The Anglo-Maratha Wars: A Fight for India’s Future (18th century)
The Anglo-Maratha Wars were a series of three wars fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. These conflicts, running from 1775 to 1818, defined Indian colonization through the British. So, a detailed account of the Anglo-Maratha Wars will be discussed point-wise for clarity and completeness.
Introduction to the Anglo-Maratha Wars
Anglo-Maratha Wars:- One of the most important chapters in Indian history and British expansion
The Anglo-Maratha Wars describe the British East India Company’s battles against the Maratha Empire, that became the primary Indian power after the collapse of the Mughal Empire.
There are three distinct phases to the Anglo-Maratha Wars:
The First Anglo-Maratha War:1775-1782
The Second Anglo-Maratha War:1803-1805
The Third Anglo-Maratha War:1817-1818
The wars led to the dissolution of the Maratha Empire and British supremacy over India.
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782)
Background and Causes:-
On the death of Peshwa Madhavrao I in 1772, a struggle for power emerged in the Maratha Confederacy.
The nephew of the deceased Peshwa, Raghunath Rao asserted his claim to the throne but was resisted by many other Maratha leaders who felt that Madhavrao II was the true and rightful successor.
Raghunath Rao sought the aid of the British to achieve his aim of becoming the Peshwa .
This was a chance for the British to expand their powers across western India, and thus the Treaty of Surat was signed between Raghunath Rao and the British in 1775. Under the treaty, military aid was given to Raghunath Rao, and in return he received territories.
Events of the War Which deserve a special mention:-
The British forces, under Colonel Keating, were marching in towards Pune in favor of Raghunath Rao. But the Marathas disputed them and made stiff resistance.
The Marathas defeated the British in the Battle of Wadgaon with the leadership of Mahadji Shinde (Scindia) along with the Peshwa’s men. This defeat made the British sign a humiliating peace treaty called Convention of Wadgaon.
The British, however did not respect the Convention and brought in reinforcements from Bengal.
The war continued until the Treaty of Salbai was signed in the year 1782 bringing an end to the war.
Treaty of Salbai (1782):-
The Treaty of Salbai was crucial because the status quo was reverted as Madhavrao II was acknowledged as the Peshwa.
The British remained in possession of the Salsette islands near Bombay modern-day Mumbai.
It brought peace between the British and the Marathas for the next two decades.
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805)
Background and Causes:-
The Maratha Confederacy was an unorganized formation of strong families such as Peshwas of Pune, Scindias of Gwalior, Holkars of Indore, Gaekwads of Baroda, and Bhonsles of Nagpur.
A reduction in authority and inter-chiefs rivalry made it easy for the British to pursue their goal.
The immediate cause of the war was the disagreement between Yashwantrao Holkar and Daulat Rao Scindia, who outsourced internal disputes and complicated the situation
Scindia and the Peshwa looked for British aid to counter Holkar, and after signing the Treaty of Bassein (1802), the Peshwa became a puppet of the British.
Major Battles:-
The war continued its course, and different prominent battles were fought across India since Maratha chiefs resisted British domination:
Battle of Assaye (1803): One of the major battles where Arthur Wellesley (later known as the Duke of Wellington) defeated the combined forces of Scindia and the Bhonsla.
Battle of Argaon (1803): The second major victory of the British over the Bhonsla forces.
Battle of Delhi (1803): Scindia was defeated and Delhi was captured by the British, resulting in the loss of northern India to the British.
The war ended with the British gaining victory against the Marathas on several fronts.
Treaty and Consequence:-
Treaty of Deogaon, 1803 It was a treaty entered into by the British with Raghuji Bhonsle. According to it Orissa and parts of central India were ceded to the British .
Treaty of Surji-Arjangaon, 1803 He had made it with Daulat Rao Scindia by which territories in northern India were ceded to the British.
The Maratha chiefs were made to sign treaties with the British. Their territories were considerably reduced along with influence.
Peshwa authority was debilitated and British had high influence over Marathas but they were not totally dependent on them.
Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818)
Background and Causes:-
Till 1817, the British had established their supremacy over a large portion of India, but the Marathas, though weak, still maintained a lot of influence.
The Pindari raids in central India became a pretext for the British intervention. British stated that the Marathas were sheltering Pindaris, which were casual bands of mercenaries that raided villages.
British wanted to eliminate the remaining threads of the Maratha Confederacy in its pursuit for consolidation of power.
Principal Battles and Operations:-
Battle of Khadki (1817): It occurred near Pune, when British forces defeated the army of Peshwa, and thus, it marked the beginning of the war.
Battle of Sitabuldi (1817): British forces, under the command of Colonel Doveton, defeated the Nagpur Bhonsles and made Nagpur surrender.
Battle of Mahidpur (1817): The Holkars of Indore were defeated by the British. British supremacy over central India was advanced
Peshwa surrenders:-
The Peshwa, Baji Rao II resisted the British but he was finally defeated.
He submitted to the British in 1818 and the position of Peshwa was also done away with.
Baji Rao II was put on pension and exiled to Bithur near Kanpur, which ended the Maratha sovereignty from maratha.
Treaty of Mandasor (1818)
The Treaty of Mandasor was concluded with Malhar Rao Holkar and that was the technical end of the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
The British annexed most of the Maratha territories, and the remaining Maratha chiefs became subordinate to the British government.
Aftermath of the Anglo-Maratha Wars
Fall of the Maratha Empire:-
The Anglo-Maratha Wars marked the end of the Maratha Empire that had otherwise dominated India for more than a century.
Thus the Maratha defeat led to consolidation of British rule in most of India as they transformed from a trading company to de facto rulers of India.
Building British Supremacy:-
British East India Company became the sole political and military authority in India.
The Maratha Confederacy was dissolved and its states were integrated into the British Empire.
The British captured all the life-giving areas of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and northern regions of India.
Suppression of Maratha Leadership:-
The older leadership of the Marathas, particularly that of Peshwa, was abolished.
The remaining Maratha chiefs like Scindias, Holkars, and Bhonsles came under the British but only as princes under British suzerainty.
Socio-Political Impact:-
The rout of the Marathas led to a shift in the balance of Indian power and eventually British paramountcy over the subcontinent as the undisputed ruler.
Indian powers such as the Marathas -their political unity and resistance were overcome, and British paramountcy over the entire subcontinent became possible.
The Marathas from being the champions of Hindu power faded out of political life.
Conclusion:-
The Anglo-Maratha Wars were a very early date in Indian history in marking the high tide and downfall of the Maratha Empire, and the deepening of British dominance in India over three decades. And that seems to have been their comprehensive political agenda for India. They also highlighted the paradigm shift in the Indian subcontinent’s power structure, where colonial powers in Europe would dictate terms to the regional regimes ruling there. By the end of Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, British had established themselves as the ultimate authority in India and paved the way for nearly a century of rule under colonialism.
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