Peshwa Bajirao I(1700-1740)- Life, Achievements, Military Battles & More Explained!

Peshwa Bajirao I was considered one of the greatest warriors of Hindu Dharma and the most famous ruler in the history of India. He was an extremely successful general who served as Peshwa (Prime Minister) at the age of twenty to the 5th Chhatrapati (King) of the Maratha Empire Shahu Bhosale I after the death of his father Peshwa Balaji Vishvanath in 1720.

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Peshwa Bajirao 1 Historical Background

• Peshwa Baji Rao I remained undefeated in a career that occupies its own special place in Indian Modern History.

• Peshwa Bajirao I, Expanded the Maratha Kingdom beyond Maharashtra across the Vindhyas and got it recognized in Delhi, the capital of the Mughals who kept Bharat (India) under their reign for many hundred years.

• The vision of the Hindu State after the Vijayanagar Kingdom under the designation of ‘‘Hindu-Pad-Padshahi (Independent Hindu empire)’’, is well-founded by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and later expanded by Bajirao reached its highest level during his son’s reign 20 years after his death.

• They later drove the Afghans out of Punjab and raised their saffron flag of Hindus not just on the walls of Attock fort of Attock Khurd (Now Pakistan), but even beyond during its northwest military expeditions.

• Peshwa Bajirao I, considered one of the best Indian cavalry generals and statesmen, He never lost a single battle and changed the map of India in the mid-18th century.

• Peshwa Bajirao I led a series of campaigns and expanded his empire all the way, thus, His undefeated series of battles were acknowledged as classic examples of his genius.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was an aggressive warrior on the right front. He started and is known to have said the following statement in regard to the Mughal Empire: “Strike at the roots and the biggest Mughal tree will fall down”.

• Aurangzeb’s policy of religious intolerance shook the foundation of the empire and was followed & continued by later Mughal emperors, Bajirao I stood out as the champion of Hinduism as he protected Hindu Dharma from the onslaught of Mughal rulers and brought the mighty Mughal to its knees.

पेशवा बाजीराव प्रथम (1700-1740) – जीवन, उपलब्धियां, सैन्य लड़ाई और बहुत कुछ यहां समझाया गया है!

Achievements of Peshwa Bajirao I

The achievements of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I are summarized below as follows:

• Peshwa Bajirao I stood out as the champion of Hinduism as he protected Hindu Dharma from the onslaught of Mughal rulers.

• Peshwa Bajirao I brought the mighty Mughal to its knees and raised the saffron flag of Hindus not just on the walls of Attock fort of Attock Khurd (Now Pakistan), but even beyond during its northwest military expeditions but never put a ban on the religious practices of Islam.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was just 12 years when he went to the battlefield for the first time with his father Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath.

• Peshwa Bajirao’s undefeated series of battles is acknowledged as a classic example of his genius.

• During his Bundelakhnd campaign (March 1729) Raja Chhatrasal granted a large jagir to Peshwa Bajirao I and offered his daughter ‘Mastani’ to Bajirao as a wife.

• Shaniwarwada served as the capital of the Peshwas; it was constructed by Peshwa Bajirao I in 1732 CE and served as their seat of power until 1818 CE.

Peshwa Bajirao I Birth and Early life

• Peshwa Baji Rao I, born as Visaji, also known as Bajirao Ballad, on August 18, 1700, was the eldest son of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath Rao who had taken the ‘Peshwaship’ to a new height.

• Peshwa Bajirao I belonged to the prominent Indian traditional Chit-Pawan or Konkanastha Brahmin family of Konkan.

• Peshwa Bajirao’s father Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1662-1720), though the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas, had overtaken his predecessors as far as his achievements were concerned.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was born into a very prominent Maratha family and had a privileged upbringing. He was well trained as a diplomat and warrior along with his cousin Sadashivrao Bhau by the Maratha cavalry generals who were distinguished in the war for 27 years.

• For the young Bajirao, in the absence of his mother (Radhabai Barve), he had a close association with his father and grew up to be a brave and daring warrior himself.

• Peshwa Bajirao I, Even while he was quite young, rarely missed the military campaigns of his father. He gained much fame for his military skills while still a teenager and His formal education included reading, writing, and learning Sanskrit.

• Peshwa Bajirao’s father’s role in his life was quite similar to that played by Mother Jijabai in Chatrapati Shivaji’s life.

• In 1716, Maharaja Shahu’s army-in-commander Damaji Thorat treacherously arrested Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath. Bajirao decided to go to jail with his father and stayed with him for two years till he was released.

• Peshwa Bajirao I also shared the torture bestowed upon his father during his custody. These experiences taught him face to face with their treachery.

• After imprisonment, the career of Balaji Vishwanath reached a new dimension in the history of the Maratha-Mughal relationship. Young Bajirao was an eyewitness to all these political and military developments of his father.

