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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Modern History

Lecture - 03
Indian Polity 18th Century (Part 2)
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Indian Polity 18th Century (Part 2)

Rise of Marathas:

Shahji Bhonsle (1594 - 1664):

 He was the Son of Maloji Bhosle, Raja of Verul.
 He was a general in the court of Adilshah, sultan of Bijapur.
 Shahaji inherited the Pune and Supe jagirs, under the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
 During the Mughal invasion of Deccan, he joined the Mughal forces and served Emperor Shah Jahan for a
brief period.
 After being deprived of his jagirs, he defected to the Bijapur Sultanate in 1632 and regained control over
Pune and Supe.
 In 1638, he also received the jagir of Bangalore, after Bijapur's invasion of Kempe Gowda II's territories. He
eventually became the chief general of Bijapur and oversaw its expansion.
 He created the maratha state, before this Marathas did not have well-established states.
 He left the Poona jagir to neglected wife Jijabai and minor son Shivaji.
Shivaji (1630-1680):
 He overran a number of hill forts near Pune.
 After the death of his guardian "Dadaji kondadev", Shivaji became his own master.
 He conquered javli kingdom from Maratha chief in 1656.
 He entered into negotiations with Aurangzeb then changed sides.
 He conquested the area of Bijapur.
 Bijapuri noble, Afzal Khan, came to capture Shivaji but he killed him cunningly.
 Aurangzeb was watching this rise of Marathas.
 He sent the governor of Deccan Shaista Khan to capture him.
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 In 1663, Shaista khan occupied Poona but was attacked by Shivaji while he was in camp. Khan lost his son
in this attack.
 Meanwhile, Shivaji looted Mughal port, Surat in 1664.
Treaty of Purandar, 1665:
 Aurangzeb sent Raja Jai Singh of Amber, one of most trusted advisers of Aurangzeb to deal with Shivaji.
 He besieged purandar so Shivaji opened negotiations with Jai Singh.
 Shivaji asked to be excused from personal service and Mansab (5000) was granted in his place to his minor
son Sambhaji
Failure of Mughal-Maratha expedition against Bijapur:
 After this shivaji was put into the mansabdars a rank which had been granted earlier to his minor son.
 Shivaji walked off angrily and refused imperial service. This was the turning point of Mughal Maratha's
relationship.
 He was detained but escaped in 1666.
 Shivaji renewed the contest with the Mughal.
 He sacked surat for 2nd time in 1670.
 He made inroads till Berar, Khandesh.
 He crowned himself at Raigarh.
 He married into some of the leading maratha family.
 He made treaties with deccan sultans on equal footing.
 In 1676, he led the Karnataka expedition.
 At Hyderabad, two brothers Madanna and Akhanna provided assistance to him.
 He has a title of Haindava Dharma Dharak.
 He died in 1680.
Sambhaji:
 He was the elder son of Shivaji. He defeated his brother Rajaram.
 He supported Akbar II, the rebellious son of Aurangzeb.
 In 1681, Aurangzeb reached Deccan in pursuit of his son Akbar II
 In 1686, the annexation of Bijapur took place.
 In 1687, the annexation of Golkonda took place.
 In 1689, Sambhaji was captured and executed which unleashed Maratha sardars.
Rajaram:
 He succeeded the throne with the help of the minister.
 He also fled to the east coast (Jinji).
 The Mughal captured Rajgarh along with Sambhaji's wife and son Shahu but Rajaram escaped.
 In 1703, Aurangzeb opened negotiations but then retreated.
Tarabai and Shivaji II:
 Rajaram was succeeded by his minor son Shivaji II, under the guardianship of his mother Tarabai.
 Tarabai sent Dhanaji Jadhav to oust Shahu, but Dhanaji was won over by Shahu.
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 In 1707, with the help of a Chitpavan Brahman named Balaji Vishwanath, Shahu was successful in defeating
Tarabai at the Battle of Khed and she went away to Kolhapur, establishing the Royal House of Kolhapur.
Shahu (1707-1749):
 He was released by the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah which led to the start of civil war, and defeated
Tarabai’s army.
 In his reign the rise of Peshwas and transformation of the Maratha kingdom into an empire based on the
principle of confederacy was evident.
Central Administration System:

