The Great Maratha battles, also known as the Anglo-Maratha Wars, were three conflicts or wars conducted in India between the British East India Company and the Maratha confederacy or the Maratha Empire. The wars began in 1777 and ended in 1818, with the British triumphing and the Maratha Empire in India being destroyed.

The reasons that led to the battle

• When the Marathas were beaten at Panipat, the third Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao could not take it anymore and died on June 23, 1761. Madhav Rao, his son, succeeded him after his death. He was a capable and competent commander who kept his nobles and chiefs united and was soon successful in regaining the Marathas’ lost status and dignity
• The British were more wary of the Marathas as their power grew, and they sought to destroy their reestablishment. When Madhav Rao died in 1772, it allowed the British to assault the Marathas

First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-82)

• After Madhavrao’s death, there was a power struggle in the Maratha camp. Narayanrao, Madhavrao’s brother, became Peshwa, but Raghunathrao, Madhavrao’s uncle, also aspired to be Peshwa. Raghunathrao turned to the English for assistance
• Following the death of her husband, Narayanrao’s widow, Gangabai, gave birth to a son. Madhavrao ‘Sawai’ (One and a quarter) was the name given to the newborn kid, and he was technically the next Peshwa. Thus, in 1775, Raghunathrao signed the Surat Treaty, in which he granted the English Salsette and Bassein in exchange for 2500 soldiers
• The British Calcutta Council nullified this pact under Warren Hastings, and a new contract, the Purandhar Treaty, was signed in 1776 between the Calcutta Council and Nana Phadnavis, a Maratha leader. Under this contract, Raghunathrao was merely given a pension, and the British kept Salsette
• The British administration in Bombay, however, sabotaged the pact and protected Raghunathrao. Nana Phadnavis broke his covenant with the Calcutta Council in 1777 and arranged for the French to use a port on the West Coast. As a result, the British advanced a force on their approach to Poona
• Under the leadership of Mahadaji Shinde, the Marathas defeated the English at Wadgaon in Poona, securing a decisive victory. In 1779, the English were forced to sign the Wadgaon Treaty. Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal, was against the Wadgaon Treaty. After a series of battles, the Treaty of Salbai agreement was signed in 1782. The first conflict between the British and the Marathas came to an end with this

The Treaty of Salbai – Provisions

• Salsette would continue in the Britishers’ possession
• Following the Treaty of Purandhar (1776), the Marathas were restored to all conquered provinces, including Bassein
• The English should not provide any additional help to Raghunathrao, and the Peshwa should provide him with a maintenance stipend
• The English trade privileges should be reinstated
• Except for the United Kingdom, no European nation should be backed by the Peshwa
• The English and the Peshwa must agree to keep their various friends at peace with one another