Ramaraja was the fifth monarch of the Maratha Empire. He was the adoptive son of Chhatrapati Shahuji, and the putative grandson of Chhatrapati Rajaram. The early years of his reign were marked by controversy over his succession, as the dowager queen Tarabai disowned him alleging that he was not in fact the grandson of Rajaram and herself. During Ramaraja's reign, the power of the Chhatrapatibased in Satara was almost totally overshadowed his hereditary Peshwas (Prime Ministers) belonging to the Bhat family in Pune and other rulers of the empire / Confederacy such as the Holkars, Gaikwad and Shinde. During this period, the Marathas were engaged in a continual conflict with the Durranis based in Afghanistan.
| Preceded by Shahuji |
Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire 1749–1777 |
Succeeded by Shahu II |