Kingdom of Nagpur

A Maratha kingdom ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty in central India from the eighteenth century until the British annexed it in 1853.

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Raghoji I Bhonsle: The founder of the Nagpur Bhonsle state, who expanded its power across central India in the eighteenth century. His campaigns established the kingdom and made Nagpur its political center.
Bhonsle dynasty: A Maratha warrior and ruling family whose branches governed Nagpur and other territories. Its Nagpur branch held the kingdom across successive generations.
Raghoji II Bhonsle: The Nagpur ruler from 1788 to 1816, whose reign included war with the East India Company. His defeat in the 1803 conflict led to territorial losses and a treaty with the Company.
Annexation of Nagpur: The British takeover of the Nagpur kingdom in 1853 after the death of Raghoji III. It ended Bhonsle rule and brought the kingdom’s territory under Company administration.
Maratha Empire: A confederated Indian power founded in the seventeenth century, with authority shared among regional rulers. Nagpur emerged as a powerful Bhonsle domain within the wider Maratha political order.
Third Anglo-Maratha War: The 1817–1818 conflict in which the East India Company defeated the principal Maratha powers. The war placed Nagpur under British subsidiary control and sharply reduced its independence.
Mudhoji II Bhonsle: The Nagpur ruler installed after Appa Sahib’s defeat, who reigned under growing British supervision. His rule illustrates the kingdom’s reduced autonomy after the 1817–1818 war.
Central Provinces: A British Indian administrative province established in 1861, combining territories in central India. Nagpur became a major center of the province formed from British-held central Indian lands.
Chhatrapati Shahu: The Maratha ruler whose reign followed the death of Shivaji and saw the rise of powerful regional chiefs. His grant of authority to Raghoji Bhonsle helped legitimize the Nagpur state.
Subsidiary alliance: A British Indian system requiring allied rulers to host Company troops and accept limits on foreign policy. After 1818, this arrangement constrained Nagpur’s rulers while preserving their throne.