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Maratha Wars
Maratha Wars, (1775–82, 1803–05, 1817–18), three conflicts between the British and theMaratha confederacy, resulting in the destruction of the confederacy.
The firstwar (1775–82) began with British support forRaghunath Rao’s bid for the office ofpeshwa (chief minister) of the confederacy. The British were defeated atWadgaon (seeWadgaon, Convention of) in January 1779, but they continued to fight the Marathas until the conclusion of theTreaty of Salbai (May 1782); the sole British gain was the island of Salsetteadjacent to Bombay (nowMumbai).
The second war (1803–05) was caused by thepeshwaBaji Rao II’s defeat by theHolkars (one of the leading Maratha clans) and his acceptance of British protection by theTreaty of Bassein in December 1802. TheSindhia and theBhonsle families contested the agreement, but they were defeated, respectively, at Laswari and Delhi by Lord Lake and at Assaye and Argaon bySir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington). The Holkar clan then joined in, and the Marathas were left with a free hand in the regions of centralIndia and Rajasthan.
- Date:
- 1775 - 1818
- Location:
- India
- Participants:
- Maratha confederacy
- United Kingdom
- Key People:
- Warren Hastings
The third war (1817–18) was the result of an invasion of Maratha territory in the course of operations against Pindari robber bands by the British governor-general,Lord Hastings. Thepeshwa’s forces, followed by those of the Bhonsle and Holkar, rose against the British (November 1817), but the Sindhia remained neutral. Defeat wasswift, followed by the pensioning of thepeshwa and the annexation of his territories, thus completing the supremacy of the British in India.