The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first of three Anglo-Maratha Wars fought between the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

and

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

in India. The war began with the

Treaty of Surat {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2012 The Treaty of Surat (6 March 1775) was a treaty by which Raghunathrao, one of the claimants to the throne of the Peshwa, agreed to cede Salsette and Bassein Fort to the English, in consideration of being himself res ...

and ended with the

Treaty of Salbai The Treaty of Salbai was signed on 17 May 1782, by representatives of the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company after long negotiations to settle the outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War it was signed between Warren Hastings and Mah ...

. The war was fought in between Surat and Pune Kingdom saw British defeat and restoration of positions of both the parties before the war.

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...

, the first President and Governor-General of

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

's provinces in India decided not to attack

Poona Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

directly.

Background

After the death of

Madhavrao Peshwa Peshwa Madhavrao Bhat I (February 15, 1745 – November 18, 1772) was the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha empire fully recovered from the losses they suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, a phenomenon kn ...

in 1772, his brother

Narayanrao Narayanrao Bhat (10 August 1755 – 30 August 1773) was the 10th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy from November 1772 until his assassination in August 1773. He married Gangabai Sathe who later gave birth to Sawai Madhavrao. Early life Narayanra ...

became

peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...

(prime minister) of the Maratha Empire. Narayanrao was murdered by his palace guards in August 1773, and his uncle

Raghunathrao Raghunathrao Bhat (a.k.a. Ragho Ballal or Ragho Bharari) (18 August 1734 – 11 December 1783) was the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He was known among the Hindus for his extremely successful North-west ...

(Raghoba) became Peshwa. However, Narayanrao's wife,

Gangabai Gangasati was a medieval saint poet of bhakti tradition of western India who composed several devotional songs in Gujarati language. Biography No authentic information regarding her life is available as her songs and life story were chiefly transm ...

, gave birth to a posthumous son, who was the legal heir to the throne. The newborn infant was named 'Sawai' Madhavrao (''Sawai'' means "One and a Quarter"). Twelve Maratha chiefs, known as the Baarbhai and led by

Nana Phadnavis Nana Fadnavis (Pronunciation: aːna pʰəɖɳəʋiːs, fəɖ- also Phadnavis and Furnuwees and abbreviated as Phadnis) (February 12, 1742 – March 13, 1800), born Balaji Janardan Bhanu, was an influential minister and statesman of the Marath ...

, directed an effort to install the infant as the new Peshwa and to rule in his name as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

and signed the

on 6 March 1775. According to the treaty, Raghunathrao ceded the territories of

Salsette Salsette Island is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra on India's west coast. Administratively known as Greater Mumbai, the city district of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban District, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thane lie wit ...

and Bassein (Vasai) to the British, along with part of the revenues from

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

and Bharuch districts. In return, the British promised to provide Raghunathrao with 2,500 soldiers. The British Calcutta Council condemned the Treaty of Surat, sending Colonel Upton to

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

to annul it and make a new treaty with the regency. The Treaty of Purandhar (1 March 1776) annulled that of Surat, Raghunathrao was pensioned and his cause abandoned, but the revenues of Salsette and Broach districts were retained by the British. The Bombay government rejected this new treaty and gave refuge to Raghunathrao. In 1777, Nana Phadnavis violated his treaty with the Calcutta Council by granting the French a port on the West coast. The English retaliated by sending a force towards Pune.

Initial stage and Treaty of Purandar (1775–1776)

British troops under the command of Colonel Keating, left

on 15 March 1775, for Pune. But they were checked by Haripant Phadke at Adas and were totally defeated on 18 May 1775. Casualties for Keating's force, accompanied by

, included 96 killed. The Marathas casualties in the Battle of Adas (Gujarat) included 150 killed.

estimated that direct actions against Pune would be detrimental. Therefore, the Supreme Council of Bengal condemned the

, sending Colonel Upton to

to annul it and make a new treaty with the regency. An agreement between Upton and the ministers of Pune called Treaty of Purandar was signed on 1 March 1776. The Treaty of Purandhar (1 March 1776) annulled that of Surat, Raghunath Rao was pensioned and his cause abandoned, but the revenues of Salsette and Broach districts were retained by the British.

