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.
The Maratha Confederacy, also referred to as the Maratha Empire, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states often subordinate to the former. It was established in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji as the Maratha Chhatrapati and recognised by Emperor Bahadur Shah I as a tributary state in 1707 following a prolonged rebellion. Following this, the Marathas continued to recognise the Mughal emperor as their nominal suzerain, similar to other contemporary Indian entities, though in practice, imperial politics at Delhi were largely influenced by the Marathas between 1737 and 1803.
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha territory by British East India Company troops, and although the British were outnumbered, the Maratha army was decimated. The troops were led by Governor General Hastings, supported by a force under General Thomas Hislop. Operations began against the Pindaris, a band of Muslim mercenaries and Marathas from central India.
Balaji Baji Rao, often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, the Peshwa Bajirao I.
Madhavrao I was the son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. During his tenure, the Maratha Confederacy recovered from the losses they suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, an event known as Maratha Resurrection.
Rajaram II, also known as Ramaraja, was the sixth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy. He was an adopted son of Chhatrapati Shahu I. Tarabai had presented him to Shahu as her own grandson and used him to grab power after Shahu's death. However, after being sidelined, she stated that Rajaram II was only an impostor. Nevertheless, Balaji Baji Rao retained him as the Chhatrapati. In reality, Peshwa and other chiefs had all the executive power, while Rajaram II was only a nominal head of the Marathas.
Maharani Tarabai Bhosale (née Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal rule in Konkan, and acting as the regent of the Maratha Empire during the minority of her son, Shivaji II. She defeated Mughal forces of Aurangzeb in several battles and expanded the Maratha Empire.
Umabai Dabhade was a prominent member of the Maratha Dabhade clan. The members of her family held the hereditary title senapati (commander-in-chief), and controlled several territories in Gujarat. After the deaths of her husband Khande Rao and her son Trimbak Rao, she exercised executive powers while her minor son Yashwant Rao remained the titular senapati. Her unsuccessful rebellion against Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao resulted in the downfall of the Dabhade family.
The Battle of Rakshasbhuvan in India was fought on 10 August 1763. After the defeat of the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Panipat, their rivals started seizing the opportunity to recover their losses in the past at the hands of Marathas. Particularly, the Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to recover territory he had lost at the Battle of Udgir. He decided to launch a war on the Marathas.
The Battle of Bhopal was fought on 24 December 1737 in Bhopal between the Maratha Confederacy and the combined army of the Mughal chiefs, Hyderabad State, Rajput kingdoms and the Oudh State in which Marathas under the leadership of Peshwa Bajirao I were victorious.
The Maratha Army was the land-based armed forces of the Maratha Confederacy, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in the Indian subcontinent.
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.
The Battle of Jaitpur was fought between the Maratha Confederacy under Peshwa Baji Rao I, on behalf of Chhatrasal Bundela, the ruler of Bundelkhand; and the Mughal Empire under Muhammad Khan Bangash in March 1729. Bangash attacked the state of Bundelkhand in December 1728. Being too old to fight, as well as heavily outnumbered, Chhatrasal appealed to Baji Rao for assistance - under whose leadership the Maratha with 25,000 horsemen with the bundela troops defeated the Muhammad khan bangash.
The Marathas, under the leadership of Peshwa Madhavrao and his uncle Raghunathrao, defended a campaign of the Nizam's forces and eventually defeated them in the Battle of Uruli. This victory helped the Marathas regain their control over the Deccan region and weakened the power and influence of the Nizam.
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 Maratha invasion of the Deccan in 1739, led by Peshwa Bajirao I, was a military campaign of the Maratha Confederacy against the Nizam of Hyderabad. Bajirao's Maratha forces invaded Hyderabad's territories and had a military conflict with Nasir Jung, the son of Nizam-ul Mulk, Asaf Jah.
The Battle of Rattihalli, fought in 1764, pitted the forces of the Maratha Confederacy against those of the Mysore forces led by Hyder Ali. The Maratha army was commanded by Peshwa Madhavrao.
The siege of Sira was an offensive conducted by Hyder Ali.
The Battle of Moti Talab, which took place on March 5, 1771, was a significant engagement between the forces of Mysore, led by Hyder Ali and the Maratha army, commanded by Trimbak Rao. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Maratha Empire.
The Treaty of Bhopal was an agreement signed in 1738 following the Battle of Bhopal, which took place on December 24, 1737. The battle pitted the Maratha Confederacy led by Peshwa Baji Rao I against a combined force of the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Subahdar of Bhopal, and other Mughal vassals.
Maratha Confederacy 
Kingdom of Mysore 
Madhavrao 