Sambhaji, also known as Shambhuraje was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Abyssinians of Janjira, Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in Goa. After Sambhaji's execution by Aurangzeb, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi also known as Chin Qilich Qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the first Nizam of Hyderabad. He was married to the daughter of a Syed nobleman of Gulbarga. He began his career as a favourite of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who made him a general. Following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, Asaf Jah refused to favour any one of Aurangzeb's warring sons and as such remained neutral. When Aurangzeb's third son Bahadur Shah ultimately emerged victorious, Asaf Jah was rotated as governor of multiple Mughal provinces until 1714, when he was created Viceroy of the Deccan with authority over six Mughal provinces in southern India from 1714 to 1719. From 1719 onwards he was involved in combating the intrigues of the Sayyid Brothers. From 1720 to 1722 he helped the new Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah eliminate the Sayyed brothers and was rewarded by being elevated to the grand viziership from 1722 to 1724. He also engaged in military conflict against Bajirao I in Battle of Palkhed and Battle of Bhopal in which he was severely defeated and had to sue for peace.
Mirza Abu'l Fayaz Qutb-ud-Din Mohammad Azam, commonly known as Azam Shah, was briefly the seventh Mughal emperor from 14 March to 20 June 1707. He was the third son of the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort Dilras Banu Begum.
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.
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 by the Mughals. 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. Raja Shahu emerged victorious in the bloody Battle of Khed and was crowned as Chhatrapati.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1662–1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire and the Mughal vassals of the Marathas during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State. He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.
Rajaram Bhonsle I was the third Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half-brother of Sambhaji, who he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his dowager Maharani Tarabai.
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 empire's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal occupation of Maratha territories after the death of her husband, and acting as the regent during the minority of her son, Shivaji II.
The Deccan wars were a series of military conflicts between the Mughal Empire and the descendants of the Maratha ruler Shivaji from the time of Shivaji's death in 1680 until the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. Shivaji was a central figure in what has been called "the Maratha insurgency" against the Mughal state. Both he and his son, Sambhaji, or Shambuji, typically, alternated between rebellion against the Mughal state and service to the Mughal sovereign in an official capacity. It was common practice in late 17th-century India for members of a ruling family of a small principality to both collaborate with the Mughals and rebel.
Santaji Ghorpade (1660–1696) was a Maratha general and held the esteemed position of the 7th Senapati within the Maratha Empire during the reign of Chattrapati Rajaram I. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in Guerrilla warfare. Santaji Ghorpade, in collaboration with Dhanaji Jadhav, conducted a series of successful campaigns against the Mughals from 1689 to 1696. His strategic acumen was demonstrated through the adept utilization of tactics such as guerrilla warfare, ambushes, and swift mobility, ultimately resulting in effective defeats of the Mughal Army. In recognition of his valor, Rajaram bestowed upon him the title of Mamlakat-Madar in 1690.
Muhammad Ismail, known by his title Zulfiqar Khan, was a leading noble and military general of the Mughal Empire. His father was Asad Khan, wazir to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. During Aurangzeb's reign, Zulfiqar Khan led several military campaigns in pursuit of the emperor's ambitions in the Deccan and South India, notable of which is the Siege of Jinji. He held the post of mir bakhshi, appointed towards the later part of Aurangzeb's reign, and was made governor of the Deccan by emperor Bahadur Shah I. These positions helped make Zulfiqar Khan the most powerful noble in the empire by the early 1700s.
Dhanaji Jadhav (1650–1708) also known as Dhanaji Jadhav Rao, was a prominent Maratha general and served as the Senapati of the Maratha Empire during the reigns of Rajaram I, Tarabai, and Shahu I. Alongside Santaji Ghorpade, he conducted highly successful campaigns against the Mughals from 1689 to 1696, contributing significantly to the Maratha cause. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in the initial expansion of the Gujarat Province while consistently defeating Mughal forces.
Shankaraji Narayan Gandekar (1665–1707), also known as Shankaraji Narayan Sacheev or Shankaraji Narayan, was a popular Minister (Pradhan) and Count (Sardar) of the Maratha Empire. He also served as Imperial Secretary (Sacheev) during Rajaram's reign. He also served as Deputy to the Crown (Rajadnya) under Emperor Sambhaji. His contribution to the war of independence against Mughal rule is considered to be immensely supportive. He was also the founder of the princely state of Bhor located, in Pune district.
Mir Shihab-ud-Din Siddiqi, known by his title Ghaziuddin Khan, was a leading military general and noble of Central Asian origin in the Mughal Empire. He was a favoured member of emperor Aurangzeb's court, and the father of Chin Qilich Khan, founder of Hyderabad State. Under Aurangzeb, he distinguished himself in key battles over the Deccan, and held the governorship of Berar Subah. He briefly served as the governor of Mughal Gujarat during the reign of Aurangzeb's successor Bahadur Shah, and died in office. He is buried in a madrasa complex he founded during his lifetime, known as Madrasa Ghaziuddin Khan, which is located in Old Delhi.
The siege of Jinji,, began when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb appointed Zulfiqar Ali Khan as the Nawab of the Carnatic and dispatched him to besiege and capture Jinji Fort, which had been sacked and captured by Maratha Empire troops led by Rajaram, they had also ambushed and killed about 300 Mughal Sowars in the Carnatic. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb then ordered Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I to protect the supply routes leading to Jinji Fort and to support and provide reinforcements to Zulfiqar Ali Khan when needed.
Muhammad Bidar Bakht was a Mughal prince. His father, Muhammad Azam Shah, briefly reigned as Mughal emperor in 1707. Bidar was noted for being a gallant, skilful and successful general and was regarded as the most able Mughal prince of his time. He was the favourite grandson of Emperor Aurangzeb.
The Battle of Jajau was fought between the two Mughal princes and brothers Bahadur Shah I and Muhammad Azam Shah on 20 June 1707. In 1707, their father Aurangzeb died without having declared a successor; instead leaving a will in which he instructed his sons to divide the empire between themselves. Their failure to reach a satisfactory agreement led to a military conflict. After Azam Shah and his three sons were killed in the Battle of Jajau, Bahadur Shah I was crowned as the Mughal emperor on 19 June 1707 at the age of 63.
Events in the year 1707 in India.
The Battle of Satara was fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire between 1699–1700. The battle started when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb personally marched towards Satara, accompanied by 10,000 Mughal soldiers. He aimed to finally capture Satara, the center of the Maratha realm. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb then ordered for an attack on the fort of Satara. The Mughals destroyed major parts of the fortress and many of the other Mughal Forces surrounded and marched towards the further Maratha forts. Seeing this, the Maratha commander Dhanaji Jadhav finally surrendered the Satara fort on 21 April 1700, and rushed to protect the further Maratha Forts to which Mughal forces marched and surrounded. The Mughals captured the Satara fort and the battle was a huge loss for the Marathas.
The Maratha-Nizam wars (1720–1819) was a series of military conflicts between the Maratha Empire and the Nizam of Hyderabad, spanning nearly a century. These conflicts arose primarily from the Marathas' imposition of Chauth, a form of tribute, on the Nizam's dominions, leading to tensions and subsequent hostilities between the two powers. The Nizam's response to the Maratha demands sparked a series of clashes and wars aimed at resisting Maratha encroachment and asserting territorial sovereignty.
Maratha Empire 
Mughal Empire 