 Chhatrapati (Supreme Sovereign): The ruling monarch, Chhatrapati Shivaji, held the highest authority in
the empire.
 Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight Ministers): This council reported directly to Shivaji and held
significant authority in executing the king's policies. Each minister had a specific area of expertise and
responsibility.
 Peshwa (Prime Minister): The Peshwa was responsible for general administration and often represented
the king in his absence. The Peshwa also played a crucial role in governance and policy-making.
 Majumder (Auditor): The Majumder oversaw the financial health of the kingdom, ensuring that the
finances were managed effectively and transparently.
 Pandit Rao (Chief Spiritual Head): This role was responsible for the spiritual well-being of the kingdom.
The Chief Spiritual Head set dates for religious ceremonies, oversaw the king's charitable activities, and
contributed to matters of faith and spirituality.
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 Dabir (Foreign Secretary): The Dabir advised the king on foreign policy matters, helping to shape the
empire's relationships with other powers and nations.
 Senapati (Military General): The Senapati managed all aspects of the military, including organization,
recruitment, and training of soldiers. During wartime, the Senapati also served as a strategic advisor to the
king.
 Nyayadhish (Chief Justice): The Nyayadhish was responsible for formulating laws and ensuring their
enforcement. This role covered both civil and military justice.
 Mantri (Chronicler): The Mantri maintained meticulous records of the king's daily activities, which served
as historical records for future reference.
 Sachiv (Superintendent): Sachiv was in charge of royal correspondence and communication, ensuring
that information flowed effectively within the administration.
 Shivaji Maharaj encouraged the use of Marathi and Sanskrit in addition to Persian in his court. He was
also known for his religious tolerance and his opposition to caste discrimination.
Revenue System:
 The revenue administration was based on Mughal & Deccani states.
 The revenue system of Shivaji was based on that of Malik Amber of Ahmadnagar.
 Land was measured by the rod called lathi and classified as:
1. Paddy fields
2. Garden lands and
3. Hilly tracts
 Shivaji reduced the powers of Deshmukh and Kulkarni.
 Shivaji appointed his revenue officials called Karkuns.
 Shivaji also discouraged revenue farming.
 Chauth and Sardheshmukhi were two major sources of revenue and were collected in neighbouring areas of
Mughal/Deccan sultans.
 Chauth: ¼ of the revenue paid to Mughals in order to avoid Maratha raids.
 Sardeshmukhi: Additional levy of 10% on the lands where Marathas claim hereditary rights.
Peshwas:
 Pant Pradhan who handles finance and general administration out of Ashta Pradhans.
 Later, they became more important and functioned as Prime Minister.
 They focused on intelligence and a centralised intelligence department was created.
Ashta Pradhan:
 Ashta Pradhan was a system of ministerial delegation in the Maratha empire.
 The council is credited with having implemented good governance practices in the Maratha heartland, as
well as for the success of the military campaigns against the Mughal Empire.

Important Peshwas in Medieval India:

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 Sonpat Dalbir 1640-1652 was the 1st Peshwa.

 From 1657 to 1683, Morpant Triyambak Pingale aided Shivaji.
 Ramchandra Pant Amatya:
 He was allotted hukumat panha by Rajaram.
 He was replaced by Tarabai in 1698.
 He wrote Adnyapatra.
 The royal edict on the principles of Maratha policy written in Modi Marathi.
Rise of Marathas after 1707:
 The decline of the Mughal Empire presented a huge opportunity to the Marathas to rise.
 By the mid-18th century, they were aspiring to rule the North Indian Empire and had acquired the role of
Kingmakers in the Mughal court.
 However, the defeat in the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) and death of Peshwa Madhavrao I (1772)
weakened the control of Peshwa over confederacy.
 The chiefs united on occasion but most often quarrelled among themselves resulting in the weakening of the
empire.
Balaji Vishwanath (1713-20):
 He got the title Senakarate (organiser of forces) from Shahu.
 He is known for making the Peshwa post hereditary and making it powerful.
 He supported Shahu and received the help of other Maratha Sardars for the same.
 In 1719, he successfully obtained Maratha rights from Farukhsiyar such as
 Recognition of Shahu as Maratha King.
 Permission to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from 6 Mughal provinces of Deccan including
Carnatic and Mysore.
 He assisted the Sayyid Brothers in deposing the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1719.

