| Sambhajirao Angre I | |
|---|---|
 Sambhajirao Angre I | |
| Prime minister of the Gwalior Kingdom | |
| Reign | ?-1848 |
| Predecessor | Baburao Angre |
| Died | 1848 |
| Issue | Baburao Appasaheb Angre [1] |
| Father | Mawji Angre |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Sardar Sambhajirao Angre I was the prime minister of the Gwalior Kingdom during the rule of Jankoji Rao Scindia II and Jayajirao Scindia. He was the great-grandson of the famous Maratha Navy admiral Kanhoji Angre and grandson of Yesaji Angre. [2] [3] [4]
Yesaji Angre died around 1734, in disputes among the Angre family. In search of opportunity, Yesaji Angre's sons Mawji and Baburao (Sambhajirao’s father and uncle respectively), moved to Gwalior to live with their sister Maina Bai, who was the mother of the ruler, Daulat Rao Scindia. [3] [5] [6] [4]
Sambhaji’s uncle, Baburao Angre became an important member of Daulat Rao Scindia’s court, serving as prime minister and commander-in-chief. [7] Baburao Angre was childless, hence he adopted his brother's son Sambhajirao. Fortwith, Sambhaji earned a reputation for curbing the rampant and widespread banditry in Malwa. He later became a trusted advisor and the prime minister for Jankoji Rao Scindia II, Daulat Rao Scindia’s successor. [2] [4]
In 1839, when Raghoji Angre II, ruler of the Colaba State passed away in 1838 without a male heir, Sambhajirao tried to claim the kingship of the kingdom. His claims were supported by the British Resident of Gwalior, but his claims were investigted and rejected by the Bombay Government. [7] [8]
Jankoji II had no male heir to succeed him, hence to prevent the British from implementing the Doctrine of lapse and annexing Gwalior, it is said that Sambhajirao rode out in search of a child from the extended family of the Scindia dynasty in order for Jankoji to adopt as his son. He came upon a group of young boys playing marbles and noticed one of them making a particularly difficult shot from an long distance. Sambhajirao took it as a sign and almost kidnapped the eight-year-old boy, which was Jayajirao Scindia. The adoption rituals were hurriedly completed on 7 February 1843, shortly before Jankoji passed away. [9] [10] [2] Sambhajirao served as Jayajirao Scindia's prime minister for five years until he died in 1848. [2] [4]
Sambhajirao Angre’s palatial residence, Sambhaji Vilas, in the old town of Gwalior, still stands and is currently being operated as a guesthouse by his descendants. [2] [11]
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian empire and later a confederation that rose to dominate much 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 Peshwa was the appointed prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati ; later, under the Bhat family, they became the de facto leaders of the Maratha Confederacy, with the Chhatrapati becoming a nominal ruler. During the last years of the Maratha Empire, the Peshwas themselves were reduced to titular leaders, and remained under the authority of the Maratha nobles and the British East India Company.
Scindia dynasty was a Hindu Maratha dynasty that ruled the erstwhile Gwalior State in central India. It had the patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai and was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal servant of the Peshwa Bajirao I. Ranoji and his descendents, along with their rivals the Holkars, played a leading role during the Maratha ascendency in northern India in the 18th-century. The Gwalior State became a princely state under the British Raj during the 19th and the 20th-centuries. After India's independence in 1947 and the abolition of princely states, several members of the Scindia family went on to enter Indian politics.
Kanhoji Angre, also known as Conajee Angria or Sarkhel Angré was a chief of the Maratha Navy in present-day India. Kanhoji became known for attacking and capturing European merchant ships and collecting jakat, seen by Europeans traders and colonists as ransoming of their crews. British, Dutch and Portuguese ships often fell victims to these raids. Despite attempts by the Portuguese and British to put an end to his privateering activities, Angre continued to capture and collect jakat from European merchant ships until his death in 1729. Kanhoji's naval prowess in capturing dozens of European trading ships and avoiding capture has led to many historians to appraise Kanhoji as the most skilled Indian navy chief in the maritime history of India.
Shrimant Peshwa Baji Rao II was the 13th and the last Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He governed from 1795 to 1818. He was installed as a puppet ruler by the Maratha nobles, whose growing power prompted him to flee his capital Poona and sign the Treaty of Bassein (1802) with the British. This resulted in the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805), in which the British emerged victorious and re-installed him as the titular Peshwa. In 1817, Baji Rao II joined the Third Anglo-Maratha War against the British, after they favoured the Gaekwad nobles in a revenue-sharing dispute. After suffering several battle defeats, the Peshwa surrendered to the British, and agreed to retire in return for an estate at Bithoor and an annual pension.
Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire.
The Maratha Conquests were a series of conquests in the Indian subcontinent which led to the building of the Maratha Empire. These conquests were started by Shivaji in 1659, from the victory at the Battle of Pratapgad against Bijapur. The expansion of the empire was limited and interrupted by the Mughal conquests of south India by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Marathas were forced to defend their territories against the overwhelmingly strong Mughal army in the 27 years long Deccan wars. They were able to defend their territories and gain an upper hand over Mughals in the sustained conflict.
Ranoji Shinde the founder of the Scindia dynasty from maratha caste that produced outstanding Maratha military commanders during the 18th century. Later the Scindia served as vassals of the British from the northern Princely state of Gwalior.
The Jai Vilas Mahal, also known as the Jai Vilas Palace, is a nineteenth century palace in Gwalior, India. It was built in 1874 by Jayajirao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior in the British Raj. While the major part of the palace is now the "Jiwajirao Scindia Museum" which opened to the public in 1964, a part of it is still the residence of some of his descendants.
Harpale (हरपळे) is a surname used by a subclan of Maratha. The name is legendary among Maratha Royalties. They were honoured as Sardar, Patil, Deshmukh, etc. The Maratha Community come mostly from Maharashtra and neighbouring states. Harphales capital is Phursungi town near Pune. They have a Royal Mark of Gaikwad Maharajas of Baroda. They possess Deshmukh rights of villages in Nagpur. Their relations are associated with the prominent Maratha clan of 96 Royal Clans.
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.
The following list includes a brief about the titles of nobility or orders of chivalry used by the Marathas of India and by the Marathis/Konkanis in general.
Jankoji Rao Scindia II, was Maharaja of Gwalior.
Baiza Bai was a Scindia Maharani and banker. The third wife of Daulat Rao Scindia, she acceded to the regency of the Scindia kingdom following his death and ruled 1827-1833. As a prominent opponent of the East India Company, she was eventually ousted from power and replaced on the throne by her adopted son Jankoji Rao Scindia II.
Sardar Chandroji Sambhaji Rao Angre was an Indian politician. He was a Member of Parliament, representing Madhya Bharat in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament as a member of the Hindu Mahasabha. He was a seventh-generation descendant of the famous Maratha admiral, Kanhoji Angre. He distinguished himself as the champion of Hinduism and was popularly called "Dharmvir". He was the Foreign and Political minister of Gwalior and was also vice-chairman of the Executive council of the Gwalior Kingdom, for the minority of raja Jivajirao Scindia. He succeeded his father Sambhajirao Angre as head of the Angre family in 1917.
Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale was the wife of Chatrapati Sambhaji, and referred to as Chatrapati Maharani of the Maratha Empire. She was also the mother of Chatrapati Shahu I. Chatrapati Sambhaji had shared with her his power as the emperor. When Chatrapati Sambhaji was away from the Maratha capital due to battles, all the political decisions were made by her.
Tulaji Angre, called Tulajee Angria by English historians was the grand admiral of the Maratha Navy and ruler of Colaba State in modern-day India. Similar to his famous father Kanhoji Angre, he too was an extremely skilled admiral and attacked several European trading ships. His achievements and naval prowess are considered to be greater than that of his father by some scholars and chroniclers. On various occasions he fought against the English, Dutch, Siddis And Portuguese maritime Powers. However, he alienated himself from the Maratha Peshwa, Balaji Baji Rao which led to his capture by the East India Company and Peshwa's forces at the Battle of Vijaydurg in 1756.
Colaba State, also known as Culaba State or Angria's Colaba was a small princely state in India under the protection of the British. The Rulers Of Colaba State were Mahadev Kolis of Maharashtra. It was founded by the famous Maratha Navy admiral Kanhoji Angre in 1698. The ruling family of the state, the Angre, were skilled seafarers who controlled the western coast of India from the late 17th century- to the first half of the 18th century, until the Maratha Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao destroyed the major portion of their navy in the Battle of Vijaydurg.
Yesaji Angre was a military commander and the youngest illegitimate son of Kanhoji Angre, the famed Maratha Navy admiral. He spent his naval career under the service of his elder half-brother Sambhaji Angre. The Gwalior branch of the Angre family was descended from him.