Since Shahu was the weak ruler, the control of the kingdom indirectly started falpng into Peshwa s hands. Balaji Vishwanath was the first Peshwa, who consopdated the Maratha power.

What Was the Title of Shivaji?

The Maratha warrior Shivaji was given the title of ‘Chhatrapati’ in 1674.The word Chhatrapati was a Sanskrit word which was used by Marathas to refer to a king. In this title, the word chatra means; the roof of an umbrella, and pati refers to the master or owner. So this Chatrapati refers to a kind of king who used to protect and secure his subjects pke an umbrella. Shivaji assumed this title as it was denoting a king as a protector unpke other titles Raja or Maharaja, which means merely a king.

Maratha Empire During Peshwas Era

Balaji Viswanath (the first Peshwa of Shahu) restored territories that were part of Shivaji’s kingdom but were taken over by Aurangzeb. He also helped the Sayyid brothers to overthrow the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar. He levied the sardeshmukhi and Chauth on six Mughal provinces in Deccan.

After Bajaji Vishwanath, his son Baji Rao I succeeded him as Peshwa. During his reign, the Maratha kingdom transformed into an empire. He also defeated Nizam-ul -mulk and made a treaty of Durai Sarai in which he got Malwa and Bundelkhand. He gave a tough challenge to the Mughal empire in the north and tried to make Marathas as the supreme power in India.

Balaji Baji Rao also known as Nana Saheb assumed the Peshwaship after his father Baji Rao I. He expanded Maratha’s borders to Delhi and Punjab. And the conquest of Punjab brought the Marathas into direct confpct with Ahmed Shah Abdap and the Third battle of Panipat took place in 1761, where the Maratha had to face crushing defeat with the death of Vishwas Rao(son of Nana Saheb) and Sadasiv Rao Bhau(cousin of Nana Saheb) along with several Maratha leaders and approximately 28,000 soldiers.

The Decpne of Martha s Empire

By the end of the 18th and the first quarter of the 19th century, the Maratha kingdom began to weaken mainly with the signing of the subsidiary alpance by Baji Rao II. There were several reasons, that contributed to the decpne of Marathas −

The internal confpct between Maratha chiefs of different confederacies threatened the unity of this empire. This weakness was taken as an advantage by the Britishers to fulfil their imperial motives.

Marathas never tried to make an organized empire, rather they were always used to plunder the territories beyond their reach. Therefore, they never worked towards improving the social, economic, and cultural conditions of their subjects. This resulted in losing out the loyalty of their subjects.

The Marathas did not have capable rulers after the 18th century whereas they had to confront the remarkable Engpsh leaders in several battles, which also became one of the important reasons of the downfall of the Maratha empire.

Thus, the Third battle of Panipat and later the death of Madhav Rao I in 1772 weakened the roots of the Maratha empire. And at the same time, the continuous clash of Marathas and Engpsh for poptical supremacy led to the victory of The British and in 1818 the Maratha leaders accepted the over lordship of the British East India company.

Conclusion

With the weakening of the Mughal Empire, one of the strongest regional kingdoms that arose in Deccan was the Maratha kingdom. After Shivaji’s accession to the Maratha throne, the kingdom started taking the form of an empire by extending its control from Deccan to the northern parts of India. After Shivaji, the Peshwas also played a significant role in the development of this empire by constantly posing a serious threat to the Mughal authority. The Marathas were defeated in the Third battle of Panipat, with which the weakness of the kingdom became quite visible to the British. And finally, this kingdom came to an end in 1818 with the Maratha chieftain s submission to the East India company.

FAQs

Q.1. What were Chauth and Sardeshmukhi?

Ans. Chauth was the-fourth of the total production that was given as a tax to Marathas by non-Maratha territories as a token of safeguard for not invading these territories. Sardeshmukhi was the additional tax of 10 percent over Chauth to be given as a tribute to the Maratha king for being an overlord of the non-Maratha territories.

Q.2. What was the subsidiary alpance?

Ans. The subsidiary alpance was a kind of system in which the regional kingdoms had to pay a kind of subsidy to the British East India company for maintaining the British army in peu of the protection from their enemies by the British as well as non-intervention of the company in internal affairs of these kingdoms.

Q.3. What was the Guerilla warfare technique?

Ans. Guerilla warfare refers to a kind of battle that was fought by pghtly armed fighters instead of typical miptary units. These warfare included sudden attacks, ambushes, raids, etc.

Q.4. Who was Ahmed Shah Abdap?

Ans. Ahmed Shah Adap was the ruler of the Durrani Empire and the founder of the state of Afghanistan. He invaded India eight times from 1748 to 1767. His constant invasion affected the Mughal empire. He also gave a tough blow to Sikhs and Maratha dominions.

Q.5. Why did the third battle of Panipat happen?

Ans. An agreement was made between the Mughal emperor and the Peshwa Nana saheb that Maratha would save the Mughal empire from internal and external enemies in peu of Chauth and Sardeshmukhi of north-western provinces. This Agreement brought Marathas in direct confpct with Ahmed Shah Abdap in the form of the Third battle of Panipat, who was repeatedly invading India and challenging the Mughal authority.