Defence Exam Notes: Anglo

The three wars were fought between the British East India Company, and the Maratha confederacy or the Maratha Empire in India are referred to as the great Maratha Wars or the Anglo-Maratha Wars. The wars started in 1777 and ended in 1818, with the victory of the British and the destruction of the Maratha Empire in India.

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Third Battle of Panipat

Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of Afghanistan, launched several attacks over India between 1748 - 1767, In one of the attacks taking place in the year 1757, Abdali get control of Punjab. He appointed his son Timur Shah as the governor of the Punjab who was to collect revenue and send it back to Afghanistan. The Marathas in 1758 attacked Punjab, Timur escaped, this attack was considered as a challenge to Abdali and this consequently led to the third battle of Panipat. The Maratha force was led by Sadashiv Rao Bhau, who was killed in the battle, Peshwa son Vishwasrao died in the battle of Panipat in 1761, Madhavrao who succeeded Nanasaheb as Peshwa and Narayanrao who succeeded Madhavrao in his late teens.

First- Anglo Maratha War (1776 - 1783)

When Narayan Rao was Peshwa, his uncle, Raghunath Rao was also willing to become Peshwa, and in this desire, he eliminated his nephew Narayan Rao however the birth of the posthumous son to Narayan Rao's wife led Raghunath Rao to the point desperation. In this, he asked help from the British. The British committed help by signing the treaty of Surat(1775) the other Maratha chiefs did not support the claim of Raghunath Rao, and it resulted in the first Anglo Maratha war. The war coincided with the American first war of independence. First Anglo- Maratha war ended with the treaty of Salbai (1782).

Second - Anglo Maratha War (1803 - 1805)

Towards the end of the eighteen century, all the Maratha Cheifs died. Bajirao II was the new Peshwa, Wellesley was pressurising pesewa to sign Subsidiary Alliance, but Peshwa rejected meanwhile Peshwa eliminated brother of Yashwant Rao Holkar, this led to the attack of Holkar on Peshwa, Baji Rao fled to British protection led to the signing of subsidiary alliance with the treaty of Bassein(30 December 1802), Scindia and Bhonsale did not like British interference, and this resulted into the war which ended with the defeat of Marathas.

Third - Anglo Maratha war (1817 - 1818)

The treaties which were imposed on the Maratha at the end of the second war proved to be too severe for the Marathas, they were reeling under the pressure imposed by the British, they started looking for the reasons to fight against the British and when the British declared war against the pindaris the Marathas, jump into the war, they were all defeated, and the territories of peshwas were completely annexed by the British. Baji Rao II was compelled to leave Poona and stay at Bithur (Kanpur). He was forwarded pension.

List of Peshwas
Balaji Vishwanath	He assisted the Syed Brothers in deposing the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1719
Baji Rao I	He was the most powerful Peshwa. Conquerer of Central India (Malwa) and Rajputana and extended his dominions into Gujarat in the northwest and Deccan in the south. Raided Mughal Delhi in 1738.
Balaji Bajirao	Successfully extended the Maratha territories into most of North-West, East and Central India. He lost the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761
Madhav-Rao I	End all internal dissensions and successful Wars with the Nizam
Narayan-Rao	Assassinated by Gardi guards
Raghunath-Rao	He was the peshwa who extended the empire till Peshawar in North-West and also saw the decline of the Maratha empire in North India. Removed by Nana Phadnis & 11 other administrators in what is now called "The Baarbhai Conspiracy."
Madhav-Rao II	---
Baji Rao II	1st Reign - He was defeated by Yashwantrao Holkar, ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona. Went into British protection, and in December 1802, concluded the Treaty of Bassein with the British East India Company.
Baji Rao II	2nd Reign - Third Anglo-Maratha War.
Nana Sahib	He was a leader during the Revolt of 1857. He was the adopted son of the Peshwa Baji Rao II. Took part in the revolt with the aim to restore the Maratha confederacy and the Peshwa tradition.