Anglo-Maratha Wars Overview

Anglo-Maratha Wars: Overview

• The Anglo-Maratha Wars were a series of three conflicts (1775-1818) between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy, a group of Indian princely states.
• These conflicts significantly shaped India's political landscape, leading to British East India Company dominance.
• The wars arose from power struggles, territorial ambitions, and resource control. The Maratha Confederacy, while powerful, was internally divided by conflicts and rivalries.
• Alliances shifted and betrayals occurred as various Maratha factions and rulers sought to defend their interests and counter British influence.

First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782)

• Triggered by the British East India Company's expansionist policies.
• The conflict began with disputes over Deccan Plateau territories.
• The British faced coordination challenges due to internal disagreements and competing objectives.
• The war weakened some Maratha chieftains, strengthening their rivals and creating instability within the Confederacy, aiding British aims.
• The Treaty of Salbai (1782) concluded the war, favoring British interests.

Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805)

• The British exploited internal divisions within the Maratha Confederacy.
• The war was triggered by the Maratha Peshwa's expansionist policies and concerns about certain Maratha chieftains' threats to British interests.
• British military superiority, strategic alliances, and manipulation of internal conflicts resulted in Maratha defeats.
• Key battles involved British General Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington).
• The war's outcome saw significant British territorial gains and further control over the fractured Maratha Empire.

Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-1818)

• This final conflict represented the culmination of British expansion and the weakened Maratha Confederacy.
• The British strategically initiated the war using various justifications to target individual Maratha rulers and factions, dismantling the Confederacy.
• Decisive British victories led to the complete disintegration of the Maratha Confederacy, with their territories added to British India.
• The dissolution of the Peshwa's power marked the full subjugation of the Maratha states by the British.

Key Figures in the Anglo-Maratha Wars

• Leaders from both sides significantly influenced the wars' course and outcomes.
• Key British and Maratha military and political figures shaped the conflicts.

Impact of the Anglo-Maratha Wars

• The British emerged as the dominant power in India.
• The wars led to territorial gains and solidified the British East India Company's control over the Indian subcontinent.
• The wars significantly altered the balance of power in India.
• These conflicts profoundly impacted the Maratha Confederacy's social, economic, and political structures.
• The demise of the Confederacy prepared the way for British colonization.