Kanhoji Angre

Kanhoji Angre was a Maratha naval commander who controlled strongholds along the Konkan coast in the early eighteenth century and fought European maritime powers.

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Maratha Navy: The naval forces maintained by the Maratha state, especially along India’s western coast. Angre commanded its principal western fleet and shaped its operations.
Maratha Empire: A South Asian empire founded by Shivaji in the seventeenth century and expanded by Maratha rulers and chiefs. Angre’s authority came from service to the Maratha state.
Tulaji Angre: A son of Kanhoji Angre who later commanded the Angre fleet and resisted the Peshwa’s authority. His succession struggle shows how Kanhoji’s naval domain outlasted its founder.
East India Company: An English joint-stock company that built a commercial and territorial empire in South Asia. Its Bombay establishment repeatedly fought Angre over shipping and coastal authority.
Kolaba Fort: A sea fort near Alibag that served as a major Maratha naval stronghold. It anchored Angre’s control of the coast and his fleet’s operations.
Shivaji: The seventeenth-century founder of the Maratha kingdom and a major opponent of Mughal rule. His coastal forts and naval ambitions created an institutional precedent for Angre.
Sarkhel: A Marathi naval title commonly translated as admiral or fleet commander. Angre’s office as sarkhel expressed his formal authority over Maratha naval forces.
Bombay: A port city on India’s west coast that became a major English East India Company base. The Company launched several campaigns against Angre from this maritime center.
Suvarnadurg: A fortified island off the Konkan coast, used as a Maratha naval base. Angre’s network of coastal strongholds included this strategically placed fort.
Shahu I: A Maratha ruler whose reign followed his release from Mughal captivity in 1707. Angre served under Shahu during the consolidation of Maratha authority.