The peshwas

The history of peshwas

1. The Peshwas ..

2. Balaji Vishwanath  Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha Emperor Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistent attack by the  Mughals  under  Aurangzeb . He was called "the second founder of the Maratha State."

3. Early life of Balaji Vishwanath Balaji Vishwanath (Bhat) was born into a  konkani   chitpavan   Brahmin  family [2][3][4] .The family hailed from the coastal Konkan  region of present-day  Maharashtra  and were the hereditary  Deshmukh  for  Shrivardhan  under the Siddi of Janjira. [5]  He was named "Balaji," which is a form of the given name Ballal

4. Bajirao I Bajirao I  (18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was a general of the  Maratha Empire  in India. He served as  Peshwa  (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha  Chhatrapati  (king)  Shahu  from 1720 until Bajirao's death. He is also known by the names Bajirao Ballal and Thorale ( Marathi  for Elder) Bajirao. [3] Bajirao is credited with expanding the  Maratha Empire , especially in the north, which contributed to its reaching a zenith during his son's reign twenty years after his death. Bajirao is generally regarded as the most influential of the nine Peshwas from the  Bhat family .

5. Early life of Bajirao I Bajirao was born into the  Bhat family  of  Chitpavan   Brahmin  lineage. [5]  His father  Balaji Vishwanath  was the first  Peshwa of  Chhatrapati Shahu ; his mother was Radhabai. Bajirao had a younger brother  Chimaji Appa . [6] Bajirao would often accompany his father on military campaigns. He was with his father when the latter was imprisoned by  Damaji Thorat  before being released for a ransom. [6]  When Vishwanath died in 1720, Shahu appointed the 20-year old Bajirao as the Peshwa. [7]  He is said to have preached the ideal of  Hindu Pad Padshahi  (Hindu Empire), [8]  but there are doubts over his or his successors' sincerity on this matter

6. Death of Bajirao I Bajirao died on 28 April 1740, at the age of 39 of a sudden fever, possibly  heat stroke , while inspecting his jagirs. At that time, he was en route to Delhi with 100,000 troops under his command at his camp in the district of Khargon, near the city of Indore . He was cremated on 28 April 1740, at Raverkhedi on the river  Narmada . The  Scindias  built a  chhatri  as a memorial at this place. The memorial is enclosed by a  dharmashala . The compound has two temples, dedicated to Nilkantheshwara Mahadeva ( Shiva ) and Rameshvara ( Rama ). [19]

7. Balaji Baji Rao (Nanasaheb) Balaji Baji Rao  (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), also known as  Nana Saheb , was a  Peshwa  (prime minister) of the Maratha Empire  in India. [1] During his tenure, the  Chhatrapati  (Maratha king) was reduced to a mere figurehead. At the same time, the Maratha empire started transforming into a  confederacy , in which individual chiefs — such as the  Holkars , the  Scindias  and the Bhonsles  of  Nagpur  — became more powerful. During Balaji Rao's tenure, the Maratha territory reached its zenith. A large part of this expansion, however, was led by the individual chiefs, whose acts of  plundering  alienated the masses

8. Early years of Balaji Baji Rao Balaji Rao was born in the  Bhat family , to Peshwa  Baji Rao I , on 8 December 1720. After Baji Rao died in April 1740, Chhatrapati Shahu  appointed 19-year old Balaji as the Peshwa in August 1740, despite opposition from other chiefs such as Shahu's own relative  Raghoji I Bhonsle .

9. Death of Balaji Baji Rao The defeat at Panipat resulted in heavy losses for the Marathas, and was a huge setback for Peshwa Balaji Rao. He received the news of the defeat Panipat on 24 January 1761 at  Bhilsa , while leading a reinforcement force. Besides several important generals, he had lost his own son  Vishwasrao  in the Battle of Panipat. He died on 23 June 1761, and was succeeded by his younger son  Madhav Rao I .

10. Madhavrao Ballal Madhav Rao I  (or  Pantpradhan Shrimant Madhavrao (Ballal) Peshwa I  aka  Thorle Madhav Rao Peshwa  ) (14 February 1745 – 18 November 1772) was the fourth  Peshwa  of the  Maratha Empire . During his tenure, the Maratha empire recovered from the losses they suffered during the  Panipat Campaign , a phenomenon known as the " Maratha Resurrection ". He is considered one of the greatest Peshwas in Maratha history.

11. Madhavrao meets British On 3 December 1767, the British officer Mastin arrived in Pune. The colonial rulers wanted to set up their armies in the regions of  Vasai  and Sashthi, but Madhavrao had anticipated their intentions. Mastin’s repeated requests to acquire these regions in return for conquering Hyder Ali fell on deaf ears, the Peshwa never agreed to them.

