Bajirao I was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He after Shivaji is considered to be the most charismatic and dynamic leader in Maratha history. He was just twenty years old and already had a reputation for rapid decisions and a passion for military adventure. He is considered one of the greatest Military generals of his time.
The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Confederacy, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave the seat of Peshwa to Bajirao Ballal. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwa grew in power and the Peshwas came to be the de facto rulers of the Maratha Confederacy. Eventually, the Chhatrapati title became titular and the main heads were the Peshwas according to the Sangola pact.
Narayanrao was the 10th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy from November 1772 until his assassination in August 1773. He married Gangabai Sathe who later gave birth to Sawai Madhavrao.
Shahu I was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Shivaji I. He was born into the Bhonsle family and was the son of Sambhaji I and Yesubai. At a young age, he was taken into custody at the Siege of Raigad by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and held captive. He was released from captivity after the death of Aurangzeb in the hope of engineering an internecine struggle among the Maratha factions of Tarabai and Shahu. Shahu emerged victorious in the bloody Battle of Khed and was crowned as Chhatrapati.
Mastani was the daughter of Chhatrasal Bundela and Ruhani Bai Begum. She was the second wife of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I. Her relationship within the Maratha Brahmin family has been subject of both admiration and controversy and well adapted in Indian novels and cinema.
Raghunathrao, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada, was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He led successful campaigns in Northern India against the Rohillas in the Battle of Delhi (1757), resulting in the Marathas becaming the de-facto rulers of Delhi with Mughal Emperor Alamgir II having no actual power. He also led successful campaigns against the Durrani Empire at Sirhind and Attock and brought Northwestern India, under Maratha rule for a brief period. Ahmad Shah Abdali sought revenge against the Marathas for capturing Punjab and defeating the Durrani armies. He made preparations for another campaign in India. Raghoba asked for a large financial assistance in order to check Abdali's advance which was refused by Peshwa Nana Saheb. Nana Saheb's decision of not sending Raghoba as the main commander of Maratha armies against Ahmad Shah Abdali ultimately culminated in the defeat at Panipat.
Chhatrasal Bundela or Maharaja Chhatrasal was the Bundela Raja of Panna from 1675 to 1731. He is well known for his resistance against the Mughal Empire.
Govind Ballal Kher, historically known as Govind Pant Bundela, was a Military General of the Peshwas in Northern India during 1733 to 1760. Peshwa Bajirao appointed him his trustee for the 1/3rd of the kingdom rewarded to him by Maharaja Chhatrasal in Bundelkhand. He ruled the city of Kalpi and later it was given as a jagir to his descendant Nana Govinda Rao. After this Govind Rao ruled over Jalaun State.
Visaji Krushna Chinchalkar, popularly known as Visaji Pant Biniwale, was one of the leading generals of Peshwas in Northern India during 1759 to 1772. Peshwa Madhavrao I mainly sought his assistance in his attempt to restore Maratha Empire in the North after the defeat in the Battle of Panipat (1761).
The Battle of Dabhoi was fought on 28 April 1731, and it was a major confrontation between the Trimbak Rao Dabhade and Baji Rao I due to political interference of Peshwas in Gujarat Province. It was fought due to rights of Chauth of Gujarat. The rights of collecting Chauth of Gujarat was held by Dabhade clan from the time of Khanderao Dabhade. Baji Rao I asked Trimbak Rao Dabhade to share the rights of Chauth of Gujarat to him. But Trimbak Rao refused because of which Baji Rao attacked the army camp of Dabhades in April 1731. The Pawar brothers of Dhar were also upset with Baji Rao I due his policy in Malwa so they also joined Trimbak Rao's side. Some other sources say that Trimbak Rao joined Nizam of Hyderabad due to which Bajirao I attacked him.
Jhansi was an independent princely state ruled by the Maratha Newalkar dynasty under suzerainty of British India from 1804 till 1853, when the British authorities took over the state under the terms of the Doctrine of Lapse, and renamed it the Jhansi State. Before the takeover, it was under the Peshwas from 1728 to 1804. The fortified town of Jhansi served as its capital.
Nawab "Ghazanfar-Jang"Bangash Khan (1665–1743) was the first Nawab of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, India. He was a "Bawan Hazari Sardar" in the Mughal Army. He served as governor of Malwa and Allahabad provinces of the Mughal Empire. He was also viceroy of Assam from 1735 to 1743. Although regarded as rude and illiterate, not understanding a single word of Persian or Pashto, he was well regarded for his loyalty, and it is believed that had fortune sided with him he would have been able to establish a kingdom rivalling those in the Deccan or Awadh.
Kashibai Bhat was the first wife of Bajirao I, the Peshwa to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu. With Bajirao, she had four children, including Balaji Baji Rao and Ragunath Rao. Balaji succeeded Bajirao as Peshwa upon the latter's death in 1740. Also following Bajirao's death, Kashibai fostered her step-son, Shamsher Bahadur, whose mother was Bajirao's second wife, Mastani.
Panna State was a kingdom and later princely state of colonial India, located in modern Panna district of Madhya Pradesh.
Jaitpur State was a princely state in the Bundelkhand region. It was centered on Jaitpur, in present-day Mahoba district, Uttar Pradesh, which was the capital of the state. There were two forts in the area.
The Assassination of Narayan Rao occurred on 30 August 1773, when the 18 year old Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy Narayan Rao, was assassinated. This plot was carried out During the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival that took place from 21 to 31 August. This was plotted by his uncle Raghunath Rao and his wife Anandibai. They used members of the Kalbelia tribe as assassins. Raghunath Rao was the next in line for the throne, at the time of Narayan Rao's death. Narayan Rao and his servant Chapaji Tilekar were both killed. A total of eleven people had been killed in the palace, seven of them were Brahmins, two servants, two maids. One cow was also killed.
The Saugor subha was a province of the Maratha Empire comprising the central Indian territories of the Peshwa or prime minister. It was ruled by hereditary Maratha Pandit governors who had their headquarters at the city of Sagar.
The Battle of Palkhed was fought on 28 February 1728 at the village of Palkhed, near the city of vaijapur, in what is now Maharashtra, India, between the Maratha Confederacy and the Hyderabad State wherein the Marathas defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad.
The Battle of Kalpi, also referred to as the Sack of Kalpi, was an important conflict during the late 17th century involving Chhatrasal Bundela, the leader of the Bundela rebellion against the Mughal Empire. The battle unfolded when Chhatrasal attacked and plundered the strategic town of Kalpi, an important Mughal stronghold, killing its governor, Pir Ali Khan. Following this, Pir Ali Khan’s son, Diler Khan, led a counterattack, forcing Chhatrasal to retreat initially.
Ruhani Bai Begum was the chief consort of Bundela Rajput ruler Chhatrasal, ruler of Panna from 1675 to 1731. She was a Persian Muslim and a follower of Shia Islam by birth.
Maratha Confederacy 
Panna State 
Mughal Empire 
Peshwa Bajirao I 
Chimaji Appa 
