Thread by @HindutvaItihas

1.
#Thread on Peshwa Madhavrao - the Glorious Ornament of Maratha Empire

He became Peshwa this day 260 years ago. This thread forms the 1st part of two-part series on Peshwa Madhavrao.

2.
1745, Feb 16: Peshwa Madhavrao was born.

1761, Jul 20: Madhavrao becomes Peshwa at age of 16, with Raghunathrao (paternal uncle) as co-regent with Gopikabai, Madhavrao’s mother

3.
Although Nizam had been humbled at Battle of Udgir (1760), the Maratha setback at Panipat (1761) had emboldened Nizam to invade Pune in Dec 1761. Nizam's army was surrounded by Marathas near Pune, and forced to cede territory to Marathas worth 40 lakhs.

4.
1762: Mysuru's Hyder Ali had been encroaching on Maratha lands since 1760. Madhavrao marched into Karnataka to stop Hyder Ali, then returned to Pune. Raghunathrao, the co-regent, decided to contest the post of Peshwa with 50k troops (including Nizam's), & marched to Pune.

5.
Peshwa Madhavrao surrenders to Raghunathrao after skirmish at Alegaon in Nov. Raghunathrao assumes major power in the empire & gives Nizam most of the territory gained by Marathas at Udgir (1760)

1763: In retaliation to Nizam's wanton interference in Maratha politics, ..

6.
Madhavrao attacked Nizam's territories. Nizam plundered Pune & Satara. By June, Madhavrao won over several chiefs of Nizam to his side by diplomacy. The hostility culminated in the decisive Battle of Rakshasbhuvan.

7.
Battle of Rakshasbhuvan on 10 Aug 1763:-

Madhavrao proved his military acumen & courage through timely troop movements before, & during the battle. In stark contrast, Raghunathrao was seen as indecisive, & Madhavrao was made Peshwa again!

8.
Nana Fadnavis was restored to office, with his brother Moropant Phadnis too. Peshwa Madhavrao met Mahadji Shinde to confirm services.

The trio of Madhavrao-Mahadji-Nana were vital to the Maratha State for the next 3+ decades till 1800.

9.
1764-65: Hyder Ali had pushed his borders upto Krishna river. In Sep '64, Madhavrao invaded Hyder Ali to get back the territories.

Marathas captured Dharwad fort & defeated Hyder Ali near Savanur. Madhavrao had called Raghunathrao to Karnataka with him. He took over peace ...

10.
..negotiations & took back territories north of Tungabhadra.

Meanwhile, historic events took place in the North! After emerging victorious in the European 7-Years-War, English had attained unchallenged naval supremacy. In '64, they defeated Mughals at Battle of Buxar.

11.
In Aug 1765, the English signed the Treaty of Allahabad with Mughals. Awadh Nawab became English protectorate. English gained complete control from Allahabad to Bay of Bengal in effect.

1766: Peshwa Madhavrao had been keeping tabs on the English ingress into the subcontinent

12.
The Peshwa allied Nizam in order to counter the English on one hand, and Hyder Ali on the other. He undertook campaign against Hyder Ali in Nov.

1767-68: In Feb, Marathas capture Sira Fort. On Mar 4, Madhugiri (Madgiri) fort was captured. Hyder Ali had imprisoned Rani of ...

13.
..Bednur & her son in that fort. Madhavrao rescued them & sent them to Pune for protection. After negotiating restoration of all territories by Hyder Ali to Marathas, Madhavrao returned to Pune to stop Raghunathrao's intrigues.

1770:Peshwa-Nizam alliance attacked Hyder Ali..

14.
..to check his expansion since past 2 years into Maratha territories. Marathas captured Bengaluru, Devraidurg (Tumakaru) & Kolar.

Till Aug, Hyder Ali was defeated multiple times by Marathas under Trimbakrao Pethe due to fresh supplies of heavy artillery & troops from Pune.

15.
In the north, Marathas capture Agra, Mathura & Etawah till Dec '70.

In Dec, Madhavrao wrote an insightful letter to Ramchandra Ganesh & Visaji Krishna - generals dispatched to the north - showing his grasp of the political situation in N.India.

16.
'You all well know how disunity & self-seeking have ruined our interests in the past. You must realise that each one's personal interest is best served by working for the united good for all! The Peshwa shall amply award your individual merit.'

- Peshwa Madhavrao

#Hindutva

17.
1771-72: The events leading up to the Bhagwa Flag hoisted on Red Fort in 1771 (10 Feb) have been earlier described in our very first thread.

Marathas captured Najibabad & rescued the Maratha women taken by Afghans in the aftermath of 1761 Panipat.

18.
Najib Khan's Tomb was opened & his remains scattered!

In the south, Marathas utterly routed Hyder Ali in the Battle of Moti Talav (Mar '71), Hyder Ali fled to Shrirangapattan. Marathas conclude peace with Mysuru, & territory south of Tungabhadra was acquired by Marathas.

19.
In the next part of the thread-series, we'll look at the aspects of political & administrative genius of Peshwa Madhavrao.

@rattibha