Bajirao I: Strategic Genius & The Peshwa's Rise (1720-1740)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Beginning: A Young Peshwa's Promise

The Year: 1720

• Shahu appoints Bajirao I as Peshwa
• Bajirao was chosen for his talent and muscle
• Had a "great mix of both talent and muscle"
• Valorous and extremely bright
• Would lead Marathas for 20 years until his death at 40

The Tree Analogy: Strategic Genius

Bajirao's Famous Quote (1723):

"If you want to bring the branches of a tree to the ground, then you should not go after each and every branch and try to cut it and bring it down to the ground. Just start hitting the trunk of the tree and then everything, every branch will come down."

Applied to Maratha Strategy:

• The Trunk: The Mughal Empire
• The Branches: Small hostile regimes spawned by Mughals

The Strategy:

• Don't waste time on every small kingdom
• Go after the master power (Mughals)
• Defeat the Mughals = everything else falls
• Strategic thinking over tactical opportunism

Why This Mattered:

• Shahu chose him over experienced commanders
• Because he had strategic vision
• "That turned out to be correct decision"

The Grand Vision

Bajirao's Promise to Shahu:

"Believe in me and I will make sure that Maratha flag was called Jari Patka will reach Attaq"

Attaq:

• Border town where Afghanistan began
• Far northwestern reaches of India
• Now in Pakistan

The Ambition:

• Maratha Empire would expand all the way to the Indus border
• Everything in between would be under Maratha control
• Unprecedented territorial vision

The Expansion Under Bajirao:

• Maratha Empire grew to Marwa (north of Narmada)
• Extended through Bundelkhand (north of Marwa)
• Reached parts of Rajasthan
• Went "all the way to the north"

Why Bajirao Was Different

The Contrast with Previous Leaders:

"Shinde and Holkar were good fighters. But they had no brains."

Their Mistakes:

• Only looked at tactical advantages
• Harassed Rajasthan princes constantly
• Only wanted tributes and money
• Made enemies out of natural allies
• Lost the Rajputs and other Hindu kingdoms

Bajirao's Difference:

• Not just a fighter - had brains
• Great warrior AND great statesman
• Strategic thinker
• Understood that you must maintain allies

The Principle:

"You cannot make enemies out of our natural allies."

Building the War Machine

His Support System:

His Brother: Chimaji Appa

• Tremendous support
• Key military asset

Young Warriors He Cultivated:

1. Ramaji Shinde
2. Malhar Rao Holkar
3. Pilaji Jadhav Rao
4. Tukoji Pawar

How He Created Them:

• Spotted their potential early
• Were just simple soldiers
• He mentored them into greatness
• Gave them bigger and bigger roles
• Made their careers through recognition

Why They Followed Him:

• Extremely popular with his troops
• He was with them "through thick and thin"
• They loved him
• Nearly same age as them
• Led by example

Bajirao the Warrior: Myth & Reality

His Legendary Status:

• Had no time for formalities
• Would "eat lunch or dinner on the horseback"
• Never sat down for meals if in a hurry
• Marching toward goals while eating
• Could cover a four-day journey in two days

His Presence:

• Extremely popular with his horses (cavalry)
• Really respected by troops
• Shared their hardships
• Young, energetic, capable

His Preference:

• Loved being "in the field with his troops"
• Rather would prefer doing battles
• Established hegemony through campaign
• Not an administrator type

Shahu's Strategic Delegation

Why Shahu Gave Him Everything:

• Shahu was not a warrior king
• Not trained in warfare (unlike forefathers)
• Didn't want to participate in battles
• Refused to go on campaigns
• Lived predictable life in Satara

Shahu's Conditions:

• Got up at 7:30 AM
• Had lunch at 12 PM
• Had dinner at 8 PM
• Held court as needed
• Never left Satara boundary

The Delegation:

• Shahu gave Bajirao complete responsibility for expansion
• Authority to make military decisions
• Freedom to campaign extensively
• Only on "extremely important" decisions would Bajirao check in

The Risk & The Trust:

• Bajirao could have taken over
• Had the power to do it
• But was devoted to Shivaji family
• Trusted implicitly by Shahu

The Fall of the Eight Ministers System

Shivaji's Original Model:

• Ashta Pradhan Mantar (Council of Eight Ministers)
• All equal, reporting to king
• Peshwa was one of eight (prime minister)
• Held checks on each other

What Changed Under Bajirao:

• The council system completely collapsed
• All authority concentrated in one place
• All in the Peshwa
• No council of ministers

Why It Happened:

• Shahu basically said: "You do everything"
• "I'm not going on battlefield"
• "I'm not doing administration"
• "You are whole soul"
• Complete delegation to one person

The Structure That Emerged:

• Peshwa appointed his own advisors
• Not called "ministers" but functioned as such
• They reported to Peshwa, not the king
• Peshwa was their sole boss
• Shahu became ceremonial figurehead

The Fundamental Difference: Shivaji vs. Bajirao

Shivaji's Greatness:

"His forte was actually in giving good governance to the citizens"

• Conquered new areas
• But prioritized citizen welfare
• Wanted people to prosper
• Provided good governance
• That was his ultimate goal

Bajirao's Greatness:

• Forte was conquering new areas
• Expanded kingdom "tenfold almost"
• Reached unprecedented territorial heights
• But didn't prioritize administration or governance
• Delegated that to his subordinates

The Trade-off:

• Shivaji: Balanced expansion with governance
• Bajirao: Expansion for expansion's sake
• Shivaji: Conquered then digested slowly
• Bajirao: Conquered then moved on to next conquest

The Warning:

"Shivaji was balanced. But that practice started getting less important... It was more just expanding for expansion's sake."

