The Marathas Part 18 The March to Destruction Section VI: Acceleration of Decay and Dissolution

Canberra 21 July 2022 Richard Wellesley (1st Marquees Wellesley, 2nd Earl of Mornington) was a member of the English East India Company’s Supreme Council in Calcutta from 1793 and was appointed the Governor–General in 1797, holding the post till 1805. When he took over, Nana Phadnavis in the last years of his life and in […]

Continue reading →

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 […]

Continue reading →

The Marathas Part 15 Peshwa Madhav Rao Section II The Mysore Wars

Canberra, 30 May 2022 While the Marathas were focusing on North India and playing the role of the king-maker, in the Carnatic, Haidar Ali’s power in Mysore was growing. The continuing internal struggles of the Marathas facilitated the rise of a new Muslim power on the ruins of the older Hindu dynasty that had so […]

Continue reading →

The Marathas Part 7 Sambhaji Bhonsle Section II: Capture and Execution

Canberra The decline of power under Sambhaji was such that the Marathas were in no position to offer any meaningful resistance to the Mughals when Aurangzeb arrived in the Deccan. At the end of the monsoon rains in 1684, the Mughal armies began to move. An army under Shahabuddin Khan advanced towards Raigarh with the […]

Continue reading →

Indian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section VII Sri Ranga Deva Raya III: The Curtain Falls

Canberra, 2 February 2020  Venkata Deva III left no male heirs although he had an illegitimate son who was debarred from succeeding him to the throne by the laws of the land. The senior chiefs, the Nayakas, of the kingdom disputed and debated the claim of possible successors and finally chose Sri Ranga, Venkata’s nephew, […]

Continue reading →

Indian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section VI Venkata Deva Raya III:Racing Towards Oblivion

Canberra, 18 January 2020 Rama Deva’s death was immediately followed by open rebellion in Karnataka and for a period of time no one could be identified as being in control. Only Pedda Venkata was able to muster some support, mostly from nobles and minor chiefs who were related to him. In what could only be […]

Continue reading →

Indian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section V: A Civil War and Succession: Decay Sets In

Canberra, 11 January 2019  Sri Ranga, the younger son of Rama Raja, the viceroy of Srirangapatana and elder brother of Venkata Deva Raya II, had moved to the court in Penukonda even before his father’s death. He had been brought up by his uncle, the king, and was considered by all to be the future […]

Continue reading →