabakji was imprisoned.
• Peshwa was also charged with creating the Maratha confederacy and plotting with Scindia, Bhonsle and Holkar against the British. So, the British forced the Peshwa to sign a new treaty at Poona in 1817.
• Baji Rao was not reconciled General Smith rushed to Poona and captured it.
• General Smith defeated his forces at Ashta, Kirkee and Korgaon. Finally, Baji Rao surrendered to Elphinstone in 1818.
• Outcome of the Third Anglo-Maratha War
• British abolished the Peshwai and annexed all the Peshwa’s dominions.
• Baji Rao II prisoner until death.
• Pratap Singh, a descendent of Shivaji made the king of a small kingdom.
• Maratha Confederacy comprising Bhonsle, Holkar and Scindia was dissolved.
• Mountstuart Elphinstone became Governor of Bombay.

Maratha Administration under Peshwas (1714-1818)

• Peshwa was one of the Ashta Pradhan of Shivaji, not a hereditary one.
• King declined, the Peshwas rose to prominence.
• Balaji Vishwanath (1713-1720) made the office of the Peshwa supreme and hereditary.
• Religious head of the state.

Central Secretariat

• Centre of the Maratha administration was the Peshwa Secretariat at Poona.
• Revenues and expenditure of all district.
• The pay and rights of all grades of public servants and the budgets.

Provinces

• Provincial governors called Sar-subahdars.
• Divisions in the provinces Subahs & Pranths.
• Mamlatdar and Kamavistar were Peshwa’s representatives in the districts.
• Deshmukhs & Deshpande - district officers who charge of accounts.
• To prevent misappropriation, collected a heavy sum (Rasad) from the Mamlatdars and other officials.
• Collected on their first appointment to a district.

Village Administration

• Patel was the chief village officer responsible for revenue collections to the centre.
• Patel was helped by the Kulkarni or accountant and record keeper.
• The carpenters, blacksmiths and other village artisans gave begar or compulsory labour.

Urban Administration

• Towns and cities the chief officer was the Kotwal. Head of the city police and also functioned as the magistrate

Source of Revenue

• Land revenue & tax farming.
• Fertility the land was assessed for fixation of taxes.
• Payment of a fee for cutting trees and using pastures & Sale of grass, bamboo, fuel wood, honey.
• Land survey. Land was divided into three classes: according to the kinds of the crops, facilities for irrigation, and productivity of the land.
• Other sources of revenue were Chauth and Sardeshmukhi.
• The Chauth was divided into
• 25 % for the ruler
• 66 % for Maratha officials and military heads for the maintenance of troops.
• 6 % for the Pant Sachiv (Chief, a Brahman by birth)
• 3 % for the tax collectors
• Customs, excise duties and sale of forest produce also yielded much income
• all private mints were closed in 1760 and a central mint was established.
• Miscellaneous taxes
1. Tax on land, held by Deshmukhs and Deshpandes.
2. Tax on land kept for the village Mahars.
3. Tax on the lands irrigated by wells.
4. House tax from all except Brahmins and village officials.
5. Annual fee for the testing of weights and measures.
6. Tax on the re-marriage of widows.
7. Tax on sheep and buffaloes.
8. Pasture fee.
9. Tax on melon cultivation in river beds.
10. Succession duty.
11. Duty on the sale of horses, etc. When
• Financial difficulty, it levied on all land-holders, Kurja-Patti or Tasti-Patti, a tax equal to one year’s income of the tax-payer.
• A fee of 25% was charged on money bonds.
• Fines for guilt.
• Brahmins were exempted from duty.

Police System

• Watchmen, generally Mahars to control crimes.
• Baji Rao II appointed additional police officers to detect and seize offenders.
• Urban areas, magisterial and police powers were given to the Kotwal.

Judicial System

• No codified law & No rules of procedure.
• panchayat was a powerful institution appointed by the Patel in the village & by leading merchants in towns.
• Appeals were made to the Mamlatdar.
• Criminal cases there was a hierarchy of the judicial officers. At the top was the Raja Chhatrapati and below him were the Peshwa, Sar-Subahdar, the Mamlatdar and the Patel.

Army

• Modelled on the Mughal military system.
• Shivaji had recruited soldiers locally from Maratha region. Peshwas drafted soldiers from all parts of India and from all social groups - lots of internal Disputes.

Cavalry

• Cavalry was naturally strength of Maratha.
• Jagirdar had to bring a stipulated number of horsemen for a general muster, every year.
• The horsemen were divided into three classes based on the quality of the horses they kept.

Infantry and Artillery

• Men for infantry were recruited from other parts of the country.
• Maratha infantry were paid a higher salary compared to the Maratha soldiers

Navy

• Purpose of guarding the Maratha ports, thereby checking piracy, and collecting customs duties.
• Balaji Vishwanath built naval bases at Konkan, Khanderi and Vijayadurg. Dockyard facilities were also developed.

Maratha Rule in Tamilnadu

Circumstances leading to its establishment

• Krishna Devaraya (1509-1529), developed the Nayankara system.
• three large Nayankaras: Senji, Thanjavur and Madurai. Subordinate Palayakkarars and their fiefdom as Palayams.
• The Nayaks of Madurai and Thanjavur finally led to the eclipse of Nayak rule of Thanjavur in 1673.
• Troops from Bijapur, led by the Maratha general Venkoji, defeated the Nayak of Madurai and captured Thanjavur. Venkoji crowned himself king, and Maratha rule began in Thanjavur in 1676.
• When Shivaji invaded the Carnatic in 1677, he removed Venkoji and placed his half-brother Santaji. Venkoji recaptured after his death, his son Shahji became the ruler.
• Shaji had no heir to succeed. So his brother Serfoji I became the next ruler and remained in power for sixteen years (1712-1728).
• After him one of his brothers Tukkoji succeeded him (1728), followed by Pratap Singh (1739- 1763), whose son Thuljaji ruled up to 1787. Serfoji II aged 10, was then crowned with Thuljoji’s brother Amarsingh acting as Regent.
• English thrust an agreement on Serfoji II. Serfoji II was the last ruler of the Bhonsle dynasty of the Maratha principality of Thanjavur.

Serfoji II

• Educated by the German Christian missionary Friedrich Schwartz, Serfoji.
• Practitioner Western science and medicine, traditional Indian arts & Keeper of Indian traditions. He authored Kumarasambhava Champu, Devendra Kuravanji, and Mudra rakshaschaya.
• Mastered several European languages & impressive library of books.
• Printing press, Saraswati Mahal Library & Free modern public schools run by his court in English & Vernacular Language.
• 1812, urging it to sponsor free schools for Indian children, for instruction in Tamil and English. This was at a time when English education was not available to non-Christian Indians.
• Thomas Munro, governor of Madras, proposed a scheme for elementary public schools in the 1820s, but the Company government did not establish a modern school for natives in Madras till 1841.
• German missionaries - free vernacular and English schools, Since 1707.
• 1803 in Thanjavu – firstmodern public school for non-Christian natives.
• free elementary and secondary schools for orphans and the poor in Thanjavur city and other adjacent places.
• Included were schools for all levels, charity schools, colleges and padashalas for Sanskrit higher learning.
• Second innovation was the introduction of navavidya (‘modern’ or ‘new’ learning) in the state-run schools
• Serfoji II established Dhanvantari Mahal, a research institution that produced herbal medicine for humans and animals.
• Research on drugs and herbs for medical cure & produced eighteen volumes of research material.
• Serfoji II died on 7^th March 1832.