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Rao Pandit Pandam or Baji Rao II was the Maratha Ruler who lived between 1775 and 1851 AD. He governed the great Maratha Empire between the years 1796 and 1818 and had his fair share of confrontations with the British during this period. He was the son of Peshwa Raghunathrao, who defeated the British in the first Anglo Maratha war. When Madhavrao II committed suicide, the Maratha empire did not have a leader, but with the help of Nana Phadnavis and Daulatrao Scindia, Bajirao II became the leader of the Marathas.
However, the reign of Baji Rao is regarded as a puppet reign as both Nana Phadnavis and Daulatrao Scindia used him as one. Moreover, he had to bear the hardships of his parents, who were accused of killing Narayanrao, who was the fifth Peshwa. So, being a part of a murderous lineage, he was looked down upon by everyone, and people took his actions as filled with prejudice.
Holkar conquest of Poona
In the middle of 1800, Fadnavis died, and the control of the government fell into the hands of Daulat Rao Scindia. He took serious measures to get rid of his enemies within the Peshwa government. Peshwa Baji Rao 2 feared for his own life and sought help from British Colonel William palmer. Yashwant Rao Holkar, a rival chief of Scindia, was marching towards Poona, which alarmed the Peshwa. Though Holkar assured that his aim was to only free Poona from Scindia, it was difficult to believe his words.
Even though Baji Rao sought help, he had second thoughts about the aid from Britishers and instead turned to Scindia, but he was not in town. A battle was fought between the Holkar and the Peshwas and Scindia in a joint agreement. The Battle of Hadapsar started with the arrival of the Scindia army in Poona on October 22, 1802.
The battle ended on October 25 with Holkar’s victory. Bajirao Peshwa 2 used his wits and sent his terms of condition for the treaty to the Britishers. Holkar fled to Vasai to seek help from the British after his victory. Holkar, along with Amrut Rao, Baji Rao’s half brother, set up a council to run the Peshwa government. Amrut Rao was the head of this council.
Treaty with the East India Company: The Treaty of Bassein
Baji Rao II and the British signed a treaty in the year 1802 in Poona, which is now known as Pune in India. This is one of the most important moments in the history of the Maratha Empire. The Marathas confederacy broke due to this step, as this pact helped the British to take up the territories of the Maratha empire in the year 1818. Moreover, the death of Nana Phadnavis also distracted the Marathas from the danger of the East India Company. Also, the two military chiefs, namely Daulat Rao Scindia and Jaswant Hulkar, fought for the power of Peshwa with their armies at their back.
So this led to the fight between Hulkar and Scindia, in which Hulkar won and appointed an adopted brother as the ruler of Poona. After this, Baji Rao II fled to the region of Bassein and asked the British for their help, which led to the Treaty of Bassein.
So, according to the Treaty of Bassein, the Bajirao Peshwa 2 was required to keep a subsidiary force of the British and give up his claim on the region of Surat and Baroda. He was also asked to consult the British every time he was forming a foreign relation, and in return, the British would help the Peshwa to restore his power in the region, which the British did. Arthur Wellesley helped the Peshwa to come back to power in 1803. This started the dominance of the British in the Maratha state and led to the Second Maratha-Anglo war, which led to the downfall of the Marathas.
3rd Anglo Maratha War
The Third Anglo Maratha war was fought between the British and Maratha, which led to the end of the Maratha empire and the end of Bhosles, Holkars, and other Marathas. The Peshwa was defeated in the Battle of Kharki in 1817. He would have won it if he would have allowed his men to continue with their run, but he chose o to listen to the Elphinstone and issued a ceasefire.
Later his men tried to stop the British during their run at the Solapur Road but were betrayed by Sardar Ghorpade Sondurkar, who withdrew his force, leading to the defeat. The Peshwa also lost the Batten at Shirur and fled.
Conclusion
Baji Rao II surrendered and was regarded as a lifelong prince by Sir John Malcolm and was allowed to keep his personal wealth and was given a sum of eighty thousand euros as a pension every year. However, Baji Rao lived in a place assigned to him by the British. Later, Baji Rao II died in Bithur, a place in Kanpur.
