Shahu ascended the throne in 1708 after defeating his aunt Tarabai in the Battle of Khed. He ruled the Maratha Empire from 1708 to 1749. He expanded his territory by conquering Bundelkhand, Bundi, Malwa, Gujarat, Gwalior, Kota, and the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. He defeated the Mughals many times. Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath as the first Peshwa (prime minister).
Early Life & Family
- 18 May 1682: Shahu Maharaj was born.
- His father was Sambhaji Maharaj.
- His Mother was Yesubai.
- Shahu was the fifth Chhatrapati Maharaj of the Maratha Empire.
- 1689: Shahu was imprisoned at the age of seven with his father Sambhaji by Aurangzeb.
- Shahu had four wives.
- Shahu adopted two sons and a daughter.
- Adopted sons were – Ranoji Lokhande (made the first Raja of Akkalkot), and Rajaram II (succeeded Shahu).
- Adopted Daughter was – Parvati Kolhatkar (trained in warfare and administration).
Reign
- 1707: After Aurangzeb’s death his third son Azam Shah released Shau from prison.
- 8 May 1707: Shahu left the Mughal court and returned to Maharashtra.
- 3 August 1707: Shahu is formally acknowledged by Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah (second son of Aurangzeb) as Shivaji’s legitimate heir.
- 12 October 1707: Battle of Khed: Shahu defeated Tarabai in this battle with the help of General Dhanaji Yadav and Dewan Balaji Vishwanath. After this battle, he ascended the throne of Maratha.
- October 1707: Shahu captures Raigad, Torna, Vichitragad, and Chandan-Vandan forts.
- 1 January 1708: Shahu captured Satara Fort at the age of 26. This fort became the capital of his kingdoms.
- With the rise of Shahu, the Maratha empire was divided into two parts –
- Satara under Shahu and
- Kohlapur under Shivaji II or Tarabai.
- 1713: Kanhoji Angre allied with Tarabai attacked Satara fort, and captured Shahu’s Peshwa, Bahiroji Pingale.
- Therefore, Shahu appointed a new Peshwa as Balaji Vishwanath.
- Balaji Vishwanath successfully convinced many of Tarabai’s supporters to join Shahu’s side.
- 17 April 1719: After the sudden death of Balaji Vishwanath, Shahu appointed Bajirao as Peshwa.
- Bajirao worked for 20 years under Shahu.
- After that, Shahu appointed Nanasaheb as Peshwa.
- Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao and Nanasaheb – these three Peshwa were extremely influential and efficient.
- 26 April 1731: Treaty of Warana: Shahuji and his cousin Sambhaji II of Kolhapur signed the treaty.
- The treaty of Warana determined that Shivaji II (led by Tarabai) would rule the southern part of the Maratha Empire with Kohlapur as his capital and Shahu would rule the northern part of the Maratha Empire with the capital at Satara.
- From the time of Shahu, all power started to pass into the hands of the Peshwas.
- 15 December 1749: Chhatrapati Shahu died in Shahunagar. His adopted son Rajaram II became the next king.
Info: Zinat-un-Nissa and Zulfiqar Khan advised and helped Shahu to leave the Mughal court.
Info: In the Battle of Palkhed (1728) under the leadership of Peshwa Balaji Rao I, Maratha defeated Nizam Asaf Jah I of Hyderabad.