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.
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 Kingdom, 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 Confederacy. 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.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals 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.
Mastani was the daughter of Chhatrasal 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.
Nana Fadnavis, born Balaji Janardan Bhanu, was a Maratha minister and statesman during the Peshwa administration in Pune, India. James Grant Duff states that he was called "the Maratha Machiavelli" by the Europeans.
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 Aurangzeb in several battles and expanded the Maratha Empire.
Malhar Rao Holkar was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia to help spread the Maratha rule to northern states and was given the estate of Indore to rule by the Peshwas, during the reign of the Maratha emperor Shahu I. He was founder of the Holkar dynasty that ruled Malwa.
Chimaji Balaji Bhat, commonly referred to as Appa or Bhau, was the son of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath and the younger brother of Peshwa Bajirao I of Maratha Empire. The high watermark of his military career was the capture of Vasai fort from the Portuguese.
Sadashivrao Bhau Bhatt was son of Chimaji Appa and Rakhmabai and the nephew of Baji Rao I. He was a finance minister during the reign of Maratha emperor Rajaram II. He led the Maratha army at the Third Battle of Panipat.
Gopikabai was Peshwin of Maratha Empire, as the wife of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. She had a very orthodox religious upbringing and belief. After the death of Nanasaheb Peshwa, she tried to expand her power over the Peshwa and the administration. She influenced her son Madhavrao Peshwa, who by sidelining Raghunathrao at her urging, assumed control. However, after trying to interfere in administrative matters, namely to save her brother from punishment, she was confined to Nashik. In 1773 she was freed after the death of Madhavarao and went back to Pune. Afterwards, Gopikabai became part of the priestly class. She developed a rivalry with other women in the Peshwa's household. She was the mother of three successive Peshwas.
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.
Dattaji Rao Shinde, also known as Dattaji Rao Scindia, was the second son of Ranoji Rao Shinde and Maina Bai, alias Nimba Bai. His elder brother was Jayappaji Rao Shinde and his younger brother was Jyotiba.
Damaji Rao Gaekwad was the second Maharaja of Baroda reigning from 1732 to 1768 until his death.
Shamsher Bahadur I, was a ruler of the Maratha dominion of Banda in northern India. He was the son of Bajirao I and Mastani.
The Bhat Peshwa family earlier known as Bhat family is a prominent Indian Chitpavan Brahmin family who dominated India for around 100 years in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Most of the members in this family were the Peshwas in the Peshwa Era of the Maratha Empire, and Peshwa later became their family name. During their regime, most of the Indian subcontinent was under their control. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II, was defeated by the British East India Company in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The territory was annexed to the British East India Company's Bombay Presidency, and he was pensioned.
Peshwa Bajirao is an Indian Hindi historical drama television series, which broadcast from 23 January 2017 to 25 August 2017 on Sony TV. The series is based on a Peshwa of the Maratha Empire, Bajirao I, who ruled under the Chhatrapati known as Shahu. The series was produced by Sphere Origins of Sunjoy Waddhwa and creatively produced by Nilanjana Purkayasstha's company Invictus T Mediaworks. The series was aired on weekdays.
Kashibai Bajirao Ballal is an Indian historical drama based on Kashibai. It premiered on 15 November 2021 on Zee TV with Aarohi Patel as Young Kashi Bai and Venkatesh Pandey as Young Bajirao. On 21 March 2022, the story moved on several years and Riya Sharma portrays the lead role of Kashibai opposite Rohit Chandel who essays the role of Bajirao. It went off air on 19 August 2022, after completing 201 episodes.
Peshwin of the Maratha Empire 
