Who was the last Chhatrapati who enjoyed full powers, after whom the Maratha Chhatrapatis became kings only in name and all the power gradually shifted to the Peshwas?
Chhatrapati Shahu I (reign 1707–1749) was the last Maratha ruler to enjoy full sovereign powers. Although he delegated administrative and military authority to the Peshwas, the power still rested with him. After his death, the power was completely formalized in the hands of the Peshwas, reducing his successors to mere figureheads in Satara. ANSWER: (A) Shahu I
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Chhatrapati Shahu I was the last Maratha ruler who held ultimate and full sovereign power; all authority rested with him, even though he chose to delegate it. His deep trust in the capabilities of his Peshwas, beginning with Balaji Vishwanath, led him to gradually shift the executive capital and power base to Pune. After his death in 1749, the Sangola Agreement (1750) formalized this transfer, making the Peshwa the undisputed de facto ruler and confining the subsequent Chhatrapatis to a ceremonial role in Satara.