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 ...
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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 ...
The ‘Bargigiri’ (guerrilla warfare) system was first and most effectively utilized by Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian Peshwa of the Ahmednagar Sultanate. He employed light Maratha cavalry to repeatedly defeat and frustrate the massive Mughal armies of Akbar and Jahangir. Shivaji ...
Marathas first gained significant administrative and military experience by serving under the Deccan Sultanates, primarily Ahmednagar and Bijapur. Shivaji’s father, Shahaji Bhonsle, was a high-ranking official under Bijapur. This service provided the Maratha nobility with crucial knowledge of revenue administration, ...
Akbar formally started the ‘Din-i-Ilahi’ (Divine Faith) in 1582. This was not a religion but a syncretic socio-religious order based on the principles discussed in the Ibadat Khana. It emphasized virtues like non-violence and purity, with membership restricted to a ...