Peshwas & Maratha Confederacy
Learn the Concept
AllAfter Shivaji, Maratha power passed from the Chhatrapatis to the Peshwas (the hereditary Brahmin prime ministers), who transformed the kingdom into the greatest power in 18th-century India — the Maratha Confederacy. Fix the significance: under the great Peshwas (Balaji Vishwanath, Baji Rao I, Balaji Baji Rao), the Marathas expanded from the Deccan across central and northern India, collecting chauth and aspiring to replace the Mughals. But the confederacy's loose structure, the catastrophic defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), and later disunity led to defeat by the British in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–1818), ending Maratha independence.
- Balaji Vishwanath (1713–20): first great Peshwa; secured the right to chauth & sardeshmukhi over the Deccan.
- Baji Rao I (1720–40): greatest Peshwa; northward expansion; the "attack on the Mughal trunk"; never lost a battle.
- Balaji Baji Rao / Nana Saheb (1740–61): Maratha power at its peak, then the disaster of Panipat (1761).
- Confederacy: great houses — Gaekwad (Baroda), Holkar (Indore), Scindia (Gwalior), Bhonsle (Nagpur) — under the Peshwa at Pune.
- End: three Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–82, 1803–05, 1817–18); British supremacy in 1818.
- Peshwa: originally the chief minister; under Balaji Vishwanath it became hereditary and the real seat of power.
- Maratha Confederacy: a league of semi-independent Maratha chiefs (sardars) owing nominal allegiance to the Peshwa.
- Saranjam: a revenue/military assignment (like a jagir) to Maratha chiefs.
- Third Battle of Panipat (1761): Ahmad Shah Abdali's crushing defeat of the Marathas.
- Subsidiary Alliance: the British device that the Peshwa accepted (Bassein, 1802), undermining Maratha independence.
1. Rise of the Peshwas
- Balaji Vishwanath, appointed Peshwa in 1713, helped restore the Maratha state after civil war, secured from the Mughals the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi across the Deccan (via the Sayyid Brothers), and made the office hereditary.
- His son Baji Rao I (1720–40), the greatest Peshwa and a brilliant general, launched the northward expansion — "strike at the trunk and the branches will fall" — defeating the Nizam (Palkhed), raiding Delhi, and winning Malwa and Gujarat. He reputedly never lost a battle.
2. Zenith & the disaster of Panipat
- Under Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb, 1740–61), Maratha power reached its widest extent, from the Deccan to Punjab. But over-extension and the alienation of north-Indian powers led to the catastrophic Third Battle of Panipat (1761), where Ahmad Shah Abdali destroyed the Maratha army — a loss of leadership and prestige from which the confederacy never fully recovered. Nana Saheb died soon after.
3. The Confederacy & the great houses
- Maratha power was organised as a confederacy: the Peshwa at Pune was the nominal head, but great military houses ruled their own regions — the Gaekwads of Baroda, Holkars of Indore, Scindias of Gwalior, Bhonsles of Nagpur (and the Chhatrapati at Satara). After Panipat, under Madhav Rao I there was a brief revival; but the centrifugal tendencies of the great sardars weakened unified action.
4. The Anglo-Maratha Wars & the end
- First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82): ended in the Treaty of Salbai (status quo). Second (1803–05): after the Peshwa accepted the Subsidiary Alliance by the Treaty of Bassein (1802), the British defeated Scindia and Bhonsle. Third (1817–18): the British crushed the Marathas, abolished the Peshwaship, and established British supremacy over India (1818).
| House | Capital |
|---|---|
| Peshwa | Pune |
| Gaekwad | Baroda |
| Holkar | Indore |
| Scindia (Shinde) | Gwalior |
| Bhonsle | Nagpur |
- Balaji Vishwanath made the Peshwaship hereditary; secured chauth/sardeshmukhi rights.
- Baji Rao I = greatest Peshwa; northward expansion; never lost a battle.
- Third Battle of Panipat (1761) = Abdali crushed the Marathas (under Sadashiv Rao Bhau).
- Confederacy houses: Gaekwad (Baroda), Holkar (Indore), Scindia (Gwalior), Bhonsle (Nagpur).
- Three Anglo-Maratha Wars; Treaty of Bassein (1802, Subsidiary Alliance); British supremacy 1818.
- Shivaji: the Peshwa office originated in his Ashtapradhan (previous leaf).
- Decline of the Mughals: Maratha expansion filled the vacuum.
- Third Battle of Panipat (1761): Abdali's invasion (decline leaf).
- Subsidiary Alliance & British expansion: the Anglo-Maratha Wars (colonial leaves).
Prepare for the Exam — Prelims
PrelimsTested on Peshwa↔achievement, the confederacy house↔capital pairs, Panipat (1761), and the three Anglo-Maratha Wars/Bassein.
- Balaji Vishwanath = first great Peshwa, hereditary office.
- Baji Rao I = greatest, northward expansion, unbeaten.
- Third Panipat (1761) = Abdali v. Marathas.
- Houses: Gaekwad (Baroda), Holkar (Indore), Scindia (Gwalior), Bhonsle (Nagpur).
- Treaty of Bassein (1802); three Anglo-Maratha Wars; supremacy 1818.
- Scindia = Gwalior; Holkar = Indore (don't swap).
- Panipat 1761 was v. Abdali (Afghans), not the British.
- The Peshwa, not the Chhatrapati, was the real power by the 18th c.
- Subsidiary Alliance accepted via Bassein (1802) preceded the 2nd war.
Prepare for the Exam — Mains
MainsGS Paper I (18th-century Maratha power). The examiner rewards analysing Maratha expansion and why they failed to replace the Mughals.
- Assess Baji Rao I as the greatest of the Peshwas. (15)
- Why did the Marathas fail to establish an all-India empire? (15)
- Examine the causes and consequences of the Third Battle of Panipat (1761). (10)
- Discuss the nature of the Maratha Confederacy. (10)
- Political: Peshwa dominance; confederacy.
- Military: expansion, Panipat.
- Structural: centrifugal sardars.
- External: Anglo-Maratha Wars.
- Note the "strike at the trunk" strategy.
- Cite Bassein (1802) as a turning point.
- Link disunity to British victory.
How to Write the Answer
Mains"The Marathas aspired to an empire but built only a confederacy." Discuss. (15)
"Discuss" = explain expansion, structural limits and failure.
- Swapping Holkar/Scindia capitals.
- Calling Panipat 1761 a British victory.
- Ignoring the confederacy's structural weakness.
Prelims Questions
Prelims30 interactive MCQs — previous-year questions are included and tagged with their year. Select an answer for instant feedback and an explanation; your score is tracked and you can review wrong answers at the end.
Mains Questions
Mains15 mains questions — previous-year questions are included and tagged. Write a full answer, then click Evaluate My Answer for paragraph-level feedback. Reveal the model structure after you attempt.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.
Intro: define the key term and give a one-line context hook.
Body 1: conceptual / historical basis with a named fact, date or example.
Body 2: evidence and analysis — sites, inscriptions, coins, archaeologists.
Body 3: limitations or the counter-view (balanced).
Conclusion: a specific, reasoned judgment / way forward.