• In 1718 CE he was also a part of his father’s entourage to Delhi. In the Mughal capital, he witnessed unimaginable intrigue and learned quickly to cope with the devious ways of political methods & experiences.

• These learnings coupled with his own youthful energy, skill, and vision prepared him for the position that he was to expand the borders of the Maratha kingdom towards the north.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was witnessing a gradual deterioration in Mughal politics and wanted to take full advantage of this situation. He tried to inspire his troops with his own skill at using the deadly circular dandpatta sword of the Marathas and horse riding skills.

• Thus, Peshwa Bajirao I was considered the propounder of “forward policy” for Maratha expansions.

The Overview of the Family of Peshwa Baji Rao I

• Kashibai was the first wife of Peshwa Bajirao I. She had four sons including Nanasaheb and Raghunathrao.

• Peshwa Bajirao’s second wife was Mastani, the daughter of Maharaja Chhatrasal of Panna, but a daughter of his Persian wife Ruhanibai.

• Mastani was a beautiful and brave woman, skilled in swordsmanship, spear-throwing, and horse-riding.

• She was never accepted by Bajirao’s mother and brother; Bajirao is said to have married her out of love.

• This marriage also caused a rift in the orthodox Hindu Pune Society of the time because she was a half-Muslim woman.

• In the year 1734, Mastani gave birth to a son who was called Krishnarao at birth.

• Despite this, the orthodox Hindus did not approve of the couple raising their son as a Hindu. Thus, the boy was renamed Shamsher Bahadur I.

Bajirao as the Peshwa (Prime Minister)

• On April 12, 1720, Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath breathed his last at the age of 58. The Satara imperial court, another Maratha power assemblage, was humming with only one question: Would Peshwa Bajirao I, the son of the deceased Peshwa, only 19, lacking experience, be fit for the Peshwa post? There were critiques against selecting a person so young.

• Maharaja Shahu was a good judge of character and a benevolent king, making no delay in answering this question. He instantly announced the appointment of Bajirao as the new Peshwa.

• The proclamation was soon translated into a royal business. On April 17, 1719, when Bajirao was ordained as a Peshwa with the regal formalities.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was assigned with the high honorable post significantly more because of sturdy mental and physical constitutions clumped with his political and military understanding rather than due to conventional ancestry or dividend against the great services contributed by the late Peshwa.

• However, a number of nobles and ministers were incapable of hiding their jealousy toward Bajirao.

• Peshwa Bajirao I, still, heavily spared any opportunity to justify the decision of the King and thereby deftly shut the mouths of his rivals.

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Expansion of the Maratha Kingdom under the supremacy of Peshwa Bajirao

Peshwa Bajirao I soon noticed that the feudalistic forces had a tendency toward fractionalization and that the honor of the kingship required determined deterrence to the diverging forces. Then, alone the expansion of the Hindu Pad Padshahi could be determined. Bajirao’s realistic insight was phenomenal. But, Peshwa was well aware of all his hostile surroundings.

Nizam, the governor of Mughal Sultan, the vexatious terrorist Siddi of Janjira, and the bugbear Portuguese along with internal rivals demanded his instant commanding performance for the sake of the protection of the Maratha Kingdom on which was based the magnitude of expansion of “Hindu Pad Padshahi” beyond the Vindhyas in the north.

Peshwa Bajirao I believed that if the giant dream of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for a “Hindupad Padshahi” or “Hindavi Swarajya” as he called it was to be achieved If the two Maratha factions of Satara and Kolhapur had to consolidate. At that moment Bajirao realized that this was disagreeable with the Kolhapur faction.

Then, Peshwa Bajirao I marked his objectives without their help. To achieve his dream of Hindavi Swarajya or Hindavi Swarajya, Bajirao’s intellect was working faster than anything else and finally, he decided to put forth his thoughts in the court of Chatrapati Shahu.

Military Battles of Peshwa Bajirao 1

The military campaigns and battles led by ‘’Peshwa Bajirao I’’ are as follows:

Battle of Palkhed (February 28, 1728)

• The Nizam of Hyderabad Asaf Jah I refused to recognise the authority of Chhatrapati Shahu and invaded Maratha Territories to install a rival claimant to the throne.

• Peshwa Baji Rao I defeated the Nizam at the village of Palkhed near the city of Nasik and forced him to sign a treaty of Mungi Shevgaon on 6th March 1728, whereby the Nizam recognised Maratha authority, give up the cause of Sambhaji II forever, and the right to collect Chauth (tax) was recognised.

Learn more about the Battle Of Palkhed Here!

