Second Anglo-Maratha War

The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was a conflict between the British East India Company and Maratha powers that extended British control across much of India.

Treaty of Bassein: A 1802 treaty in which Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted British protection and a subsidiary force. Its terms restored Baji Rao II but alarmed Maratha chiefs and helped precipitate war.
Arthur Wellesley: A British army officer who commanded Company forces in the Deccan and later became Duke of Wellington. He led the Company campaigns against Scindia and Bhonsle in 1803.
Baji Rao II: The last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, who ruled from 1796 until his deposition in 1818. His appeal for British protection under the Treaty of Bassein helped trigger the war.
British East India Company: An English joint-stock company that acquired territorial power in South Asia and governed large parts of India. Its armies and diplomacy emerged from the war with expanded territory and influence.
Battle of Poona: A 1802 battle in which forces led by Yashwantrao Holkar defeated the armies of the Peshwa and Scindia. Holkar's victory drove Baji Rao II to seek British support at Bassein.
Battle of Assaye: A 1803 battle in which Arthur Wellesley's force defeated a much larger Maratha army near Assaye. The costly victory broke a major Scindia-Bhonsle field force in the Deccan.
Daulat Rao Scindia: The Maratha ruler of Gwalior from 1794 to 1827. His military power and territorial losses made him a principal Company opponent.
Treaty of Bassein (1802): The agreement through which Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted British protection before the war. Its prior settlement contrasts with the postwar treaties imposed on defeated Maratha rulers.
Peshwa: The chief minister who became the hereditary head of the Maratha Confederacy. Baji Rao II's struggle to regain this office set the immediate crisis in motion.
Battle of Laswari: A 1803 battle in which British forces defeated Scindia's army in northern India. Its outcome helped force Scindia to accept peace after losing his principal field army.

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First Anglo-Maratha WarRelated: The peace established at Salbai lasted until renewed war two decades later.