Rajaram was the third Maratha king. He ruled the Maratha Empire from 1689 to 1700. He was the younger brother (half-brother) of Sambhaji. Sambhaji was killed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1689. After that, Rajaram sat on the throne in 1689.
Early life
- 24 February 1670: Rajaram was born.
- His father was Shivaji Maharaj.
- His mother was Soyarabai.
- He was the youngest son of Sivaji.
- 1680: Initially, Rajaram was crowned (at the age of 10) Maratha king by Soyarabai.
- He was the third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire.
- However, Sambhaji became king as all the commanders wanted him.
- Rajaram had three wives
- Jankibai – daughter of Prataprao Gujar (commander in chief)
- Tarabai – daughter of Sarsenapati Hambirrao Mohite (army commander)
- Rajasbai – Ghatge family of Kagal
- Rajaram had three sons
- Raja Karna
- Shivaji II
- Sambhaji II
Info: “Rajaramacharita,” a Sanskrit biography of Rajaram was written by Keshav Pandit.
Rajaram’s Reign
- 12 March 1689: After Sambhaji’s death, his brother Rajaram ascended the throne. However, Sambhaji’s widow Jeshubai wanted her infant son Shah on the throne.
- 25 March 1689: Mughals under Itikad Khan (later Zulfikar Khan) started to capture the region around Raigad.
- 1689: When the Mughal army besieged Raigad, Rajaram took refuge in Vishalgarh on the advice of Jeshubai. From there he moved to Jinji Fort.
- 1689: Despite fighting valiantly, Jeshubai and his infant son Sahu were defeated and captured by the Mughals.
- April 1689: Maratha generals Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav plotted a plan to counter the Mughal siege.
- May 1689: Santaji Ghorpade attacks the Mughal at Tulapur (there he wanted to kill Aurangzeb).
- June 1689: Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji Ghorpade defeat Mughal general Muqarrab Khan, who captured Sambhaji.
- 1 November 1689: Rajaram escapes from Panhala to Jinji.
- 25 May 1690: Ramchandrapant, Santaji, and Dhanaji defeated Sarzakhan (also known as Rustamkhan). Sarzakhan was captured.
- 1692: Maratha forces captured both the Forts – Rajgad and Panhala.
- 8 October 1692: Santaji Dhanaji took control of Dharwad in Karnataka.
- 14 December 1692: Santaji defeated and arrested Mughal commander Alimardan Khan at Jinji.
- 9 January 1693: Ismailkhan Makha and Janisaar Khan were defeated and taken for ransom by Santaji.
- 5 January 1693: Santaji Dhanaji captured and looted the Mughal camp at Desur.
- 21 November 1693: Himmat Khan lost against Santaji.
- July 1695: Mughal army was caught by Santaji at Khatav.
- 20 November 1695: Santaji killed Qasim Khan at Doderi.
- 8 January 1698: After 7 years of failure, the Jinji Fort was finally captured by the Mughals. Rajaram escaped from there.
- 14 February 1700: Rajaram fled to Maharashtra and died in 1700. Some historians suggested that Rajaram died due to severe lung disease. However exact reason for the death of Rajaram is not known.
Info: Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav were two most important military commander of Maratha Empire.
Extra Info: Santaji and Dhanaji used guerrilla tactics, hit-and-run attacks, and raids against the Mughal forces.