Capture of Delhi (1771)

Last updated
Capture of Delhi (1771)
Location
Result Maratha victory [1]
Belligerents
Flag of the Rampur State.svg Kingdom of Rohilkhand Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Maratha Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the Rampur State.svg Zabita Khan Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Mahadji Scindia
Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Visaji Krushna Biniwale

In 1771, the forces of the Maratha Confederacy led by Mahadaji Shinde captured Delhi from the Rohillas and brought back the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II to Delhi from exile in Oudh.[ citation needed ] The Marathas captured Delhi from Najib Khan's son Zabita Khan who was put in charge by the Afghans. [2] [ need quotation to verify ] [3]

In the Third Battle of Panipat, the Maratha Confederacy suffered a serious blow at the hands of the Afghan Empire, the Nawab of Awadh and the Kingdom of Rohilkhand under Najib ad-Dawlah. After the death of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, Madhavrao I became the Peshwa [4] under the regency of Raghunathrao. Mahadji Shinde's victory over the Rajputs of Rajasthan and Pashtuns-Rohillas of Rohilkhand (in the western part of present-day Uttar Pradesh state) re-established Maratha influence in the region. [5]

Capture

The Peshwa's instructions ended the passive policy and advocated for a strong stance against the Rohillas. Visaji Krishna demanded nazar from Zabita Khan, who refused and was expelled from the camp. The Maratha army marched to Delhi, where Saif-i-uddin Muhammad Khan secured the peaceful surrender of the city. However, Zabita Khan's troops inside the fort refused to submit, leading to a breach in the ramparts. [6] The Marathas entered Delhi on February 10, 1771, with a force of 3,000 horses. [7] They presented nazar and professed allegiance to the emperor, seizing the surrounding area and removing Najib's appointees. The Maratha chiefs demanded 40 lakhs of rupees for restoring the emperor, the cession of Meerut and neighboring districts and the right to appoint imperial officials below the Wazir and receive half of their nuar. Saif-ud-din Muhammad Khan accepted these terms on behalf of the emperor and forwarded them for ratification. [8] [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Battle of Panipat</span> 1761 battle between the Durrani and Maratha empires

The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Confederacy and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately 97 kilometres (60 mi) north of Delhi. The Afghans were supported by three key allies in India: Najib ad-Dawlah who persuaded the support of the Rohilla chiefs, elements of the declining Mughal Empire, and most prized the Oudh State under Shuja-ud-Daula. The Maratha army was led by Sadashivrao Bhau, who was third-highest authority of the Maratha Confederacy after the Chhatrapati and the Peshwa. The bulk of the Maratha army was stationed in the Deccan Plateau with the Peshwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha Empire</span> 1674–1818 empire in the Indian subcontinent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohilkhand</span> Region in Uttar Pradesh, India

Rohilkhand is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the Rohilla tribe of Pathans. The region was called Madhyadesh and Panchala in the Sanskrit epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. During the colonial era in India, the region was governed by the Royal House of Rampur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhavrao I</span> 9th Peshwa of Maratha Empire

Madhavrao I was the son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. During his tenure, the Maratha Confederacy recovered from the losses they suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, an event known as Maratha Resurrection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohilla</span> Pashtun-descended ethnic group of Uttar Pradesh, India

Rohillas are a mixed Indian community of Pashtun heritage, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Rohilla military chiefs settled in this region of northern India in the 1720s, the first of whom was Ali Mohammed Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Alam II</span> Mughal emperor from 1760 to 1788 and 1788 to 1806

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raghunath Rao</span> Peshwa of the Maratha Empire

Raghunathrao Bhat, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada, was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He succeeded his Nephew Narayanrao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahadaji Shinde</span> Maharaja of Gwalior (c. 1730–1794)

Mahadaji Shinde, later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Scindia, was a Maratha statesman and general who served as the Raja of Gwalior from 1768 to 1794. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Ranoji Rao Scindia, the founder of the Scindia dynasty. He is reputed for having restored the Maratha rule over North India and for modernizing his army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malhar Rao Holkar</span> First Maharaja of Indore from 1731–1766

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Najib ad-Dawlah</span> Afghan Rohilla Chief and Mughal serviceman

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 Ahmed 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.

