Third Battle of Panipat and Anglo Maratha Wars

Third Battle of Panipat and Anglo Maratha Wars were the reasons for the establishment of British rule in the Maharashtra region. The third battle of Panipat was fought in the year 1761 between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali, the king of Afghanistan.

During the reign of Shahu I (1707-1749), the grandson of Shivaji, the post of Peshwa was made hereditary. The Peshwas during the rule of Shahu I were Balaji Vishwanath (1713-1720), Baji Rao I (1720-1740) and Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) (1740-1761). Shahu I died without having any heirs. From 1749 onwards, the Peshwa became the de facto and de jure authority. Balaji Baji Rao shifted the capital from Satara to Pune. By this time, the Maratha glory reached from Delhi to Mysore and from Cuttack to Attock (in Sindh).

Third Battle of Panipat

• The third Battle of Panipat was fought when the Afghan king, Ahmad Shah Abdali, who was ruling over Attock, was invited by Najib-ud-Daulah, the de facto ruler of Delhi under the Mughal Empire to wage a war against the Marathas.
  
  Balaji Baji Rao was the Peshwa during third battle of Panipat. In the third Panipat war, Marathas were defeated. Balaji Baji Rao died with a broken heart.
  
  
• In this war, Maratha forces were led by 2 generals, namely Sada Shiv Rao Bhau (cousin of Nana Saheb) and Vishwas Rao (son of the Peshwa). 27 nobles died in this war.
  
  Those who died, were most of the 4 family rulers of (i) Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur, (ii) Scindia rulers of Gwalior, (iii) Gaekwad rulers of Baroda and (iv) Holkar rulers of Indore.
  
  
• Historians called it as tragedy of Marathas. Fruits of Third Panipat were enjoyed by the Britishers as the Marathas became weak.

Anglo Maratha Wars

Three wars were fought between the Marathas and the British.

• First Anglo Maratha War (1775-1782)

  The main cause of the First Anglo Maratha War was the internal power conflicts within the Maratha Empire. The acting Peshwa Raghunathrao was unwilling to give power to Peshwa Madhavrao II, an infant son of former Peshwa Narayanrao. The Maratha empire ministers, led by Nana Phadnavis, opposed Raghunathrao and supported Madhavrao II.
  
  The First Anglo Maratha war began with Treaty of Surat in 1775 signed between Raghunathrao and the British East India Company. The Treaty gave away the territories of Salsette and Bassein to the British, in addition to some part of the revenues from Bharuch and Surat districts to seek the British support to secure his Peshwa position. The British Governor General during the war was Warren Hastings. As neither side was able to achieve anything, a standstill agreement known as Treaty of Salbai was concluded in the year 1782.

• Second Anglo Maratha War (1803-1805)

  Before Second Anglo Maratha War, the authority of Peshwa Baji Rao II was diminished by internal factionalism. He was defeted by Yashwantrao Holkar of Indore at the Battle of Poona in 1802. In order to get help from the British, Baji Rao II signed the Treaty of Bassein with British East India Company on 31st December, 1802. With this Treaty, the independent power of the Maratha Confederacy was lost and made Baji Rao II to accept the Subsidiary Alliance system.
  
  This Treaty infuriated the Bhonsles of Nagpur and the Scindias of Gwalior. This situation led to the Second Anglo Maratha War. During the Second Anglo Maratha war, the British Governor General was Lord Wellesley. The British were victorious in the Second Anglo Maratha war. Baji Rao II was contiued as Peshwa.

• Third Anglo Maratha War (1817-1818)

  In 1817, tensions started again after Peshwa Baji Rao II joined hands with other Maratha chiefs when the British backed the Gaekwads of Baroda over a revenue dispute. The British governor general during the Third Anglo Maratha war was Lord Hastings. Marathas were completely defeated in this war. Baji Rao II was sent to Kanpur as pensioner.