Introduction: The Shadow at Panipat.

In the wake of the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha Empire was left in a shocked state and on the brink of financial collapse. The defeat brought in the death of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, and with his death also came external attacks, which in turn were accompanied by serious internal dissension. The loss of the heir apparent, Vishwasrao, created a void in power, which in turn set off a very bitter succession dispute that marked the start of a very turbulent period of family struggle and political intrigue.

The Succession Crisis

Following the death of Balaji Bajirao, what followed was a struggle for the Peshwaship between two rival groups within the ruling family. In one camp was Gopikabai, the widow of the late Peshwa and advocate for her second son, Madhavrao. Across from her was Anandibai, the ambitious wife of Raghunathrao, the late Peshwa’s brother, who also included support from the likes of Sakharambapu, who wanted to see Raghunathrao in the lead.

Despite the friction, the issue was brought to a close with a compromise. At the young age of Madhavrao’s accession as Peshwa (Madhavrao I), his uncle Raghunathrao was made the Regent to run the administration. But this arrangement did not last, which is to say that as the young Peshwa grew into himself, he began to assert his power.

The Uncle-Nephew Conflict

As Madhavrao began to get more involved in state affairs, he tried to rein in the great deal of religious spending that his mother had put forward. This, in turn, saw tension grow between him and his uncle. Raghunathrao, who was not at all happy with the loss of absolute power that came with his brother’s rise, resigned from office in a play to bring the administration to its knees. To his surprise, Madhavrao quickly filled the vacated posts with men like Trimbakrao Pethe, Nana Phadanvis, and Hari Ballal Phadke, which in turn put his uncle in the shade.

This assertion of independence pushed Raghunathrao to break all rules. He allied with the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizam Ali, a long-time Maratha enemy. Their combined forces went to Pune, which made Madhavrao surrender to his uncle to avoid a civil war. While Raghunathrao at first was nice to his nephew, he removed from office Madhavrao’s supporters. However, the Nizam’s treachery, which sought to profit from the internal chaos, soon made the uncle and the nephew put aside their differences and join forces against the common enemy.

Rebellion and Resolution

In a very delicate peace between the two kings. Prodded by his wife, Anandibai Raghunathrao asked for half the kingdom, which Madhavrao refused. This brought about open war, which saw the Battle of Fort Dhodap. In that conflict, Madhavrao’s forces did in Raghunathrao, which in turn saw the latter put under house arrest at Shaniwar Wada.

Although plagued by internal issues, Madhavrao proved to be an excellent ruler. He put down the aggression of Hyder Ali of Mysore and brought back Maratha preeminence in the North, which included the restoration of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II to the throne of Delhi. His reign saw economic revival and a restoration of the Maratha Empire’s former glory.

The close of an age and the return of disorder.

Truly Madhavrao, who looked to be very bright, was cut short by tuberculosis, and he died in 1772 at the age of 28. He was succeeded by his brother Narayanrao. Unlike his brother, who was very political in nature, Narayanrao did not have political acumen and fell under the dominant influence of his mother, Gopikabai.

Internal struggle broke out again in full force. Upon release from prison, Raghunathrao became a part of new conspiracies right away. Although he professed to support Narayanrao as the next Peshwa, the conflict between the women of the household, Gopikabai and Anandibai, continued to play out, which in turn poisoned the political atmosphere. This period set the stage for more instability, which saw the rise of the “Barbhai” council headed by Nana Phadanvis, which in turn had to step in to protect the Peshwa’s position against both domestic enemies and the encroaching British East India Company. In the end, these struggles led to the Treaty of Salbai, which brought a temporary peace to the empire but at the cost of permanent factionalism within the Maratha high command.