Shahu I

Shahu I was a Maratha ruler who succeeded Rajaram I and reigned from 1707 until his death in 1749. His rule established the Peshwa-led system that expanded Maratha power.

Balaji Vishwanath: A Maratha statesman who served as Peshwa from 1713 until his death in 1720. Shahu appointed him Peshwa; he consolidated the ruler’s authority through diplomacy and administration.
Mughal–Maratha Wars: A series of conflicts between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha state from the late seventeenth century into the eighteenth. Shahu’s early life unfolded in Mughal custody during this prolonged conflict.
Peshwa: The chief minister of the Maratha state, who became its leading executive and military authority. Shahu’s appointments helped turn this office into the center of day-to-day government.
Third Battle of Panipat: A 1761 battle in which the Maratha army was defeated by Ahmad Shah Durrani’s forces in northern India. It marked a later crisis in the expansion enabled by the political order formed under Shahu.
Baji Rao I: A Maratha Peshwa who led major military campaigns from 1720 to 1740. He served Shahu and extended Maratha influence across much of India.
Aurangzeb: The sixth Mughal emperor, whose reign lasted from 1658 to 1707. Aurangzeb held Shahu captive after the Mughal capture of the Maratha royal family.
Maratha Confederacy: A network of Maratha ruling houses and military leaders that expanded across India in the eighteenth century. Under Shahu, regional chiefs gained greater autonomy while recognizing his sovereignty.
Balaji Baji Rao: A Maratha Peshwa who led the confederacy from 1740 to 1761. He succeeded Baji Rao I and governed during the final years of Shahu’s reign.
Tarabai: A Maratha queen who led resistance against the Mughal Empire and contested Shahu’s claim to the throne. Her rival court challenged Shahu’s legitimacy after his release from Mughal captivity.
Mughal Empire: An early modern empire that ruled much of the Indian subcontinent from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. Its decision to release Shahu helped ignite the Maratha succession struggle.

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