Page 22 - SST Class 08

His uncle Raghoba wanted to become the
Peshwa and got him murdered. The Maratha
chiefs took up the cause of Madhav Rao Narain
the son of Narain Rao. Ragobha approached
British for help and signed the treaty of Surat
hopping to gain the coveted Gaddi with the help
of English subsidiary troops. By this treaty, he
also promised to cede Salsette and Bassein and
refrain from entering into alliance with the
enemies of the company.

In the war that followed nobody gained any Peshwa Baji Rao II
success and two parties realized the futility of the Third Maratha War (1817-18)
struggle by concluding the Treaty of Salbai The two main causes that led to the third and the
(1782). By the Treaty of Salbai, status quo was final conflict between the British and the
maintained which gave the British 20 years of Marathas were the growing desire of the
peace with the Marathas. The treaty also enabled Marathas to get back their lost territories and
the British to exert pressure on Mysore with the excessive control over Maratha nobles and chiefs
help of the Marathas in recovering their territories by the British.
from Haider Ali. The third War took place in Maharashtra and its

Second Maratha War (1803-06) neighboring areas in 1817 and 1818.
After the death of Nana Fadnavis in 1800, a civil After the Peshwa attacked the British Residency
war among the Maratha chiefs broke out in their in November 1817, the Maratha chiefs were
bid to bring the Peshwa under their influence. In defeated at various places such as Ashti, Nagpur,
1802, Peshwa Baji Rao II entered into the Treaty and Mehidpur.
of Bassein with the English. He also accepted the On 5 November 1817, the Treaty of Gwalior was
subsidiary system of Lord Wellesley. signed in which Sindia became a mere spectator
In 1803, Scindia and Bhonsle, the Maratha chiefs in the war. On 6 January 1818, the Treaty of
declared war against the English. This was the Mandasor was signed between Malhar Rao
Second Marath War. The Maratha chiefs were Holkar and the British, in which the Peshwa was
defeated. They then entered into the Subsidiary dethroned and this was followed by the
Alliance with the Englsih. This gave a severe pensioning of the Peshwa. More of his territories
blow to the prestige of Marathas. were annexed with the British and the British
Under the Subsidiary Alliance, a king was pro- established their supremacy in India.
vided with military security by the British. The The first, second, and third Anglo-Maratha wars
Indian kings used to remain indepedent in were very significant in the history of India. The
internal affairs of their respective states, but it Mughal Empire was already under the British
was not possible to have any outside interfer- control during that time. But, the British still
ence. Under the terms, a British Resident was could not get hold of territories in the South as
kept in the court of the Ruler and the state had to they were dominated by the Maratha chieftains.
pay an annual amount to the English East India While the Marathas won in the first battle, they
Company. lost against the British in the second and the third

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