Why the Empire Grew So Rapidly

Three Reasons for Explosive Growth:

1. Bajirao's Military Skill

• Himself a warrior of "great repute"
• Tactical and strategic brilliance
• Could execute wars perfectly

2. Created Four Major Commanders

• Gave freedom to his war chiefs
• Let them handle assigned areas
• Made them into capable leaders
• Essentially regional governors

3. Perfect Incentive Structure

• Commanders collected their own revenues
• Kept 3/4 for themselves
• Had to maintain armies
• Profit motive drove aggressive expansion

The Authority Question

How Did It Work Practically?

Shahu's Authority:

• Made major decisions
• Approved war declarations
• Handled retaliations and major moves

Bajirao's Authority:

• Handled day-to-day military decisions
• Couldn't bother Shahu on minor issues
• Made field decisions on his own
• Only consulted on truly major decisions

The Mechanism:

• Bajirao understood what Shahu wanted
• Knew the direction and philosophy
• Made decisions aligned with those principles
• Only escalated when necessary

Shivaji's Legacy & Its Fading

Shivaji's Example: Justice

• Lived in Lal Mahal initially
• A village head raped a girl
• Brought to Shivaji for justice
• Shivaji's response: Cut off right leg and left hand

The Message:

"This is not to be tolerated in my kingdom" "You will be severely punished"

• Making example for entire realm
• Setting standard for justice
• Ensuring people felt protected
• Administration was his forte

Under Bajirao:

• Less focus on such governance
• More focus on conquest
• Delegated administrative justice
• Concentrated on military expansion

Key Players

Timeline

Geographic Expansion

From Shivaji's Time to Bajirao's Time:

• Started: Core Maratha territory (south-central)
• Marwa: North of Narmada (first time Marathas here)
• Bundelkhand: North of Marwa, closer to Delhi
• Rajasthan: Parts of northwest
• Near Attaq: Border of Afghanistan (vision, not fully achieved)

Major Themes

1. Strategy Over Tactics

Shinde and Holkar were great fighters but lacked strategic vision. They harassed everyone and made enemies. Bajirao understood that strategy meant knowing which enemy to target. The Trunk, not the branches.

2. Leadership Through Empowerment

Bajirao didn't just command—he created. He spotted talent in young soldiers and mentored them into legendary commanders. He built an organization that could execute his vision.

3. The Delegation Model

Shahu was smart enough to recognize his limitations. Instead of pretending to be a warrior king, he delegated to someone better. This freed Bajirao to focus on expansion while Shahu handled the ceremonial/political aspects.

4. The Governance-Expansion Trade-off

Shivaji balanced both. Bajirao chose expansion. This worked brilliantly for 20 years but created an empire that was vast but shallow—huge territory, but fragmented loyalty and local discontent.

5. The Concentration of Power

By putting everything in Bajirao, Shahu created a single point of failure. If Bajirao had died earlier, or if his successor was weaker, the whole structure would have collapsed. The safety of the eight-minister system was gone.

Critical Insights

The Mentoring Model

Bajirao didn't just hire commanders—he created them. He saw potential in ordinary soldiers and developed them into legendary figures. This is a masterclass in leadership and organizational building. He built capacity, not just bought it.

The Alignment Without Micromanagement

Shahu and Bajirao had perfect alignment. Shahu trusted Bajirao to make decisions aligned with his vision without needing constant approval. This is rare and powerful. It requires both absolute trust and perfect understanding of values.

The Youth Advantage

Bajirao was young, energetic, could eat on horseback, travel four days in two. This gave him personal charisma and the ability to lead by example. Not just giving orders from a tent—he was in the field with his troops.

The Cost of Success

Rapid expansion meant rapid governance decay. The more territory conquered, the less attention could be paid to each region. Shivaji's model was slower but more stable. Bajirao's was faster but more fragile.

Key Quotes

"If you want to bring the branches of a tree to the ground... Just start hitting the trunk of the tree and then everything, every branch will come down."

"You cannot make enemies out of our natural allies."

"Shinde and Holkar were good fighters. But they had no brains."

"Shivaji's greatness is that he gave good governance to the citizens... His ultimate goal was that his people would prosper and not feel difficulties."

"Bajirao's forte was to conquer new areas... But he didn't pay as much attention to administration, to governance."

Where We Left Off: Bajirao I has created the most expansive Maratha Empire yet. Through strategic thinking, excellent military leadership, and perfect delegation from Shahu, he's expanded the empire dramatically. But he's done so at the cost of governance and local stability. The empire is vast but held together by profit motives and military might, not loyalty and good administration. The seeds of future instability are being planted even as the empire reaches its apex.

In just 20 years, from age 20 to 40, Bajirao I transformed the Maratha Empire from a regional power into a continental one. Not through conquest alone, but through strategy: recognize that you fight the trunk, not the branches. Identify the real enemy (Mughals), make everyone else realize they're secondary. Build commanders through mentorship, not just hiring. Earn loyalty through presence, not just authority. But he did it all at the expense of good governance. Rapid expansion, slow administration. The empire was becoming vast but hollow. And nobody knew it yet.