Maratha Empire
| Maratha Empire Maratha Confederacy |
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| मराठा साम्राज्य | ||||||||||||
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 Territory under Maratha control in 1760 (yellow), without its vassals.
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| Capital |
Raigad (Maharashtra)
Gingee (Tamil Nadu)Satara and Pune (Maharashtra) |
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| Languages | Marathi, Sanskrit | |||||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | |||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | |||||||||||
| Chhatrapati | ||||||||||||
| • | 1674–1680 | Shivaji (first) | ||||||||||
| • | 1808–1818 | Pratapsingh (last) | ||||||||||
| Peshwa | ||||||||||||
| • | 1674–1689 | Moropant Pingle (first) | ||||||||||
| • | 1795–1818 | Baji Rao II (last) | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Ashta Pradhan | |||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||
| • | Deccan Wars | 6 June 1674 | ||||||||||
| • | Anglo-Maratha War | 20 February 1818 | ||||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||||
| 2,800,000 km² (1,081,086 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | ||||||||||||
| • | 1700 est. | Not known | ||||||||||
| Currency | Rupee, Paisa, Mohor, Shivrai, Hon | |||||||||||
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| Today part of | ||||||||||||
Gingee (Tamil Nadu)Satara and Pune (Maharashtra)
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian power that existed from 1674 to 1818 and ruled over much of the Indian sub-continent. The Marathas are credited to a large extent for ending the Mughal rule in India.
The Marathas are the Hindu warrior group from the western Deccan Plateau (present day Maharashtra) that rose to prominence by establishing a Hindavi Swarajya. The Marathas became prominent in the 17th century under the leadership of Shivaji who revolted against the Adil Shahi dynasty and the Mughal Empire and carved out a rebel territory with Raigad as his capital. Known for their mobility, the Marathas were able to consolidate their territory during the Mughal–Maratha Wars and later controlled a large part of India.
Chhattrapati Shahu, a grandson of Shivaji, was released by the Mughals after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Following a brief struggle with his aunt Tarabai, Shahu became ruler and appointed Balaji Vishwanath, and later, his descendants, as the peshwas or prime ministers of the empire. Balaji and his descendants played a key role in expansion of Maratha rule. The empire at its peak stretched from Tamil Nadu in the south, to Peshawar (modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) in the north, and Bengal and Andaman Islands in the east. In 1761, the Maratha Army lost the Third Battle of Panipat to Ahmad Shah Abdali of the Afghan Durrani Empire which halted their imperial expansion into Afghanistan. Ten years after Panipat, the young Peshwa Madhavrao I's Maratha Resurrection reinstated Maratha authority over North India.
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Wikipedia