Bajirao (1720-40):
 He was the eldest son of Balaji Vishwanath.
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 He was called “Thorale” meaning elder Bajirao.

 He was a great exponent of Guerrilla tactics after Shivaji.
 He was known as the most influential of the nine Peshwas.
 He formulated the policy of Northward expansion so that Maratha could rein from Attock to Cuttack.
 He is said to have fought for the establishment of "Hindu Pad Padshahi" (Hindu Empire).
 Nizam-ul-Mulk was the arch rival and conspired against him with the house of Kolhapur. Nizam got
defeated at Palkhed and Bhopal and had to grant Chauth and Sardeshmukhi of 6 provinces of Deccan.
 In 1722, he captured Salsette and Bassein from the Portuguese.
 In 1728, he shifted administrative capital from Satara to Pune.
 He initiated the system of confederacy among the Maratha chiefs which they were supposed to
administer autonomously.
 He helped conquer Central India (Malwa) and Rajputana and extended his dominions into Gujarat in the
northwest and Deccan in the south.
 He raided Mughal Delhi in 1737. He fought in over 41 battles and is one of the few to have never lost a
single battle.
 He died at the age of 40 of sudden fever in camp while going to Delhi.
 In order to manage the rapidly increasing empire, Baji Rao I organised a confederacy of prominent Maratha
chiefs. Each Chief was assigned a sphere of influence which he was supposed to conquer and rule in the
name of Maratha King Shahu.
Rulers Areas ruled State
Bhonsle Thanjavur State Tamil Nadu
Ghorpade Mudhol State Karnataka
Gaekwad Baroda State Gujarat
Newalkar Jhansi State Uttar Pradesh
Holkars Indore State Madhya Pradesh
Puars (or Pawars) Dewas State Madhya Pradesh
Dhar State Madhya Pradesh
Chhatarpur State Madhya Pradesh
Scindia Gwalior State Madhya Pradesh

Balaji Bajirao (1740-61):

 He was also known as Nanasaheb Peshwa.
 He extended the Maratha territories into most of North-West,
East and Central India.
 In 1749, Shahuji died without an issue, however, Tarabai had
introduced Ramraja as the grandson of Rajaram (later found
to be imposter)
 In 1750, by the Sangola Agreement of 1750, the Maratha King
became a roi faineant (do-nothing king) and the Mayor of
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the palace and the Peshwa emerged as the real and effective head of the Maratha Confederacy.
(Ramraja was retained as titular Chatrapati).
 It was under his leadership that the Maratha Empire reached its peak.
 He defeated Alivardi Khan - Nawab of Bengal and 1/3rd of the Indian subcontinent came under the Marathas.
 In 1752, he entered into an Agreement with the Mughals and gave assurance to protect the Mughal
empire from internal and external enemies for which Chauth of North West provinces and the total
revenue of Agra and Ajmer would be collected by Marathas.
 In 1758, he captured Attock (on the banks of the Indus River) and Peshawar in the Battle of Attock.
 Honouring the above agreement, they fought Ahmed Shah Abdali when he invaded again but his general
and nephew Sadashiv Rao lost the Third Battle of Panipat against Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.
 He could not cope up with the defeat and the loss of his son Vishwas Rao and his nephew Sadashiv Rao
and thus, he died.
 Balaji Bajirao contributed to the development of the city of Pune, which was the seat of the Peshwas.
Madhav Rao I (1761-1772):
 He tackled internal dissensions.
 He defeated not only Nizam but also Mysore and was made to pay tribute.
 He reasserted control over Northern India by defeating Rohillas and subjugating Jats and Rajput states.
 During his tenure, Maratha's power recovered from the losses suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, a
phenomenon known as Maratha Resurrection.
 He repaired the recently weakened administration, treasury and accounts of the Maratha Empire.
 In 1772, he brought back Emperor Shah Alam to Delhi.
 He saw the division of the Maratha empire into semi-independent states in which Gaekwads, Holkars and
Scindias were important.
 He died of tuberculosis in 1772.
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