Auraiya is a city and a municipal board in Auraiya district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. NH 19 passes through the center of the town. Phaphund is the nearest railway station and Saifai Airstrip the nearest aviation facility, having limited private use. Etawah Safari Park is the nearest lion safari park. The nearest commercial airport is Kanpur Airport. Before becoming the district headquarters, it was the tehsil headquarters of Etawah district. This district is under Kanpur Mandal. [1] [2] [3] This is the heroic place of Sengar Rajputs. Sengar dynasty Kanardhani Maharajadhiraj Vishok Dev was married to Devkala, sister of Maharaja Jaichand Gaharwar (Rathore) of Kannauj. He had received this entire area in dowry. The famous Devkali Temple here was also built by him in the name of his wife Devkali. There are many famous villages of Kshatriya in which Ayana, Bhartaul, Jaswantpur, Bhurepur Kalan, Bhurepur Khurd, Sikharna, Fareha, Anepur, Senganpur, Barbatpur, Roshangpur, Manpur, Bhaupur, keontra, Phaphund, Aseva,Shahbadiya are very famous villages.

Kiratpur, also known as Basi Kiratpur, is a town and a Municipal Board in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhavrao II</span> 12th Peshwa of Maratha Empire

Madhavrao II was the 12th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire in India, from his infancy. He was known as Sawai Madhav Rao or Madhav Rao Narayan. He was the posthumous son of Narayanrao Peshwa, murdered in 1773 on the orders of Raghunathrao. Madhavrao II was considered the legal heir, and was installed as Peshwa by the Treaty of Salbai in 1782 after First Anglo-Maratha War.

Visaji Krushna Chinchalkar, popularly known as Visaji Pant Biniwale, was one of the leading generals of Peshwas in Northern India during 1759 to 1772. Peshwa Madhavrao I mainly sought his assistance in his attempt to restore Maratha Empire in the North after the defeat in the Battle of Panipat (1761).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III</span> Grand vizier of the Mughal Empire allied with the Maratha Empire

Feroze Jung III or Nizam Shahabuddin Muhammad Feroz Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi also known by his sobriquet Imad-ul-Mulk, was the grand vizier of the Mughal Empire when it was under Maratha suzerainty, making them the de facto rulers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zabita Khan</span> Rohilla chieftain

Zabita Khan Rohilla was a Rohilla chieftain in the time of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan–Maratha War</span> 18th-century conflict between Afghans and Marathas and Sikhs

The Afghan-Maratha War was fought between the Afghan Empire under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Maratha Empire and the Sikh Confederacy between 1758 and 1761. It took place in north-west India, primarily the region around Delhi and Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirza Jawan Bakht (born 1749)</span> Mughal prince (1749–1788)

Shahzada Mirza Jawan Bakht Bahadur was a Mughal prince and the eldest son of Emperor Shah Alam II and the grandson of Emperor Alamgir II. He was born in 1749 at the Red Fort, Delhi. Jawan Bakht was a very influential Timurid Prince of the Mughal Empire and he also briefly served as the Heir-apparent of the Mughal Empire. He traced his family line back over five hundred years to Chagatai Khan, the second son of Genghis Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dattaji Rao Scindia</span>

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.

Ghulam Kadir, fully Ghulam Abd al Qadir Ahmed Khan, was a leader of the Afghan Rohilla during the late 18th century in the time of the Mughal Empire. He is particularly known for blinding the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and occupying and plundering Delhi for two and a half months in 1788.

References

  1. Ghosh, D. K. Ed. A Comprehensive History Of India Vol. 9. p. 537.
  2. Stewart Gordon (2003). New Cambridge History of India: The Marathas (Vol. 2, Part 4) (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781139055666.
  3. Ghosh, D. K. Ed. A Comprehensive History Of India Vol. 9. p. 535.
  4. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1991). The Maratha Supremacy (2nd ed.). Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhaban. p. 201.
  5. Gaurav, Sarthak; Ranganathan, Thiagu (2023-01-31). Accidental Gamblers: Risk and Vulnerability in Vidarbha Cotton. Cambridge University Press. p. 26. ISBN   978-1-009-27659-7.
  6. Ghosh, D. K. Ed. A Comprehensive History Of India Vol. 9. p. 535.
  7. Rathod, N. G. (1994). The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia. Sarup & Sons. p. 8. ISBN   978-81-85431-52-9.
  8. Ghosh, D. K. Ed. A Comprehensive History Of India Vol. 9. p. 537.
  9. Board, Pratiyogita Darpan Editorial. Pratiyogita Darpan Extra Issue Series-3 Indian History. Upkar Prakashan.
  10. Cheema, G.S. "The Forgotten Mughals". prsxg39yc761iwd5ibj0yw.on.drv.tw. p. 353. Retrieved 2023-12-30.