First Anglo Maratha War (1775-1782): Balaji Baji Rao - Class 8



First Anglo Maratha War

 

The British fought three wars with the Marathas and it took them 43 years to subjugate the Marathas. Let us know about the First Anglo Maratha War.

 

Do you know about Balaji Baji Rao?

 

Balaji Baji Rao was the third Peshwa who died after the defeat of Marathas in the battle of Panipat. British caused the first war with Maratha after the death of Madhav Rao, the successor of Balaji Baji Rao.

The war started in 1775 and ended in 1818 with the victory of the British and the destruction of the Maratha Empire in India.

 

First Anglo-Maratha war (1775-1782)

 

The war was fought when Warren Hastings was the Governor-General of India.

 

This was the first time the English people went to war against Marathas. The immediate cause of this war was the interference of the English people in the internal affairs of Marathas. There is no wonder that this war was also fought between Madhav Rao and Raghunath Rao, over the issue of succession to the throne of Peshwa.

 

After the death of the Peshwa Madhav Rao, his uncle Raghunath Rao wanted to become the Peshwa, but Narain Rao succeeded his elder brother Peshwa Madhav Rao. So his uncle sought the help of the English, to get his nephew Nariana Rao murdered and make him the Peshwa in return, he made a promise to hand over places Bessien and Salsette to the British, along with the revenues from Surat and Bharuch districts.

The English helped Raghunath Rao by providing him 2,500 soldiers. The combined army of Raghunath Rao and English attacked the Peshwa and won. The Treaty of Surat was signed on 6 March 1775 but was not approved by the British Calcutta Council and the treaty was canceled at Pune by Colonel Upton, in which the supremacy of Raghunath was renounced and he was promised only a pension.

 

This was rejected by the Bombay government, who gave refuge to Raghunath. In 1777, Nana Phadnis granted the French a port on the west coast, much against the treaty with the Calcutta Council. As a result, the British and the Maratha armies met at Wadgaon on the outskirts of Pune. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai.

 

Result: The First Anglo-Maratha War came to an end in 1782 with the signing of the Treaty of Salbai.

 

Read More:
Third Anglo Maratha War: Causes Of Anglo-Maratha War III - Class 8

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