The Maratha Empire & Confederacy

1. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1627–1680 AD)

Cue Words	Notes
Early Life & Influences	Born at Shivneri Fort. Son of Shahji Bhonsle (jagir officer under Bijapur) and Jijabai. Influenced by mother Jijabai, guardian Dadoji Kondadev, and Bhakti saints Guru Ramdas (Samarth) and Saint Tukaram.
Military Conquests	Captured first fort Torna (1646 AD), followed by Raigad, Kondana (Sinhagad), and Purandar. Slaying of Afzal Khan (1659 AD): Bijapur general Afzal Khan sent to subdue Shivaji; killed by Shivaji using Bagh Nakh (tiger claws) at Pratapgad. Surat Raids (1664 & 1670 AD): Plundered rich Mughal port city of Surat. Treaty of Purandar (1665 AD): Concluded between Shivaji and Mughal general Raja Jai Singh of Amber. Shivaji surrendered 23 out of 35 forts to Mughals and agreed to send son Sambhaji as Mughal mansabdar. Coronation (1674 AD): Formally crowned at Raigad Fort by Pandit Gaga Bhatt of Varanasi; assumed title Chhatrapati, Haindava Dharmoddharak (Protector of Hindu Faith), and Kshatriya Kulavatamsa.

2. Maratha Administration: Ashtapradhan & Revenue

Cue Words	Notes
Ashtapradhan Council	Council of 8 ministers appointed by Shivaji directly responsible to the King (non-hereditary, advisory status): Peshwa (Mukhya Pradhan): Prime Minister; overall general administration and treasury. Amatya (Mazumdar): Finance Minister; audited accounts of state receipts and expenditure. Waknavis (Mantri): Home Minister; managed royal court proceedings, intelligence, and daily diary. Sachiv (Surnavis): General Secretary; managed royal correspondence and official edicts (Farman). Sumant (Dabir): Foreign Minister; in charge of foreign affairs and diplomacy. Senapati (Sar-i-Naubat): Commander-in-Chief; managed military recruitment, discipline, and organization. Pandit Rao (Sadr): High Priest; managed religious donations, charities, and moral sanctions. Nyayadhish: Chief Justice; supreme judicial officer. (Note: All ministers except Pandit Rao and Nyayadhish were required to command military expeditions).
Revenue System & Taxes	Abolished Jagirdari system and paid revenue officials in cash. Land assessed using Kathi (measuring rod). Chauth: 1/4th (25%) of standard land revenue collected from neighboring non-Maratha territories as protection money against Maratha raids. Sardeshmukhi: Additional 10% levy claimed by Shivaji as the hereditary supreme head (Sardeshmukh) of Maharashtra.
Military System	Efficient standing army divided into: Bargirs: Regular cavalrymen provided horses and arms by the state. Silahdars: Mercenary cavalrymen who brought their own horses and equipment. Mavalis: Infantry hill soldiers skilled in guerilla warfare (Ganimi Kava). Strong naval fleet based at Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg created by Kanhoji Angre.

3. The Peshwas & Maratha Confederacy (1713–1818 AD)

Cue Words	Notes
Balaji Vishwanath (1713–1720 AD)	First hereditary Peshwa under Chhatrapati Shahu. Concluded Treaty of 1719 with Sayyid Brothers (Mughal Kingmakers), securing Maratha rights to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from 6 Mughal Subas in Deccan.
Baji Rao I (1720–1740 AD)	Greatest military general of Maratha Empire; preached policy of northern expansion ("Let us strike at the trunk of the wilting tree and the branches will fall of themselves"). Popularized concept of Hindu Pad Padshahi (Hindu Empire). Defeated Nizam of Hyderabad at Battle of Palkhed (1728 AD). Victorious over Portuguese at Bassein (1739 AD). Established the Maratha Confederacy: Peshwas at Pune Gaekwads at Baroda Holkars at Indore Scindias / Shindes at Gwalior Bhonsles at Nagpur
Balaji Baji Rao / Nana Saheb (1740–1761 AD)	Peshwaship became de-facto supreme authority of Maratha state via Sangola Agreement (1750 AD), shifting center of power from Satara to Pune.
Third Battle of Panipat (Jan 14, 1761 AD)	Maratha army commanded by Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwasrao defeated by Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani). Causes: Marathas alienated Rajput, Jat, and Sikh allies; heavy artillery disabled by weather; Afghan tactical superiority. Impact: Shattered Maratha dream of ruling all India; created a power vacuum in North India that facilitated British conquest. Merchant telegram summarized loss: "Two pearls have been dissolved, 27 gold mohurs lost, and of the silver and copper the total cannot be cast up."

→ ⚔️ The Three Anglo-Maratha Wars (Confederacy's Decline)

• First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782): Triggered by British interference in Peshwa succession; ended in stalemate with the Treaty of Salbai (1782 AD), restoring status quo and giving the British 20 years of peace with the Marathas.
• Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805): Fought against Scindia and Bhonsle after Peshwa Baji Rao II signed the subsidiary alliance Treaty of Bassein (1802 AD) with the British following his defeat by Holkar at the Battle of Poona; British gained Orissa and territories north of the Yamuna.
• Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818): Final war; Peshwa Baji Rao II defeated and exiled to Bithoor (pension under Treaty of Poona, 1818); the Peshwaship was formally abolished, ending the Maratha Confederacy and cementing British paramountcy in India.