The Marathas Part 18 The March to Destruction: 50 Years of Chaos Section III Dealing with Tipu: Turmoil and Wars

Canberra, 5 July 2022 [Note: The narrative in this chapter only deals with Tipu’s interaction with the Maratha Empire and to some extent with the repercussions of some of his actions elsewhere on the Maratha polity. A detailed analysis of the father-son team of Haidar Ali–Tipu on their takeover of the Kingdom of Mysore and […]

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The Marathas Part 4 Shahji Bhonsle Section II: Later Career

Canberra, 6 June 2021 [The later career of Shahji Bhonsle and the early development of his son Shivaji overlap in several areas and took place in parallel. This chapter only examines the aspects of Shivaji’s early activities that had a direct bearing on Shahji’s actions and the progress of his career. Shivaji’s actions will be […]

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Indian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section III: Venkata Deva Raya II

Canberra, 26 December 2019 Sri Ranga Deva’s younger brother, Rama Raja, had predeceased him, leaving behind two sons. However, at the time of Sri Ranga’s death, both these princes were minors. Therefore, the ‘people’, meaning the nobles, Brahmins and warriors, chose Venkata the youngest brother of Sri Ranga, to succeed to the throne. This move […]

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Indian History Part 66 The Adil Shahis of Bijapur Section III Growing Strength

Canberra, 28 May 2018 On Ibrahim Adil Shah’s death, even though the succession was trouble free, the Bijapur kingdom was thrown into a brief period of confusion. Taking advantage of this limited time of uncertainty the ruler of Ahmadnagar, Hussein Nizam Shah invaded Bijapur. He was assisted by the Qutb Shahi ruler of Golconda. Ali […]

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