Successors of Shivaji: The Maratha Kingdom & Confederacy | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Successors of Shivaji

Shambhaji (1608-89 A.D.)

• War  of succession between Shambhaji (elder son) and Rajaram (younger son of Shivaji), resulting in the victory of the former and imprisonment of the latter.
• Protection and support to Akbar, the rebellious son of Aurangazeb; failure of Akbar against his father and his final departure to Persia (1687).
• Shambhaji's capture at Sangameshvar by a Mughal noble and his execution.

Rajaram (1689-1700 A.D.)

• Release of Rajaram and his succession to the throne with the help of the ministers at Raigarh.
• His flight from Raigarh to Jinji in 1689 (Jinji remained his base till 1698) due to Mughal invasion; capture of Raigarh along with Shambhaji's wife and son (Shahu) by the Mughals.

• Fall of Jinji to Mughals (1698) and escape of Rajaram to Vishalgarh (Maharashtra).
• Death of Rajaram at Satara, which had become the capital after the fall of Jinji.
• Administrative changes - creation of the new post of “Pratinidhi”, thus taking the total number of ministers to 9 from 8.

Shivaji II & Tarabai (1700-1707 A.D.)
 Succession of Shivaji II (the minor son of Rajaram) under the guardianship of his mother Tarabai.

• Attack of Berar (1703), Baroda (1706) and Aurangabad (on several occasions).

Shahu (1707-1749 A.D.)

• His release by the Mughal emperor (Bahadur Shah) and the beginning of civil war (1707-14) between him and Tarabai. Defeat of Tarabai's army by Shahu in the Battle of Khed (1708) and occupation of Satara.
• Final defeat and imprisonment of Tarabai by Shahu in 1714; but the southern part of Maratha kingdom with its capital at Kolhapur continued to be under the control of the descendants of Rajaram (ShivajiII & later Shambhaji II).
•  Rise of Peshwaship and transformation of Maratha kingdom into an empire based on the principle of confederacy.

Peshwas
 Balaji Vishwanath (1713-20 A.D.)

• Began his careers as a small revenue official; given the title of “Sena Karte” (maker of the army) by Shahu in 1708; became his Peswa in 1713 and made the post of Peshwa the most important and powerful as well as hereditary.
• Played a crucial role in the civil war and was responsible for the final victory of Shahu in it by winning over almost all the Maratha sardars to the side of Shahu.
• Conclusion of an agreement with the Sayyid Brothers (1719) by which the Mughal Emperor (Faruk Siyar) recognised Shahu as the king of "Swarajya", released all the family members of Shahu, and allowed Shahu to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal provinces of the Deccan.

Baji Rao I (1720-40 A.D.)
  

• Innumerable successful expeditions into north India to weaken the Mughal empire and to make the Marathas “Supreme Power” in India. He said “Let us strike at the trunk of the withering tree and the branches will fall of themselves".

Balaji Baji Rao (1740-61 A.D.)

• 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. Shahu died childless and though he had nominated Ram Raja (a grandson of Rajaram) as the successor, the latter was imprisoned at Satara by the Peshwa on the suspicion that he was an imposter.
• Agreement between the Mughal emperor (Ahmad Shah) and the Peshwa (1752) that the latter would protect the Mughal empire from internal and external (Ahmed Shah Abdali) enemies in return for the `Chauth' of the North- West Provinces and the total revenues of Agra and Ajmer provinces.
• This agreement brought the Marathas in direct conflict with Ahmad Shah Abdali of Afghanistan.
• Third Battle of Panipat (Jan. 14, 1761 A.D.) - Defeat of the Marathas and murder of Viswas Rao (son of Nana Sahab) and Sadashiv Rao Bhau (cousin of Nana Sahab) and several other Maratha leaders and soldiers (28,000) by Ahmed Shah Abdali.
• It decided who was not to rule India instead of who was to.
• Death of Nana Saheb on hearing the bad news (June 23, 1761).
• After the Third Battle of Panipat the rulers were:
• Madhav Rao (1761-72 A.D.)
• Narayana Rao (1772-73 A.D.)
• Sawai Madhav Rao (1773-95 A.D.)
• Baji Rao II (1795-1818 A.D.)  q