Battle of Wadgaon

Following a treaty between France and the

Government in 1776, the

Government decided to invade and reinstate Raghoba. They sent a force under Col. Egerton reached

Khopoli Khopoli (also known as Campoolie) is an industrial city in the Khalapur taluka of Raigad district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, at the base of the Sahyadri mountains. Patalganga River, which is the tailrace channel of the Tata Hydroel ...

and made its way through the Western Ghats at

Bhor Ghat Bhor Ghat is a mountain pass located between and for railway and between Khopoli and Khandala on the road route in Maharashtra, India, on the crest of the Western Ghats. History In February 1781, Bhorghat was the site of a battle between t ...

and onwards toward Karla, which was reached on 4 January 1779 while under Maratha attacks. Finally the British were forced to retreat back to Wadgaon, but were soon surrounded. The British surrendered and were forced to sign the

Treaty of Wadgaon The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first of three Anglo-Maratha Wars (disambiguation), Anglo-Maratha Wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and end ...

on 16 January 1779, a victory for the Marathas. Reinforcements from northern India, commanded by Colonel (later General) Thomas Wyndham Goddard, arrived too late to save the Bombay force. The British

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, rejected the treaty on the grounds that the Bombay officials had no legal power to sign it, and ordered Goddard to secure British interests in the area. Goddard with 6,000 troops stormed Bhadra Fort and captured

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

on 15 February 1779. There was a garrison of 6,000 Arab and Sindhi infantry and 2,000 horses. Losses in the fight totalled 108, including two British. Goddard also captured Bassein on 11 December 1780. Another

detachment led by Captain Popham and assisted by the Rana of Gohad, captured

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

on 4 August 1780, before Mahadji Scindia could make preparations. Skirmishes took place between Mahadji Scindia and General Goddard in Gujarat, but indecisively. Hastings sent yet another force to harass

Mahadji Shinde Mahadaji Shinde (b. 23 December 1730 – 12 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Sindhia, was a Maratha statesman and ruler of Ujjain in Central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Ranoji Rao Scindia, the f ...

, commanded by Major Camac.

Central India and the Deccan

After capturing Bassein, Goddard marched towards

. But he was routed in the Battle of Bhor Ghat in April 1781 by Parshurambha, Haripant Phadke and Tukoji Holkar. In central India,

Mahadji Mahadaji Shinde (b. 23 December 1730 – 12 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Sindhia, was a Maratha statesman and ruler of Ujjain in Central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Ranoji Rao Scindia, the f ...

stationed himself at Malwa to challenge Camac. Initially,

had an upper hand and British forces under Camac, being harassed and reduced, had to retreat to Hadur. In February 1781 the British beat Shinde to the town of Sipri, but every move they made after that was shadowed by his much larger army, and their supplies were cut off, until they made a desperate night raid in late March, capturing not only supplies, but even guns and

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...

. Thereafter, the military threat from Shinde's forces to the British was much reduced. The contest was equally balanced now. Where Mahadji scored a significant victory over Camac at

Sironj Sironj is a town and a municipality in Vidisha district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a g ...

, the British avenged the loss through the

Battle of Durdah A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

on 24 March 1781. Colonel Murre arrived with fresh forces in April 1781 to assist Popham and Camac. After his defeat at Sipri,

got alarmed. Therefore, Shinde proposed a new treaty between the Peshwas and the British which came to be known as “Treaty of Salbai”.

Treaty of Salbai

This treaty, known as the

, was signed on 17 May 1782, and was ratified by Hastings in June 1782 and by Nana Phadnavis in February 1783. The treaty ended the First Anglo-Maratha War, restored the status quo, and established peace between the two parties for 20 years.

In popular culture

The 2013 Hollywood film titled '' The Lovers'' is based on the backdrop of this war.

Notes

External links

* Athale, Anil

Retrieved 21 July 2011. * Hameed, Shahul
The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782)
Retrieved 1 October 2004.

Retrieved 1 October 2004. * Paranjpe, Amit et al

. Retrieved 1 October 2004. * https://sites.google.com/vvdatalink.com/vv-datalink/knowledge/history/indian-history/mordern-history/anglo-maratha-wars {{Indian Independence Movement Ang Anglo-Maratha War 1 Anglo-Maratha War 1 Anglo-Maratha War 1 1775 in India 1775 in the British Empire 1776 in India 1777 in India 1778 in India 1779 in India 1780 in India 1781 in India 1782 in India 1782 in the British Empire Conflicts in 1775 Conflicts in 1776 Conflicts in 1777 Conflicts in 1778 Conflicts in 1779 Conflicts in 1780 Conflicts in 1781 Conflicts in 1782 Military history of British India