Madhavrao II
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Madhavrao II | |
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Raghunathrao | |
Succeeded by | Baji Rao II |
Personal details | |
Born | 18 April 1774 |
Died | 27 October 1795 Shaniwarwada, Pune, Maratha Empire | (aged 21)
Profession | Peshwa |
Madhavrao II (18 April 1774 – 27 October 1795) was the 12th
Early life
Madhavrao II was the
Reign
First Anglo-Maratha War
After the British loss in 1782 in the First Anglo-Maratha War, Mahadji Shinde got Madhvrao recognized as Peshwa by the British. However, all powers of the Peshwa were in the hands of ministers like Nana Fadnavis, Mahadaji Shinde and others.
This resulted in the Treaty of Salbai, which was signed on 17 May 1782, and was ratified by Hastings in June 1782 and by Nana Phadnavis in February 1783. The treaty ended the First Anglo-Maratha War, restored the status quo, and established peace between the two parties for 20 years.[2]: 63
Involvement in Anglo-Mysore Wars
Mysore had been attacking the Maratha Confederacy since 1761.
To counter the menace presented by Mysore's Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan the Peshwa supported the English.
The Maratha-Mysore War ended after the final conflict during the siege of Bahadur Benda in January 1787, and later settled for peace with the kingdom of Mysore, to which Tipu Sultan obliged with the signing of the treaty of Gajendragad in April 1787. Tipu had to pay an annual tribute of 12 lakhs per year to the Marathas, thus ending hostilities with them, which allowed him to focus on his rivalry with the British. The Battle of Gajendragadh was fought between the Marathas and Tipu Sultan from March 1786 to March 1787 in which Tipu Sultan was defeated by the Marathas. By the victory in this battle, the border of the Maratha territory extended till Tungabhadra river.[3][4]
Maratha-Mysore war ended in April 1787, following the finalizing of treaty of Gajendragad, as per which, Tipu Sultan of Mysore was obligated to pay 4.8 million rupees as a war cost to the Marathas, and an annual tribute of 1.2 million rupees. In addition to returning all the territory captured by Hyder Ali,[5][6] Tipu also agreed to pay 4 year's arrears of the tribute, which Mysore owed to the Marathas, through Hyder Ali.[7]
Tipu would release Kalopant and return Adoni, Kittur, and Nargund to their previous rulers. Badami would be ceded to the Marathas. Tipu would also pay an annual tribute of 12 lakhs per year to the Marathas. In return, Tipu would get all the places that they had captured in the war, including Gajendragarh and Dharwar. Tipu would also be addressed by the Marathas by an honorary title of "Nabob Tipu Sultan, Fateh Ali Khan".[8][9]
During the
Chaos in Delhi, Mughal Darbar
In 1788, Isma'il Beg, a Persian who served as a general in the Mughal army along with a few hundred Mughal-Rohilla troops led a large-scale revolt against the Marathas, who dominated North India at the time. The reason for this revolt is unknown but most suspect that he was trying to resurrect the Islamic glory in North India and depose the Hindu Marathas. However, the revolt was immediately crushed and Isma'il Beg was defeated and executed by the Scindian armies. Thereafter, a Rohilla warlord named Ghulam Qadir, descendant of the infamously treacherous Najib-ud-Daualh and an ally of Isma'il Beg, captured Delhi, capital of the Mughals and deposed and blinded the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, placing a puppet on the imperial throne. He unleashed untold atrocities on the royal family and common populace, slaughtering thousands and looting about 22 Crores. However, on 2 October 1788, Mahadji Scindia, upon hearing this news, quickly re-assembled his army and captured Delhi, torturing and eventually, killing Ghulam Qadir and restoring Shah Alam II to the throne.[10][11][12]
Subjugation of Rajput
In 1790, the Mahadji Shinde won over Rajput States in the Battle of Patan & Battle of Merta. After the death of Mahadaji Shinde In 1794, the Maratha power got concentrated in the hands of Nana Fadnavis.[13]
Defeat of Nizam
The Battle of Kharda took place in February 1795 between the Nizam of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah II, and Peshwa Madhavrao II, in which the Nizam was badly defeated. Governor General John Shore followed the policy of non-intervention despite the fact that the Nizam was under his protection. This led to the loss of trust with British and the rout of the Hyderabad army. This was the last battle fought by all Maratha chieftains together.
Doji bara famine
The oldest famine in Deccan with local documentation sufficiently well-preserved for analytical study is the Doji bara famine of 1791–1792.[14] Relief was provided by the ruler, the Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao II, in the form of imposing restrictions on export of grain and importing rice in large quantities from Bengal[15] via private trading,[14] however the evidence is often too scanty to judge the 'real efficacy of relief efforts' in the Mughal period.[16]
Zoo
Madhavrao was fond of the outdoors and had a private collection of exotic animals such as lions and rhinos.
The area where he hunted became later the Peshwe Park zoo in Pune. He was particularly fond of his herd of trained dancing deer.[17]
Death
Madhavrao committed suicide at the age of 21 by jumping off from the high walls of the Shaniwar Wada in Pune.[18] The cause of the suicide probably was that he could not endure the highhandedness of Nana Fadnavis. Just before his suicide, it is said that in ordering the execution of the despised police commissioner, Ghashiram Kotwal, Madhavrao was able to defy the wishes of Nana for the first time.[19]
Succession
Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao II died in 1795 with no heir. Therefore, he was succeeded by
See also
References
- ISBN 9788131721339. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ISBN 978-81-313-0034-3.
- ISBN 9788187879572.
- ISBN 9788131300343.
- ISBN 978-81-313-0034-3.
- ^ Anglo-Maratha relations, 1785-96
- ISBN 9788171547890.
- ISBN 978-81-87879-57-2.
- ISBN 978-81-7154-789-0.
- ^ Sarkar 1952, p. 323.
- ^ Malik 1982, p. 565.
- ^ Sarkar 1952, pp. 329–330.
- JSTOR 42929386.
- ^ a b Bombay (India : State) 1883, p. 105.
- ^ Bombay (India : State) 1885, p. 85.
- ^ Drèze 1991, p. 12.
- ^ Parasanisa, Dattatraya Balavanta (1921). Poona in Bygone Days. Bombay: Times Press.
- ^ Marathas (Peshwas)
- ^ Kotani, H., 2005. The Death of Ghasiram Kotwal: Power and Justice in the Maratha Kingdom. Minamiajiakenkyu, 2004(16), pp.1-16.[1]
Works cited
- Bombay (India : State) (1883). Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Nasik. Vol. 16. Bombay: Printed at the Govt. Central Press.
- Bombay (India : State) (1885). Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona. Printed at the Government Central Press.
- ISBN 978-0-19-828636-3
- Malik, Zahiruddin (1982). "Persian Documents pertaining to the tragic End of Ghulam Qadir Rohilla, 1780–1789". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 43: 565–571. JSTOR 44141288.
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1952). Fall of the Mughal Empire. Vol. III (2 ed.). Calcutta: M. C. Sarkar & Sons.
External links
- Jayapalan, N. (2001). History of India. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Limited. p. 79. ISBN 9788171569281. Retrieved 12 October 2014.