Shivaji

Shivaji (1630–1680) was a Maratha ruler who founded an independent kingdom in western India and challenged Mughal power through military campaigns, diplomacy, and state-building.

Maratha light cavalry: Fast-mounted Maratha forces used for reconnaissance, raids, and rapid movement across difficult terrain. Their mobility supported Shivaji’s raids and enabled forces to avoid prolonged battles with larger armies.
Deccan Sultanates: Muslim-ruled states that emerged in the Deccan after the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate. Shivaji’s early political world was shaped by the sultanates that competed for control of the Deccan.
Battle of Pratapgarh: A 1659 battle in which Shivaji’s forces defeated the Bijapur commander Afzal Khan near Pratapgarh fort. The victory strengthened Shivaji’s position and became a defining episode in accounts of his military rise.
Maratha Empire: A South Asian empire built by the Marathas that became a major power after the weakening of Mughal authority. The kingdom Shivaji founded supplied the political and military base for later Maratha expansion.
Maratha Navy: The naval forces developed by the Maratha state to defend its coast and challenge foreign and regional shipping. Shivaji built coastal defenses and naval strength to protect the kingdom’s western seaboard.
Shahaji: A Maratha military commander and father of Shivaji who served several Deccan sultanates. His military career and estates provided the family setting in which Shivaji began his rise.
Treaty of Purandar: The 1665 agreement under which Shivaji ceded forts and territory to the Mughal Empire after a campaign led by Jai Singh I. It shows Shivaji accepting a costly settlement before renewing resistance to Mughal power.
Sambhaji: Shivaji’s son and successor, who ruled the Maratha kingdom from 1681 until his execution in 1689. His reign carried the struggle against the Mughal Empire into the generation after Shivaji.
Maratha forts: Fortifications across the Deccan that served as military strongholds, administrative centers, and stores of supplies. Shivaji’s network of hill and coastal forts anchored defense and control of territory.
Jijabai: Shivaji’s mother, remembered in Maratha tradition as a formative influence on his upbringing. Her place in accounts of Shivaji’s early life links family memory with the origin story of his rule.

Linked from 11 pages