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Madhavrao I (15 February 1745 - 18 November 1772), formerly known as Madhavrao Ballal Bhat, was the second son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I, who served as the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha Empire recovered from losses suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, known as the Maratha Resurrection.[1]R.C. Majumdar regarded him as the foremost among the Peshwas.[2]
On August 22, 1762, Raghunathrao fled to Vadgaon Maval where he raised an army against Madhavrao. Raghunathrao's men started looting the nearby villages for warfare, and this act angered Madhavrao. He decided to wage a war against his uncle Raghunathrao on November 7, 1762. However, Madhavrao soon after proposed a treaty.
Raghunathrao agreed to sign the treaty with Madhavrao and, after it was signed, Raghunathrao deceived Madhavrao by attacking his camp. Madhavrao was defeated in the Battle of Alegaon on November 12, 1762, and surrendered near Alegaon.[5]
After the surrender, Raghunathrao decided to control all the major decisions under the assistance of Sakharam Bapu. He also attempted to ally with the Nizam, but the Nizam slowly started infiltrating the zones of the Maratha Confederacy. As time slipped by, Madhavrao pointed out the gravity of the situation to his uncle. Eventually, on March 7, 1763, the Peshwas, once again under Madhavrao's leadership, decided to attack Aurangabad, the domain of the Nizam.
After months of chasing, the Peshwas faced Nizam's army on August 10, 1763, in the Battle of Rakshasbhuvan near Aurangabad.[6] Nizam's army suffered huge losses in this war, and Nizam retreated.[7]
In January 1764, Madhavrao gathered his defenses for a second time and defeated Hyder Ali. This time, his large army included generals such as Gopalrao Patwardhan, Murarrao Ghorpade, Vinchurkar and Naro Shankar. Raghunathrao declined the offer to join Madhavro's campaign and instead visited Nashik. The conquest lasted almost a year, and covered areas of the former Sira Subah in Karnataka.
Despite efforts to capture him, Hyder Ali managed to escape the clutches of the Peshwas. In November 1764, the young Peshwa, with the assistance of Gopalrao and Anand Rao, took control of the major Dharwar Fort. Only Bankapur remained under Hyder Ali's control. Madhavrao defeated Hyder Ali on other occasions too, such as in the Battle of Jadi Hanwati and in the Battle of Rattihalli.
Eventually, Madhavrao decided to call Raghunathrao for his assistance in the campaign, but Raghunathrao signed a treaty with Hyder Ali because he feared Madhavrao's burgeoning power.[8]
Madhavrao's assistant, Sakharam Bapu, warned him about the consequences of conquering Hyder Ali, as the Peshwa's failure to capture Hyder Ali was a major blow to Madhavrao's health[citation needed]. In 1767, Madhavrao I organized a 2nd expedition against Hyder Ali. Madhavrao, supported by the defection of Hyder Ali defeated Hyder Ali in the battles of Sira and Madhugiri. In Madhugiri, he discovered Queen Virammaji, the last ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom and her son who were confined in the fort of Madhugiri by Hyder Ali.[9] They were rescued by Madhavrao I and were sent to Pune for protection.[9] Sira Subah was then absorbed into the Maratha Empire.[10]
On 3 December 1767, an East India Company officer Mostyn arrived in Pune, requesting to establish a British military presence in Vasai and Sashti in exchange for Bidnur and Sonda. Madhavrao rejected the offer, remaining suspicious of British intentions.[11]
Although Raghunathrao marched northward in an effort to expand the empire, he did not succeed. Instead, he returned to Anandvalli and was again tempted to form an alliance with his generals to fight against Madhavrao. This time, however, Madhavrao was extremely agitated by his uncle's repeated attempts to overthrow him. On 10 June 1768, he waged war against Raghunathrao, captured him, and placed him under house arrest at Shaniwar Wada, along with his assistant, Sakharam Bapu Bokil.
In 1769, Madhavrao sent a large army under the command of Ramchandra Ganesh Kanade and Visaji Krushna Biniwale to recover territory lost in the North due to the defeat of the Third battle of Panipat. They would be joined by Mahadji Shinde and Tukoji Rao Holkar. This Maratha army marched towards Udaipur. The Rajputs there agreed to pay him 60 lakhs as tribute. On 5 April 1770, the Marathas defeated Jats of Bharatpur.
