The Anglo Maratha Wars

The Anglo Maratha wars were fought between the British empire and the Marathas from 1775-to 1818 in three battles, culminating in a British victory. The first Anglo Maratha war was fought from 1775-to 1782, The second Anglo Maratha war was fought from 1803 to 1805, and the third and final Anglo Maratha war was fought from 1817 to 1818. Let’s do a detailed analysis of each Anglo Maratha war and find out what was its aftermath. 

The First Anglo Maratha War

The death of Peshwa Madhav Rao led to the succession of Narain Rao, but his uncle, Raghunath Rao, wanted to become Peshwa. He went to the English for help, and in exchange for 2,500 British soldiers, Raghunath Rao promised to hand over Salsette and Bassein to the British. This Anglo Maratha war treaty, i.e. the treaty of Surat, was signed in 1775 but later was annulled by the Bombay government and Ragunath Rao was only promised a pension. In 1777 Nana Phadnis violated the terms of the Anglo Maratha war treaty and gave the French a port on the western coast. 

Then the Battle of Wadgaon took place between the Marathas and the British, where the Marathas were victorious under their able general, Mahadji Shinde. Later, Warren Hastings sent a large force under Colonel Goddard and Captain Popham, led by General Camac, and defeated Mahadji Shinde at Sipri in 1781. The Treaty of Salbai, an Anglo Maratha war treaty between the Peshwa and the British, recognised Madhavrao, the legal heir, as the Peshwa and Ragunathrao were granted a pension. The treaty was ratified by Hastings, thus ending the war. 

Second Anglo- Maratha War

After Ragunath Rao, Peshwa Baji Rao II was appointed Peshwa. Still, his incompetence and incapability to rule led to his defeat at the hands of his nominal subordinate, the Holkar ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona. Baji Rao II then fled and asked for British protection. In December of that year, an Anglo Maratha war treaty, the treaty of Bassein, was signed between the British and Baji Rao II, ceding Bassein territory to maintain a force and not enter into any other treaty with another power.

In the Battle of Assaye in September 1803, The British, led by the 1st Duke of Wellington, defeated the Marathas easily and appointed Baji Rao II in power, according to the treaty of Bassein. The disgusted Maratha chiefs revolted to stop British influence. The Scindia Ruler of Gwalior and the Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur and Bera challenged the British. Eventually, they were defeated by Lord Lake and Delhi, with Sir Arthur Wellesley defeating the Marathas at Assaye and Argaon. The Holkar rulers joined the war and were also defeated by the British. Peace was restored in 1805, and the British acquired Orissa and western Gujarat and Bundelkhand territory as spoils of war, ending the second part of the Anglo Maratha war.

Third Anglo- Maratha War

The third Anglo-Maratha war was the penultimate war between the British and the Maratha Empire, leaving the British entirely in control of India.

The third part of the Anglo Maratha war began with the invasion of Maratha territory by the British, under Governor-General Lord Hastings, against pindari robbers. The Peshwa of Pune, the Bhonsle of Nagpur, and the Holkar of Indore joined forces to fight against the British. Still, British diplomacy made Gwalior Sindhia remain neutral, even after losing control of Rajasthan. 

Eventually, it led to a British victory, and the Maratha empire was broken up, leading to the loss of independence of the Marathas to the British. The Peshwa was pensioned, and most of his territories were annexed under the Bombay presidency. The Maharaja of Satara was restored to princely state status until it was eventually captured under Bombay’s presidency in 1848. The British captured Nagpur Bhonsle’s dominions and the Peshwa’s territories in Bundelkhand as Saugor and Nerbudda territories. Indore, Gwalior, Jhansi, and Nagpur became princely states which acknowledged British control. This ended the Anglo Maratha war, fought from 1775 to 1818.

Conclusion

The Anglo Maratha wars were a series of three wars fought between the British and the Martha Empire from 1775 to 1818. The treaty of Salbai, which recognised Madhavrao as the Peshwa of the Maratha empire and Ragunathrao, who was given a pension, brought peace and ended the first Anglo Maratha war. The British acquired Orissa, parts of western Gujarat and the Bundelkhand territory of the Peshwa after successfully winning the second Anglo- Maratha War.