EXPANSION OF BRITISH POWER

EXPANSION OF BRITISH POWER

The British set out to consolidate their position through direct war as well as other methods.

WARS WITH THE MARATHAS The first phase of the Anglo-Maratha struggle was brought about by the inordi­nate ambition of the English and the internal dissensions of the Marathas. Raghunath Rao sought the help of the English by signing the Treaty of Surat (1775) in order to secure the throne for himself and get rid of Narayan Rao's son. In the war that followed, i.e the First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782) fortunes wavered which compelled the contestants to conclude peace by signing the Treaty of Salbai (1782). By this treaty the English were confirmed in the possession of Salsette, and they recognised Madhava Rao Narayan as the rightful Peshwa; Raghunath Rao was pensioned off; and Scindhia got back all the territories west of the Yamuna. The most outstanding Maratha statesman of the time was Nana Phadnavis.
The second phase of the struggle was intimately con­nected with the circumstances created by the French menace to India. Lord Wellesley, who was, the Governor-Genera\ at the time, wanted the Marathas to accept his infamous system of subsidiary alliance.

The Marathas refused to accept it but were tricked by Wellesley due to their own internal differences. After the death of Nana Phadnavis, Peshwa Baji Rao II played intrigues by putting one Maratha chief against the other. But he himself got caught in the trap. Both Daulat Rao Scindhia and Jaswant Rao Holkar sought pre-eminence at Poona. Scindhia won over the Peshwa which led to the murder of Vithuji, brother of Jaswant Rao Holkar, in 1801. This brought the alliance of the Peshwa and Scindhia to battle Holkar. They were defeated by the Holkar at Hadapsar in 1802 who placed Vinayak Rao on the throne. This made Baji Rao II take English help. He signed the Treaty of Bassein in 1802. This was regarded as a humiliation by the other Marathas. Scindhia and Bhonsle combined to oppose it and the rivals fought each other in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, (1803-1806). But they were defeated. Bhonsle and Scindhia entered into the subsidiary alliance, by concluding the Treaty of Deogaon and the Treaty of Surji-Arjangaon respectively in December1803. The Holkar was still going strong and the English negotiated peace with him.

The third and the final phase of struggle began with the coming of Lord Hastings as Governor-General in 1813. The Peshwa made a last bid to throw off the British yoke. Daulat Rao Scindhia, Appa Sahib of Nagpur, and Malhar Rao Holkar II rose in arms against the British. But the entire Maratha force was defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818). Baji Rao II's possessions in Poona were merged in the Bombay Presidency. The Peshwaship was abolished; Baji Rao II was allowed to spend his last days at Bithur near I<.anpur on a pension of Rs eight lakh a year. The small kingdom of Satara, formed out of the Peshwa's dominions; was given to Pratap Sinha, a iineal descendant of Shivaji and the formal head of the Maratha empire. The English became the paramount power in India.