Early History
The Gaikwads rule of Baroda began when the Maratha general Pilaji Rao Gaekwad conquered the city from the Mughal Empire in 1721. The Gaikwads were granted the city as a fief by the Peshwa, the de facto leader of the Maratha empire. The leader Damaji rao Gaikwad fought along with Sadashivrao Bhau, Srimat Vishwas Rao, Malhar Rao Holker, Jayappa & Mahadji Shinde in the Third War of Panipat. After the central rule of the Peshwas was weakened following the defeat at the hands of the Afghans at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Gaikwads, along with several powerful Maratha clans, established themselves as virtually independent rulers of the further regions of the empire, while recognizing the nominal authority of the Peshwas and suzerainty of the Bhonsle Maharaja of Satara.
Read more about this topic: Gaekwad Dynasty
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