Maratha Empire - Peshwas and Expansion

After Shivaji’s death, the Peshwas (prime ministers) became the de facto rulers, transforming the Maratha kingdom into a vast confederacy.

Balaji Vishwanath (1713–1720)

He helped Shahu (Shivaji’s grandson) gain the throne and became the first Peshwa. He secured the rights to chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Mughals through a treaty (1719), legitimizing Maratha expansion.

Baji Rao I (1720–1740)

The most dynamic Peshwa, Baji Rao I pursued an aggressive policy of northward expansion. He famously said, “Let us strike at the trunk of the withering tree (Mughal Empire), the branches will fall of themselves.” He defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad at the Battle of Palkhed (1728) and led campaigns into Malwa, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand. His victories made the Marathas the dominant power in central and western India. His son Balaji Baji Rao succeeded him.

Balaji Baji Rao (1740–1761)

Under him, the Maratha Confederacy expanded into the Punjab, bringing them into conflict with Ahmad Shah Abdali. The Marathas became the protectors of the Mughal emperor. However, internal divisions among the Maratha chiefs (Holkar, Scindia, Bhonsle, Gaikwad) weakened unity. The catastrophic defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) dealt a severe setback.

Post-Panipat Revival

Under Madhav Rao I (1761–1772), the Marathas recovered, recapturing Delhi and reasserting control over the north. The Confederacy continued until the British defeated them in the Anglo-Maratha Wars (1818). The Peshwa system centralized Maratha power for a time, but the loose confederacy model eventually proved vulnerable to British divide-and-rule tactics.