Malwa Campaign (October 1728)

• Peshwa Bajirao I and his large army consisted of his younger brother Chimaji Appa and aided by Maratha generals like Holkar, Shinde and Pawar, then they launched an attack on Malwa and were defeated. Mughal governors of Malwa, Girdhar Bahadur and Daya Bahadur were killed during the battle of Amjhera (by February 1729), present-day Rajasthan.

Bundelkhand Campaign (March 1729)

• In Bundelkhand, Raja Chhatrasal had risen in rebellion against his Mughal empire and established his own independent kingdom in Bundelkhand in December 1728.

• He was subsequently besieged at his fort, a Mughal army led by Muhammad Khan Bangash defeated him and jailed his family.

• Raja Chhatrasal did send a request to Baji Rao for assistance but the latter was busy in Malwa at that time.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was finally able to respond in March 1729 and marched towards Bundelkhand with an army of 70,000. Muhammad Khan was defeated in the battle and Raja Chhatrasal was replaced on his throne.

• But, He granted a large jagir to Peshwa Baji Rao I and offered his daughter ‘Mastani’ to Bajirao as a wife.

Gujarat Campaign (1730-1731)

• After consolidating Maratha’s influence in central India, Peshwa Bajirao I began to exert Maratha control in Gujarat.

• In 1730, Peshwa Bajirao sent his brother Chimaji Appa for the task, but the Military commander Trimbakrao Dabhade saw this move as Baji Rao’s family striving its influence further what he considered the Dabhade clan’s sphere of influence.

• Trimbakrao Dabhade revolted against Bajirao and was joined by the Mughal Commander Muhammad Khan Bangash and Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam-ul-Mulk and decided to gain an advantage of the disharmony among the Marathas.

• They all were attacked and defeated by Bajirao, which resulted in the death of Trimbakrao.

• The dispute between the clans was resolved by Baji Rao by signing the Treaty of Warna on 13 April 1731, where he proposed that the Dabhade clan be allowed the right to collect taxes payments in Gujarat provided half the amount be deposited in Chhatrapati Shahu’s royal treasury.
• Yeshwantrao Dabhade succeeded his father (Khanderao) as the Senapati.
• Afterwards, Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah met Bajirao at Rameshwar on 27 December 1732 and agreed not to interfere with the Maratha.

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Delhi Campaign (1736-1737)

• In November 1736, Peshwa Bajirao began his march on Delhi with an army of 50,000 based on the information of the Governor of Malwa Jai Singh II.
• The Mughal was afraid and the Emperor ordered the Nawab of Awadh, Saadat Ali Khan, and Mir Hasan Khan to lead his army against the Marathas.
• Both were engaged and defeated by Maratha forces under Vithoji Bule, Malhar Rao Holkar, and Pilaji Jadhav, who attacked the Doab region.
• Assembling their military forces with Bajirao, the coupled forces slipped through the Awadhi and Mughal by the Jat and Mewati mountain routes.
• On 28 March 1737, They reached Delhi; the Maratha forces defeated the Mughal army during the battle of Delhi.
• But before his forces could consolidate his powers, the Peshwa had to withdraw his control over Delhi, thus because the army of Mughal governor Awadh Saadat Khan, Army forces of about 150,000, were marching their way towards Delhi.
• His Delhi campaign is widely considered as the height of swift and active warfare in the north, then the Mughal Badshah Muhammad Shah Rangeela sought help from Nizam.

Battle of Bhopal (December 1737)

• After the Delhi campaign, the Mughal Emperor requested the Nizam or Governor (Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah) of Hyderabad once more for his military assistance to repair the relationship between Delhi.
• Asaf Jah assembled his forces with the assistance of other Mughal Chiefs and campaigned against the Marathas. Peshwa also assembled a force of 80,000 army men and marched towards Delhi.
• Subsequently, the Nizam was camped at Bhopal, Where both the armies met and the Marathas defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Bhopal on 24 December 1737.
• Resulting in the Nizam’s artillery, the Maratha forces kept their distance and harassed their lines: no food supply came in from outside, and the Nizam’s army men were starving.
• Thus, powerless Nizam to hold out any longer, Forced him to sign a peace agreement at Doraha on 7 January 1738.

Death of Peshwa Baji Rao 1

• In March 1739, Nadirshah, the Emperor of Iran, invaded Northern India. Peshwa Bajirao I set out for the North with a large army to protect the Mughal power. At the time he reached Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh) But Nadir Shah had returned to Iran.

• Peshwa Bajirao I breathed his last at Raverkhedi and died on 28th April 1740 and was cremated on the bank of the Narmada river.

• Peshwa Bajirao I was a great General and always led from the front. With his valor, He established Maratha supremacy and political hegemony in Southern and Northern India respectively.

• The Samadhi of Peshwa Bajirao I is located at Raverkhedi, Khargone, Madhya Pradesh on the Banks of the Narmada River built by His loyal lieutenant Scindia of Gwalior.

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