Bajirao I was the 7th and most powerful 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.
Kalinjar is a fortress-city in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh, in India. It was ruled by several dynasties including the Guptas, the Vardhana dynasty, the Chandelas, Solankis of Rewa, Mughal and the Marathas.
Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India.
Ahmad Shah Bahadur, also known as Mirza Ahmad Shah or Mujahid-ud-Din Ahmad Shah Ghazi, was the fourteenth Mughal emperor, born to Emperor Muhammad Shah. He succeeded his father to the throne in 1748, at the age of 22. When Ahmed Shah Bahadur came to power, the Mughal Empire started to decline. Furthermore, his administrative weakness eventually led to the rise of the usurping Imad-ul-Mulk.
Shah Alam II, also known by his birth name Ali Gohar, or Ali Gauhar, was the seventeenth Mughal emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal Empire. His power was so depleted during his reign that it led to a saying in the Persian language, Sultanat-e-Shah Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam, meaning, 'The empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam', Palam being a suburb of Delhi.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat 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.
The Deccan wars, also known as Mughal–Maratha wars, were a series of military conflicts between the Mughals and the Marathas after the death of Shivaji in 1680 until the death of 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.
Najib ad-Dawlah, also known as Najib Khan Yousafzai, was a Rohilla Yousafzai Afghan who earlier served as a Mughal serviceman but later deserted the cause of the Mughals and joined Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1757 in his attack on Delhi. He was also a House Chief of Rohilkhand, and in the 1740s founded the city of Najibabad in Bijnor district, India. He was instrumental in winning the Third Battle of Panipat.
Battle of Surat, also known as the Sack of Surat, was a land battle that took place on 5 January 1664, near the city of Surat, in present-day Gujarat, India, between Shivaji, leader of the fledgling Maratha State and Inayat Khan, a Mughal commander. The Marathas defeated the Mughal military unit posted at Surat and ransacked the city.
The Battle of Sinhagad, also known as Battle of Kondhana, involved an attack by Marathas during the night of 4 February 1670 on the fort of Sinhagad, near the city of Pune, Maharashtra. However, the Marathas captured the fort.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of Maratha empire in western India in 1664, was well known for his forts. Many, like Panhala Fort and Rajgad, existed before him but others, like Sindhudurg and Pratapgad, were built by him from scratch. Also, the fort of Raigad was built as the place of throne, i.e., the capital, of Maratha Empire by Hirojee Indulkar on the orders of the Chhatrapati. This is the place where Shivaji was crowned and today also his Samadhi (shrine) stands in front of the Jagadishwar temple. These forts were central to his empire and their remains are among the foremost sources of information about his rule. The French missionary Father Fryer witnessed the fortifications of Gingee, Madras, built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj after its conquest, and appreciated his technical know-how and knowledge.
Saibai Bhosale was the first wife and chief consort of Chattrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. She was the mother of her husband's successor Chattrapati Sambhaji.
Rajgad is a Hill region fort situated in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India. Formerly known as Murumbdev, the fort was the first capital of the Maratha Empire under the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji for almost 26 years, after which the capital was moved to the Raigad Fort. Treasures discovered from an adjacent fort called Torna were used to completely build and fortify the Rajgad Fort.
Torna Fort, also known as Prachandagad, is a large fort located in Pune district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is historically significant because it was the first fort captured by Shivaji I in 1646, at the age of 16. The hill has an elevation of 1,403 metres (4,603 ft) above sea level, making it the highest hill-fort in the district. The name derives from Prachanda and gad.
The Battle of Khelna occurred between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Kingdom between 1701-1702. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ordered for the Fort of Khelna to be besieged. Mughal general Asad Khan launched an offensive and besieged the fortress. After about a three-month siege, Maratha commander, Parashurampant surrendered under the condition that he and his garrison would be allowed to march out unharmed.
The Battle of Raigad occurred between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Kingdom in 1689. Aurangzeb ordered his General Zulfiqar Khan to capture the Maratha king, Rajaram. Mughal forces attacked Raigad and the fortress fell, however Rajaram Maharaj escaped before that happened.
The Battle of Satara was fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Kingdom 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 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 Battle of Salher was fought between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire in February 1672 CE. The battle was fought near the fort of Salher in modern day Nashik district. The result was a decisive victory for the Marathas. This battle is considered particularly significant as it is the first pitched battle where the Mughal Empire lost to the Marathas.
