Chatrapati of the Marathas | |
---|---|
Marāṭhyānche Chatrapatī | |
Federal | |
Details | |
Style | His Majesty |
First monarch | Shivaji I |
Last monarch | Pratap Singh |
Formation | 1674 |
Abolition | 1818 |
Residence |
|
Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a monarch or imperial head of state. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of chhatra ( parasol or umbrella ) and pati (master/lord/ruler). [1] This title was used by the House of Bhonsle, between 1674 and 1818, as the heads of state of the Maratha Confederacy.
The states of Satara and Kolhapur came into being in 1707, because of the succession dispute over the royalty. Shahuji, the heir apparent to the Maratha empire, captured by the Mughals at the age of nine, remained their prisoner at the death of his father Sambhaji, the elder son of Shivaji the founder of the Maratha Empire, in 1689. The dowager Maharani Tarabai (wife of Rajaram I) proclaimed her son Shivaji II, as Chhatrapati under her regency. The Mughals released Shahu under certain conditions in 1707, and he returned to claim his inheritance. He defeated the regent at the Battle of Khed and established himself at Satara, forcing her to retire with her son to Kolhapur. By 1710 two separate principalities had become an established fact. Shivaji II and Tarabai were soon deposed by the other wife of Rajaram, Rajasbai. She installed her own son, Sambhaji II, as the new ruler of Kolhapur. Sambhaji II signed the Treaty of Warana in 1731 with his cousin Shahuji to formalize the two separate seats of Bhonsle family. [2]
This is the list of the initial Chhatrapatis.
Portrait | Chhatrapati | Birth | Reign | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shivaji I | 19 February 1630 [3] | 6 June 1674 – 5 April 1680 | 5 April 1680 | |
Sambhaji | 14 May 1657 | 16 January 1681 – 11 March 1689 | 11 March 1689 | |
Rajaram I | 24 February 1670 | 11 March 1689 – 3 March 1700 | 3 March 1700 | |
Shivaji II | 9 June 1696 | 1700–1707, 1710 – 2 August 1714 (Kolhapur State) | 14 March 1726 | |
Shahu I | 18 May 1682 | 12 January 1708 – 15 December 1749 | 15 December 1749 | |
This is the list of the Chhatrapatis of Satara. [4]
Portrait | Chhatrapati | Birth | Reign | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shahu I | 18 May 1682 | 12 January 1708 – 15 December 1749 | 15 December 1749 | |
Rajaram II | June 1726 | 15 December 1749 – 11 December 1777 | 11 December 1777 | |
Shahu II | 1763 | 11 December 1777 – 3 May 1808 | 3 May 1808 | |
Pratapsingh | 18 January 1793 | 1818 – 5 September 1839 | 14 October 1847 | |
Shahaji | 1802 | 5 September 1839 – 5 April 1848 | 5 April 1848 | |
venkatji Bhonsle | 1848–1864 | 1864 | ||
Pratapsinha II / Rajaram II | 1864–1874 | 1 March 1878 | ||
Rajaram III | 1874–1904 | 6 July 1907 | ||
Anna Sahib | 1904–1914 | 1919 | ||
Bhav Sahib / Bhausaheb | 1914–1925 | 7 July 1925 | ||
Shahu III | 1925–1950 | 23 February 1960 | ||
Pratapsingh III | 1950–1978 | 5 April 1983/1989 | ||
Udayanraje | 24 February 1966 | 1978–present | ||
Source: [5] |
This is the list of the Chhatrapatis of Kolhapur. [4]
Portrait | Chhatrapati | Birth | Reign | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shivaji II | 9 June 1696 | 1700–1707, 1710–1714 (Kolhapur State) | 14 March 1726 | |
Sambhaji II | 1698 | 1714–1760 | 18 December 1760 | |
Shivaji III | 1756 | 22 September 1762 – 24 April 1813 | 24 April 1813 | |
Sambhaji III | 1801 | 24 April 1813 – 2 July 1821 | 2 July 1821 | |
Shivaji IV | 1816 | July 02 1821 – Jan 03 1822 | January 03, 1822 | |
Shahaji I | 22 January 1802 | 3 January 1822 – 29 November 1838 | 29 November 1838 | |
Shivaji V | 26 December 1830 | 1838–1866 | 4 August 1866 | |
Rajaram II | April 13, 1850 | August 18, 1866 – November 30, 1870 | November 30, 1870 | |
Shivaji VI | April 05, 1863 | 1871–1883 | December 25, 1883 | |
Shahu IV (overall) Shahu I of Kolhapur | 26 June 1874 | 2 April 1894 – 6 May 1922 | 6 May 1922 | |
Rajaram III | 31 July 1897 | 1922–1940 | 26 November 1940 | |
Shivaji VII | 22 November 1941 | 31 December 1941 – 28 September 1946 | 28 September 1946 | |
Shahaji II | 4 April 1910 | 1947–1971 | 9 May 1983 | |
Shahu V (overall) Shahu II of Kolhapur | 7 January 1948 | 1983–present |
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 death, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian empire and later a confederation that controlled large portions of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji of the Bhonsle dynasty as the Chhatrapati. Although Shivaji came from the Maratha caste, the Maratha empire also included warriors, administrators, and other nobles from the Maratha and several other castes from what is known today as Maharashtra. The Maratha Kingdom was expanded into a full-fledged Empire in the 18th Century under the leadership of Peshwa Bajirao I.
