Shivaji II (Shivaji Bhonsale, ; 9 June 1696 – 14 March 1726) was the fourth

Chhatrapati Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a king. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of '' chhatra'' ('' parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and '' pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). This title was used by the Ho ...

of the

Maratha Kingdom The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states under the nominal leadership of the former. ...

. He was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati

Rajaram I Rajaram I (Rajaram Bhonsale, ; 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700), also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king ( Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Shivaji, the founder of t ...

, and his wife

Tarabai Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle ( Marathi: ̪aːɾabaːi; ; 1675 – 9 December 1761) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaim ...

. He later became the first

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 ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

assuming the title as Shivaji Bhonsle I of Kolhapur. Samadhi of Shivaji I of Kolhapur 01

Biography

He was born in

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) ...

. Upon the death of his father, the infant Shivaji was installed as the Chhatrapati of the

with his mother

serving as the regent in 1700. His cousin,

Shahu I Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...

upon his release from the Mughals in 1707 successfully challenged Tarabai to become the next Chhatrapati. Tarabai then set up a rival court in

. Shivaji II served as Raja of

from 1710 to 1714. At that time, he was once again deposed by his step-mother Rajasbai who installed her own son, Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. Shivaji died of smallpox on 14 March 1726.

Alleged posthumous son

When Shahu, without a male heir to succeed to his throne, wanted to adopt a son, Tarabai disclosed in late 1740s that Shivaji II posthumously became father of a son called Rajaram II who was brought up by Nimbalkars of Phaltan, for his own protection. Shahu adopted Rajaram II who succeeded Shahu as the Chhatrapati following Shahu's death. Due to political strife between Peshwa and Tarabai, in order to delegitimise Peshwa's authority which drew from Satara Chhatrapati's own legitimacy in 1752, Tarabai made a show of oath that Rajaram II was an imposter and not her grandson. However this oath was withdrawn and Ramaraja's caste purity was asserted in public by openly dining with other Maratha lords.Later Medieval India: A History of the Mughals By Awadh Bihari Pandey 1963, pg 32

/ref> Ramaraja was later arrested by Tarabai and kept under house arrest until her death in 1761.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shivaji 02 Of Satara 1696 births 1726 deaths Rajas of Satara Maharajas of Kolhapur Maratha kings Deaths from smallpox in India