The Portuguese were the European power that provided Shivaji with cannons and ammunition. Shivaji often had diplomatic and military dealings with the Portuguese at Goa and Daman. While he also engaged with the English, the Portuguese were a significant source ...
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Balaji Vishwanath is called the Second Founder of the Maratha State because he revived Maratha power after years of Mughal pressure and internal disorder. As the first effective Peshwa, he stabilized administration, negotiated important treaties with the Mughals, secured Chauth ...
Chauth was a tax levied by Shivaji on neighbouring Mughal territories or states not under direct Maratha rule. It represented one-fourth (25%) of the revenue. It was essentially protection money—paid in exchange for a Maratha guarantee not to plunder the ...
In Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight Ministers), the Peshwa was the Prime Minister. He was the chief executive officer of the state, serving as the head of the civil and military administration and representing the King in his absence. This ...
The most significant turning point was the appointment of Balaji Vishwanath as Peshwa by Chhatrapati Shahu in 1713. Balaji Vishwanath stabilized the state after the civil war, secured the pivotal 1719 treaty with the Mughals and made the Peshwa office ...