The British “Subsidiary Alliance” system was the most effective tool for dismantling Maratha power. By offering military protection to individual Maratha chiefs in exchange for control over their foreign policy and a British resident at their court, the British neutralized ...
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At Panipat, the Maratha army was a collection of individual contingents rather than a unified force. Sadashivrao Bhau lacked the absolute authority to command veteran chiefs like Malharrao Holkar, who often disagreed with his tactics. This lack of a “centralized ...
The Maratha attempt to rule Punjab was a classic case of “geographical overextension.” Pune was nearly 2,000 kilometers away from Lahore, making it impossible to maintain supply lines or send reinforcements quickly. The Marathas lacked a local support base in ...
The Maratha revenue system was primarily designed to support a state in a state of “permanent war.” While the Mughals emphasized a detailed land-survey-based bureaucracy (Zabt system), the Marathas focused on “Chauth” and “Sardeshmukhi.” These were military levies collected from ...
The transformation of the Peshwaship occurred as the office became “hereditary” starting with the family of Balaji Vishwanath. By gaining direct control over the state’s finances and the most powerful military contingents, the Peshwas marginalized the Chhatrapati. The Chhatrapati became ...