After the assassination of Narayan Rao, his infant son Madhavrao Narayan (Sawai Madhavrao) was named Peshwa. Because he was a minor, a regency council known as the “Barbhai Council,” led by Nana Fadnavis and Mahadaji Scindia, governed the empire. This ...
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Mahadaji Scindia was the instrumental force behind the Maratha resurrection in North India after the Panipat disaster. In 1771, he escorted the exiled Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II from British protection in Allahabad back to Delhi. By placing the Emperor ...
The shift of power to the Peshwas enabled a policy of delegated authority. By allowing semi-autonomous Maratha chiefs (like the Gaekwads, Holkars and Scindias) to conquer and manage their own territories, the empire expanded rapidly across India. This decentralized “Confederacy” ...
Sadashivrao Bhau was the commander-in-chief of the Maratha forces at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. He attempted to modernize the Maratha army by incorporating a powerful artillery wing and disciplined infantry. However, the move away from traditional guerrilla ...
Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a renowned historian of the Mughal and Maratha eras, made this observation regarding the impact of the 1761 defeat. He argued that while the Marathas recovered territorially, they lost the psychological and political unity required to rule ...