Thread by @accountantvarun

Today is the 320th Birth Anniversary of Shrimant #BajiraoPeshwa who was 2nd Peshwa of Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj.

Born on 18th August, 1700 at Shrivardhan, Maharashtra.

Died on 28th April, 1740 at Raverkhadi on the banks of Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.
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He was appointed as Peshwa (Prime Minister) of Maratha Empire by Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj at a young age of 20 after death of his father Balaji Vishwanath. Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj ignored all the naysayers who were against Bajirao's appointment.
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In his career of 20 years, Bajirao expanded Maratha Empire in India, successfully weakened the Mughals and kept Nizam of Hyderabad in check. He never lost a battle in his life and always enjoyed victory. Malwa (1723), Dhar (1724), Aurangabad (1724), Palkhed (1728),...
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... Firozabad (1737), Delhi (1737), Bhopal (1738) & Vasai (1739) were some of the major battles won by Bajirao.

Battle Tactics -

Baji Rao was renowned for his rapid tactical movements in battle, using his cavalry, inherited from Maratha generals like Santaji and Dhanaji.
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Two examples are the Battle of Palkhed in 1728, when he outmaneuvered the Nizam of Hyderabad, and again in the battle against the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah at Delhi in 1737. His skill lay in moving large bodies of cavalry at great speed.
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British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery studied his tactics in the Palkhed campaign, in particular the use of rapid movements, his troops living off the land with minimal concern for their own supply & communication lines, conducting 'total warfare' against the enemy.
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In his book A Concise History of Warfare, he wrote the following about Palkhed Victory.

"They (Marathas) were at their best in the eighteenth century,& the Palkhed campaign of 1728 in which Baji Rao I outgeneralled Nizam-ul-Mulk, is a masterpiece of strategic mobility.
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His army was a purely mounted force, armed only with sabre, lance, a bow in some units& a round shield. There was a spare horse for every two men. The Marathas moved unencumbered by artillery, baggage, or handguns& defensive armour. They supplied themselves by looting."
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Montgomery further writes

"Baji Rao resented the Nizam's rule over the Deccan and it was he who struck the first blow. In October 1727, as soon as rainy season ended, Baji Rao burst into the territories of Nizam. The lightly equipped Marathas moved with great rapidity,...
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...avoiding the main towns and fortresses, living off the country, burning & plundering. They met one reverse at the hands of Nizam's able lieutenant, Iwaz Khan, at the beginning of November 1727, but within a month they had fully recovered & were off again, ...
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..dashing everywhere, with sudden changes in direction. Nizam had mobilised his forces, & for a time pursued them, but he was bewildered by the swift unpredictable movements of Marathas& his men became exhausted."
Jadunath Sarkar called him "a heavenly-born cavalry leader"
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There used to be 3 horses between 2 riders& they would change their position after their horse is exhausted. Bajirao put emphasis in training of capable horse riders from young age who would eventually be trained to use various weapons while they are on their horseback.
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Bajirao’s Maratha cavalrymen were so good with their horses that they would not even take a break to eat/sleep & continue galloping even during night time which gave them that element of surprise in every single battle (anyone wants to take break for loo or to take dump..
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..would stop for a while and join the main advancing force after sometime). Bajirao’s cavalry was truly “god of war” in pitched battles, he used various cavalry tactics.

During the time he was en route to Delhi to deal with the Invasion of Delhi by Nadir Shah of Iran..
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with 100,000 troops under his command, Bajirao died on April 28, 1740, of a sudden fever, at his camp. He was cremated on April 28, 1740 at Raverkhedi, on the banks of the river Narmada in a village near Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
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Bajirao, an unorthodox leader, faced much opposition during his lifetime from the Brahmins of Pune (he ate meat and wanted a thread ceremony performed for his son Shamsher Bahadur born to his Muslim wife).

In the last hundred years, he has been ignored(& even vilified..
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with a nasty outfit organising a 'spitting agitation' against him) due to the caste politics in Maharashtra where he has become a non person for having been born a Brahmin. Never mind, the historical fact that he promoted soldiers of all caste in his army purely on merit.
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Chatrapati Shahu Maharaj used to say this on Bajirao 👇🚩🚩🚩