Peshwa was 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 empire, the office became hereditary after the death of Shahu in 1749. 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 empire. However following the defeat of the Marathas in 1761, the office of the Peshwa became titular as well and from that point onwards served as the ceremonial head of the Confederacy underneath the Chhatrapati.
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.
Rajaram Bhonsle II, also known as Ramaraja, was the sixth monarch of Maratha Empire. He was an adopted son of Chhattrapati Shahu. 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, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao retained him as the titular Chhatrapati. In reality, Peshwa and other chiefs had all the executive power, while Rajaram II was only a figurehead.
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 Mughal–Maratha Wars was a conflict 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.
Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 as the Finance Minister (Amatya) to Emperor (Chhatrapati) Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. He then served as the Imperial Regent to four later emperors, namely Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II and Sambhaji II. He authored the Adnyapatra, a famous code of civil and military administration, and is renowned as one of the greatest civil administrators, diplomats and military strategists of the Maratha Empire.
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.
Panhala fort, is located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to the coastal areas. Due to its strategic location, it was the centre of several skirmishes in the Deccan involving the Marathas, the Mughals and the British East India Company, the most notable being the Battle of Pavan Khind. Here, the queen regent of Kolhapur, Tarabai Ranisaheb, spent her formative years. Several parts of the fort and the structures within are still intact. It is also called as the 'Fort of Snakes' as it is zigzagged in shape.
Vijaydurg, the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty and restructured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Kolhapur State or Kolhapur Kingdom (1710–1949) was a Maratha princely State of India, under the Deccan Division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the most important of the Maratha principalities with the others being Baroda State, Gwalior State and Indore State. Its rulers, of the Bhonsle dynasty, were entitled to a 19-gun salute – thus Kolhapur was also known as a 19-gun state. The state flag was a swallow-tailed saffron pennant.
Shivaji Bhonsle II of the Maratha Empire, later Shivaji Bhonsle I of Kolhapur was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati, Rajaram I, and his wife Tarabai.
Sambhaji II or Sambhaji I of Kolhapur was a Raja of Kolhapur from Bhonsle dynasty. He was a grandson of Shivaji and the second son of Chhatrapati Rajaram with his second wife, Rajasbai. After defeat by Shahu, Sambhaji's stepmother, Tarabai then set up a rival court in Kolhapur with her son Shivaji II as Raja of Kolhapur in 1710, who then ruled as Shivaji I of Kolhapur line. However, in 1714, Rajasbai instigated a coup against Tarabai and installed her own son, Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. Sambhaji ruled from 1714 to 1760.
Udaji Chavan (1692-1762), was one of the main supporter and Senapati of Sambhaji II of Kolhapur. He had the title of 'Himmat Bahadur'. At first he was partisan of Tarabai. Afterwards, he became the supporter of Samhaji of Kolhapur. He brought territory of Shirol, Raibag under Kolhapur's control from Gharge-Desai-Deshmukh's. He made 'Battis Shirala' on the bank of Warna his chief headquarters. He successfully launched many campaigns against Shahu with the help of Yashwantrao Thorat.
The Bhonsle dynasty are a prominent Indian Marathi imperial house. They claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Marathas.