Third Anglo-Maratha War - The Marathas and The British

The Marathas and The British

The Maratha Empire was founded in 1674 by Shivaji of the Bhosle dynasty. Common elements of the citizenry of Shivaji's Maratha Empire were the Marathi language, the Hindu religion, a strong sense of belonging, and a national feeling. Shivaji led resistance efforts to free the Marathas from the Muslim Sultanate of Bijapur and established rule of the native Marathas. This kingdom was known as the Hindavi Swarajya ("Hindu self-rule") in the Marathi language. Shivaji's capital was located at Raigad. Shivaji successfully defended his kingdom from attacks by the Mughal Empire. A key component of the Maratha administration was the council of eight ministers called the Ashta Pradhan (council of eight). The senior-most member of the Ashta Pradhan was called the Peshwa or the Mukhya Pradhan (prime minister). The Peshwa was the right-hand man of Shivaji. Shivaji and most of the Maratha warriors belonged to the Maratha caste of the four tier Hindu caste system whereas all of the Peshwas belonged to the Brahmin caste. After Shivaji's death the Maratha empire began to disintegrate. The Peshwas transformed themselves into hereditary rulers of the state. A struggle for power between Tarabai and Chhatrapati Shahu.