Mudhoji (Madhoji) II Bhonsale (died 15 July 1840), also known as Appa Sahib, of the
Bhonsale
The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of kunbi origin. They claimed descent from the Sisodia Rajputs but were likely Kunbi tiller-plainsmen.
History Earliest members
The earliest ac ...
dynasty, ruled the
Kingdom of Nagpur
The Kingdom of Nagpur was an Indian kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries. It came under the rule of the Marathas of the Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century and became part of the Maratha Empire. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the st ...
in central
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
from 1816 to 1818. His reign coincided with the
Third Anglo-Maratha War
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the English East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha ter ...
between the
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 Sh ...
and 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 South ...
, which ended with the defeat of the
Marathas
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
.
On the death of
Raghoji II Bhonsale in 1816, his son Parsaji was soon supplanted and murdered by Mudhoji II. A treaty of alliance providing for the maintenance of a subsidiary force by the British was signed in this year,
a British resident having been appointed to the Nagpur court since 1799. In 1817, on the outbreak of war between the British and the
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 ...
, Appa Sahib threw off his cloak of friendship, and accepted an embassy and title from the Peshwa. His troops attacked the British, and were defeated in the action at
Sitabaldi, and a second time round Nagpur city. As a result of these battles, the remaining portion of
Berar Berar may refer to:
*Vidarbha, the eastern region of Maharashtra Province, India, historically known as Berar
*Berar Sultanate (1490–1596), one of the Deccan sultanates
*Berar Subah (1596–1724), a Subah of the Mughal Empire
*Berar Province (1724 ...
and the territories in the
Narmada valley were ceded to the British. Appa Sahib was reinstated to the throne, but shortly afterwards was discovered to be again conspiring, and was deposed and forwarded to
Allahabad in custody, while the British placed his successor
Raghoji III Bhonsale, a minor, on the Nagpur throne. On the way, however, he bribed his guards and escaped, first to the
Mahadeo Hills
The Mahadeo Hills are a range of hills in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The hills are situated in the northern section of the Satpura Range.
The Mahadeo Hills run east and west through Betul, Chhindwara, and Seoni districts, separatin ...
and subsequently to the
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
. Raja Mansingh of Jodhpur gave him asylum at Man Mandir in
Jodhpur
Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...
against the wishes of British. When British sent forces against Man Singh, he stood surety for Appa Saheb. Appa Saheb remained in Jodhpur, where he died on 15 July 1840 at 44 years while in exile.
References
* Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Volume 17. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.
People of the Maratha Empire
19th-century Indian royalty
1840 deaths
Maharajas of Nagpur
Year of birth unknown
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