In October 1770, they vanquished Najib KhanRohilla, the main opponent of the Battle of Panipat (1761). In November 1771, Visaji Krushna Biniwale was appointed 'In Charge of the Northern Front of Marathas' by Peshwa Madhavrao I. In February 1772, along with Mahadji Shinde, he overpowered the Rohillas of Rohillkhand at Shukratal by defeating Zabita Khan. They avenged the defeat of Panipat by breaking the tomb of Najib Khan, looting the artillery and wealth of the Rohillas, and recovering from them an additional tribute of Rs.40 lakhs. Mahadji Shinde made his mark as a Maratha general while serving with Biniwale in North India.[12]
During his northern campaign, Biniwale persuaded the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam to return to Delhi and reclaim his throne in 1771.[13] Peshwa Madhavrao I was so delighted with Visaji Krushna's grand victory in the Rohilkhand that he specifically mentioned in his written will to shower golden flowers on him during his arrival at the border of Pune.
The Capture of Delhi was a battle in 1771 when the forces of the Maratha Confederacy led by Mahadaji Shinde captured Delhi along with the Red Fort and gave Mughal EmperorShah Alam II the throne back with the treaty.[14][15] The Marathas captured Delhi from Najib Khan's son Zabita Khan who was put in charge by the Afghans. With this capture, Marathas regained their lost supremacy in North India after the Third Battle of Panipat and conquered much of the lost territories which they lost after the Third Battle of Panipat.
Shah Alam spent six years in the Allahabad fort and after the capture of Delhi in 1771 by the Marathas, left for his capital under their protection.[16] He was escorted to Delhi by Mahadaji Shinde and left Allahabad in May 1771. During their short stay, the Marathas constructed two temples in Allahabad city, one of them being the famous Alopi Devi Mandir.
After reaching Delhi in January 1772 and realizing the Maratha intent of territorial encroachment, Shah Alam ordered his general Najaf Khan to drive them out. In retaliation, Tukoji Rao Holkar and Visaji Krushna Biniwale attacked Delhi and defeated Mughal forces in 1772. The Marathas were granted an imperial sanad for Kora and Allahabad. They turned their attention to Oudh to gain these two territories. Shuja was unwilling to give them up and made appeals to the English; the Marathas did not fare well at the Battle of Ramghat.[17] The Maratha and British armies fought in Ram Ghat, but the sudden demise of the Peshwa and the civil war in Pune to choose the next Peshwa forced the Maratha army to retreat.[18]
The cremation of Madhavrao and the sati of his wife Ramabai
In June 1770, the Peshwas set out to conquer Hyder Ali for the third time. However, Madhavrao was infected with tuberculosis, and his health started deteriorating. Tuberculosis was also termed "Raj-Yakshma" or the "prince of diseases".[19]
Madhavrao had to return from Miraj as the effects of the disease had started becoming prominent. He was even recommended an English doctor for treatment of the disease, and he would follow the advice given by the doctor. However, there were no signs of improvement and it started developing further. Madhavrao decided to spend his last days in his favorite GaneshaChintamani Temple, Theur. According to Grant Duff "The third battle of Panipat was not that much fatal to the Maratha empire than the early death of Peshwa Madhav Rao in 1772. "[citation needed]
18 November 1772, early morning approximately at eight: Madhavrao died at the temple premises of Chintamani, Theur. Thousands of citizens visited the site and paid their last respects. Madhavrao was cremated on the banks of the river which was about half a mile from the temple. A small memorial carved out of stone rests today at that place as a memorial.[citation needed]
His wife Ramabai chose to commit sati with his body at the time of cremation.[citation needed]
Character and legacy
Madhavrao was regarded well by many of his subjects, owing to his perceived openness, and shrewdness of decisions. Assessing the impact of the loss of Madhavrao, the writer James Grant Duff eulogized:
And the plains of Panipat were not more fatal to the Maratha Empire than the early end of this excellent prince...[20][21]
In popular culture
In the 1987 Marathi TV series Swami, Madhavrao's character was portrayed by Ravindra Mannkani.
In the 1994 Hindi TV series The Great Maratha, Madhavrao's character was portrayed by Rahul Awasthee.
Alok Rajwade portrayed Madhavrao in the 2014 Indian Marathi-language historical drama, Rama Madhav
Chinmay Patwardhan plays Madhavrao in the Indian Marathi-language television serial Swamini which airs on Colors Marathi.
"श्रीमंत माधवराव पेशवा: व्यक्ति आणि कार्य" A Marathi Political biography written by historians Guruprasad Kanitkar and Parag Pimpalkhare.
"The Mastery of Hindustan - Triumphs & Travels of Madhavrao Peshwa", a book written by Uday S. Kulkarni on the life and tenure of Madhavrao Peshwa. ( ISBN978-8192076935; published in 2022)[24]
"Pratishodh Panipatcha", a Marathi novel written by Kaustubh Kasture on the life of Madhavrao Peshwa.(published in 2019)[25]
↑ Kadiyan, Chand Singh (26 June 2019). "Panipat in History: A Study of Inscriptions". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 64: 403–419. JSTOR44145479.
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9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire 
