Bajirao I

Bajirao I (né Visaji, Marathi: [ˈbaːdʑiɾaːʋ bəˈlːaːɭ̆]; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establishing the Marathas as the supreme power in the Indian subcontinent, displacing Mughal dominance.

In the Deccan region, the Nizam of Hyderabad emerged as a major power. The relations between the two states deteriorated after the Marathas under the leadership of Fateh Singh Bhonsle invaded Karnataka in 1725, which came under the Nizam's influence. Alarmed by these incursions, the Nizam decided to contest the Maratha taxation rights in the Deccan granted via the Mughal-Maratha treaty of 1718-19 and attacked Pune. Bajirao in response led a campaign against the Nizam in which the latter suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Palkhed. This victory solidified the Marathas' authority in the Deccan region.

In Bundelkhand, he rescued the Bundela ruler Chhatrasal from a Mughal siege, gaining independence for Bundelkhand. In gratitude, Chhatrasal bestowed one third of his territories to him. In the late 1720s, Bajirao asserted Maratha tax rights in Gujarat. He defeated rebel Trimbak Rao Dabhade at Dabhoi and integrated the whole province except Ahmedabad into the Maratha state by 1737. He also engaged in successful diplomatic missions with Rajput rulers, leading to the imposition of chauth on the Kingdoms of Mewar and Jaipur.

Further efforts to establish the Maratha position in the north saw him responsible for The Raid on Delhi (1737), which may be said to mark the high point of his military career. He officially secured the important territory of Malwa after defeating the combined forces of Mughals, Awadh and Nizam-ul-Mulk in the Battle of Bhopal (1737). He died in 1740 after being struck by a severe fever and was succeeded by his son Balaji Baji Rao.

Bajirao is viewed as a prominent figure in Maratha history. He is regarded as one of the greatest military generals of his time and is reputed to have never lost a battle. His adventurous life has been picturized in Indian cinema and featured in several novels. Bajirao had two wives, Kashibai and Mastani. His relationship with Mastani remains a controversial subject, very little is known with certainty about it.