12. Death of Madhavrao 18 November 1772, early morning approximately at eight: Madhavrao died at the temple premises of Chintamani, Theur. Thousands of citizens visited the site and paid their last respects. His wife  Ramabai  performed  sati  during his cremation later that day. Madhavrao was cremated on the banks of the river which was about half a mile from the temple. A small memorial carved out of stone rests today at that place as a memorial.

13. Madharao Ballal

14. Narayan Rao Narayan Rao  (10 August 1755 – 30 August 1773) was the fifth  Peshwa  or ruler of the  Maratha Empire  from November 1772 until his murder in August 1773. He married Gangabai Sathe who later gave birth to  Sawai Madhavrao  Peshwa.

15. Early life of Narayan Rao Narayanrao was the third son of Peshwa  Balaji Bajirao  (or Nanasaheb) and  Gopikabai . Narayanrao was born on 11 August 1755. His elder brother Vishwasrao had died in the  Third Battle of Panipat  and the second brother  Madhavrao succeeded Balaji Bajirao, their father after the latter's death. Narayanrao was made Diwan of Peshwa from 1770 .

16. Murder of Narayan Rao During the  Ganesh Festival  of 1773 (the actual date was 30 August 1773, the last day of Ganesh Festival i.e. Anant Chaturdashi), several Gardi guards, led by their captain, Sumer Singh Gardi, entered the palace and started creating a commotion. They then charged towards the sleeping Peshwa's chambers, killing a clerk on the way. They intended to release  Raghunathrao .  Raghunathrao  and his wife  Anandibai , who were opposed to Narayanrao, had promised the Gardis that they would mediate in their dispute with Narayanrao. The Gardis followed Narayanrao to his uncle's chamber and a menial pulled him while Sumer Singh Gardi cut him down. His corpse was cremated secretly by the river at midnight.

17. Narayan Rao

18. Raghunath Rao Shreemant Raghunathrao Ballal Peshwa  (aka  Ragho Ballal  or  Ragho Bharari [1] )(b. 18 Aug.1734 – d. 11 Dec.1783) was  Peshwa  of the  Maratha Empire  from 1773 to 1774.

19. Early life of Ragunath Rao Raghunathrao, also known as "Raghoba", "Raghoba Dada" and "Ragho Bharari," was the younger brother of Nanasaheb Peshwa . His father was Peshwa Bajirao I & mother was Kashibai. Raghunathrao was born in Mahuli near Satara  on 8 December 1734. Much of his childhood was spent in  Satara .

20. Death of Ragunath Rao Raghunathrao died on 11 December 1783 of unknown causes. He had two sons  Baji Rao II  and Chimaji Rao II; in addition, he had adopted  Amrit Rao . After his death, his wife Anandi Bai and his three sons were kept in confinement by the Peshwa's minister  Nana Fadnavis . 

21. Ragunath Rao

22. Madhavrao II Peshwa Madhav Rao II  (b. 18 Apr. 1774 – d. 27 Oct. 1795), (aka Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa or Madhav Rao II Narayan), was  Peshwa  of the  Maratha Empire  in India, from his infancy. He was known as Sawai Madhav Rao or Madhav Rao Narayan. He was the posthumous son of  Narayanrao Peshwa , murdered in 1773 on the orders of Raghunathrao  Madhavrao was considered the legal heir, and was installed as  Peshwa  by the  treaty of Salbai [1]  in 1782.

23. Life of Madhavrao II Madhavrao was the son of Peshwa Narayanrao and his wife , Gangabai. Gangabai (Nee, Sathe) was pregnant at the time of Narayanrao's murder. After Narayanrao's murder,  Raghunathrao  became Peshwa but was soon deposed by the courtiers and knights of the Maratha Empire. They instead installed Gangabai's new born son, Madhavrao II, as the Peshwa with the courtiers themselves, led by  Nana Fadnavis , as the Regents. His time in power was dominated by the political intrigues of  Nana . He was made Peshawa when he was barely 40 days. He is the youngest Peshawa ever seen in history.

24. Death of Madhavrao II Madhavrao committed suicide at the age of twenty-one by jumping off from the high walls of the  Shaniwar Wada  in Pune .

25. Madhavrao II

26. Bajirao II Baji Rao II  (10 January 1775 – 28 January 1851), also  Rao Pandit Pandham , was  Peshwa  of the  Maratha Empire , and governed from 1796 to 1818. His reign was marked by confrontations with the  British. He was the grandson of  Bajirao I  .

27. Early life of Bajirao II Baji Rao was the son of the former  Peshwa   Raghunathrao  and  Anandibai . Raghunathrao had defected to the English, causing the  First Anglo-Maratha War , which ended with the  Treaty of Salbai . Baji Rao was born in 1775, when both his parents were kept in imprisonment by the then Peshwa's cabinet. Till the age of 19, he along with his brothers were kept in confinement denying even basic rights of education.