Third Anglo Maratha War

Third Anglo Maratha War 1817-19

The Third Anglo Maratha war consisted of skirmished such as Pindari war , Battle of Sitalbaldi, Battle of Mahidpur and Battle of Khadki.

The Pinadris were many castes and classes who worked like mercenaries under the Maratha Chiefs. When the Maratha chiefs became weak, they started raiding the territories of the British. The companies accused Marathas of giving shelter to Pinadris.

Pinadris, opposed to the Marathas, who were bound by traditions of confederate government, were merely freebooters or plundering bands. They were a mix of Hindus, Muslims, Afghans, Jats and Marathas, better called as a “debris of the Mughal Empire” broken and not incorporated into any of the regimes. The Pinadris were crushed in 1817. But in the same year three great Maratha powers at Poona, Nagpur, and Indore rose separately against the British.

Peshwa Baji Rao was chafed under the terms & circumstances imposed by the Treaty of Bassein in 1802. In June 1817, a new Treaty of Poona was signed which freed the Gaekwar from his control and ceded fresh districts to the British for the pay of the subsidiary force.

The Marathas attacked the British at Khadki near Poona, and same plot was enacted at Nagpur at Sitabaldi. The Maratha armies of Indore (Holkar) rose in Mihidpur in the following month. The result was a general defeat of the Marathas. The outcome of this war was as follows:

1. Dominions of the Peshwa Baji Rao were annexed to the Bombay presidency.
   
2. The Peshwa surrendered, and was permitted to reside at Bithur, near Cawnpore (Now Kanpur) , on a pension of 8 Lakh Rupees per year. His adopted son Nana Sahib later led the Mutiny of 1857.
   
3. The Peshwa’s place was filled as traditional head of the Maratha confederacy and a descendant of Shivaji was brought forth from obscurity, placed upon the throne of Satara.
   
4. An infant was recognized at heir of Holkar, another child was proclaimed Raja of Nagpur under the Guardianship of British.
   
5. The Rajas of Rajputana accepted the position of feudatories of the paramount British Power in India. They remained the Princely states till India got independence.
   

This was the last big battle won by the British. India was now theirs. The Map which was drawn by Lord Hastings remained same till Lord Dalhousie came in 1848 and imposed the infamous “Doctrine of Lapse“. The next few years were of general peace but there was a development on the foreign front.

Third Anglo Maratha War 1817-19 was the last big battle won by the British. India was now theirs. The Map which was drawn by Lord Hastings remained same till Lord Dalhousie came in 1848 and imposed the infamous “Doctrine of Lapse”. The next few years were of general peace but there was a development on the foreign front.