Pratap Singh (; 18 January 1793 – 14 October 1847) was the eighth and last
Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy from 1808 to 1818, when he surrendered to the British during the
Third Anglo-Maratha War
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...
. He was also the
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
of
Satara from 1818 until 1839, when he was replaced with Shahaji of Satara by the British.
Descent
He was born in the
Bhonsle dynasty
The Bhonsle dynasty (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) is an Indian Marathi people, Marathi dynasty, royal house of the Bhonsle (clan), Bhonsle clan. The Bhonsles claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Maratha (caste) ...
that were of the
Bhonsle clan and
Maratha
The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...
caste.
Early life
Pratap Singh was born on 18 January 1798, as the eldest son of
Shahu II of Satara, whom he succeeded, and a descendant of
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom.
Reign
Pratap Singh ascended the throne on 3 May 1808, after his father's death. He ruled until he was deposed by the British in 1818, during the
Third Anglo-Maratha War
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...
. After signing a treaty with
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
the same year, he ruled as the
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
of
Satara from 1818 until 1839, when he was replaced with Shahaji of Satara by the company.
Exile and death
On being dethroned the company in 1839, he was exiled to
Benares State
Benares State, earlier Benares Estate, was an estate, or hereditary jagir, comprising the family domains of the Maharaja of Benares under the Nawabs of Oudh, East India Company rule, and the British Raj that from 1911 to 1948 was recogni ...
and granted an allowance for his maintenance. Rango Bapuji Gupte, a loyal Sardar to him, long fought unsuccessful legal battles in London on his behalf. He died in Benares on 14 October 1847.
Succession
He was succeeded by his brother, Appa Saheb, under the title Shreemant Maharaj Shaji Raja Chhatrapati of Satara. Appa Saheb then became known as
Raja Shahaji.
References
Further reading
*
1793 births
1847 deaths
Maratha kings
Rajas of Satara
{{India-royal-stub