Nana Sahib Peshwa's Reign: Maratha Continental Dominance (1740-1759)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Transition: Warrior to Administrator

Bajirao I's Death (1740):

• Sudden, short illness
• Died in his prime (age 40)
• Never lost a battle in 20 years
• Left massive debts

Nana Sahib Takes Over:

• Shahu appoints Bajirao's eldest son
• Also called "Baraji" or "Nana Sahib Peshwa"
• Third Peshwa overall (after Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao I)
• Different style from father

His Character:

• Administrator, NOT warrior
• Skilled in governance, planning, finance
• Based in Pune (unlike mobile Bajirao)
• Architect of Pune city (temples, planning, development)
• Prefers planning to fighting

The Impossible Inheritance

What He Got:

• Massive empire (too large to control personally)
• Massive debts (inherited from father)
• Wars ongoing everywhere (north, east, south, west)
• Commanders competing with each other
• Shahu still alive, still nominally sovereign (until 1749)

The Impossible Math:

• Wars need funding
• Revenue collection takes time
• Can't wait for normal tax collection
• Must use loans, tributes, extraction
• Debt cycle spirals

The 19-Year Expansion: 1740-1759

The Geographic Reach:

• West to East: Attaq (Afghanistan border) to Bengal
• North to South: Dwaab (between Ganga-Yamuna) to Deccan
• Literally from Indian subcontinent's edges

The Numbers:

• First 19 years of his reign
• Maratha armies went "everywhere"
• No organized resistance (Mughals confined to Delhi)
• Expanded 7-8 times beyond Bajirao I's extent

The Coverage:

• "Deshvyapi" = All over the nation
• Not one province anymore
• Pune became capital of all-India empire
• Literally every direction from Pune

The Comparison:

• Shivaji's time: Limited to nearby areas
• Nana Sahib's time: Everywhere
• Completely different scale of operation

The "Star Position" Quote

Local Legend:

"His star positions were in good place during his reign"

The Reality:

• Nana Sahib was good administrator
• But he wasn't fighting battles himself
• Commanders-in-chief did the actual fighting
• He stayed in Pune, managed logistics & money

The Irony:

• Expanded more than Bajirao I
• But through better organization, not personal heroics
• Had professional military families to handle campaigns
• He was the strategist, they were the executors

The Victory Record

Almost Undefeated:

• Victorious every year of his reign
• Except the very last year
• (This foreshadows Panipat, which happens in last year)

How It Worked:

• He appointed "commander-in-chief within Peshwa family"
• Family had people interested in military glory
• They went on campaigns, he stayed in Pune
• Coordinated strategy from capital
• Prevented losing wars through better planning

Shahu's Death (1749)

The Succession Crisis:

• Shahu dies with no recognized heir
• Or had heir that nobody cared about
• No one to appoint new Peshwa
• No sovereign left to make decisions

The Result:

• Nana Sahib just continued
• Status quo maintained by inertia
• No one questioned it
• Became de facto rule

From Sovereign to De Facto Ruler

Before (With Shahu):

• Peshwa nominally prime minister
• Shahu nominally sovereign
• Peshwa checks in on major decisions
• Some balance of power

After (Without Shahu):

• Peshwa became "whole and sole"
• Decision-maker with no oversight
• No sovereign to object
• Everyone knew he was the real king
• But he never claimed the title

The Clever Arrangement:

• Peshwa always acted like "prime minister"
• Never declared himself "king"
• But everyone obeyed his orders
• Established precedent for succession (father to son)
• People got used to hereditary Peshwa rule

The Power Structure That Emerged

Visible:

• No sovereign (after Shahu)
• Peshwa claimed to be administrator
• Maintained fiction of subordinate role

Actual:

• Peshwa made all decisions
• No one objected
• Succession passed father to son to son
• Completely hereditary despite claims

Why It Worked:

• Nana Sahib was competent administrator
• Kept empire expanding
• Kept funding flowing (barely)
• No competitor arose to challenge him
• Generals in family cooperated reasonably well

The Maratha Military Machine

What Existed Now:

• 40,000+ standing army
• Thousands in reserves
• Commanders throughout subcontinent
• Professional military families
• Well-organized logistics

The Fear Factor:

• "No one to stop them"
• "Just taking over whole subcontinent"
• Mughal armies "totally ineffective"
• "Limited only to Delhi"
• Mughal Empire "in pathetic shape"

The Reality:

• Marathas were military superpower
• But financially unsustainable
• Living on loans & tributes
• Growing weaker financially while expanding militarily

The Paradox

Military: Never been stronger

• Defeated every opponent
• Expanded to continental scale
• 19 years of victories
• 7-8x larger than at Bajirao's death

Financial: Never been worse

• Debt spiral from Bajirao's loans
• Can't generate enough revenue
• Extraction creating resentment
• System unsustainable long-term

Political: Unstable despite appearances

• Shahu gone (no legitimacy anchor)
• Commander rivalries unresolved (Shinde/Holkar)
• De facto rule without de jure authority
• Hereditary succession not yet tested

Key Players

Timeline

Geographic Expansion

From Narmada north:

• To Attaq (Afghanistan/Pakistan border)
• Through Delhi area (contested)
• Into Doab (between Ganga-Yamuna rivers)
• Through Bengal

From Deccan north:

• Maharatra core
• Through Rajasthan
• Into north-central plains
• Everywhere

Critical Insights

1. The Competent Successor Paradox

Nana Sahib was MORE competent administrator than Bajirao I. But the empire needed Bajirao I's military genius, not administrative skill. Wrong man for wrong time.

2. Centralization Through Legitimacy Loss

Losing Shahu meant losing legitimacy anchor, but GAINING centralization. No sovereign to check Peshwa = Peshwa could do anything. More power but less legitimate.

3. Expansion Masking Weakness

Every year more territory conquered = looks like getting stronger. Actually getting weaker financially. Classic empire-in-decline pattern.

4. The Command Structure That Works

Having military family members as "commanders-in-chief" while Peshwa manages from Pune = good coordination. Better than Bajirao's constant movement.

5. The Financial Illusion

Expanding 7-8x while debt spiraling = mathematical impossibility. Something has to give. And it will: At Panipat, money won't be there to pay armies.

Key Quotes

"During his 19 years, Maratha armies were going everywhere"

"No one to stop them. Just taking over whole subcontinent"

"Mughal armies were totally ineffective in resisting this"

"He had a lot to do with that organization and statesmanship"

Where We Left Off: Nana Sahib's reign (1740-1759) is the apex of Maratha expansion. Armies everywhere, no serious opposition, continuous victories. But financially unsustainable, militarily dependent on scattered commanders who don't cooperate, politically delegitimized (no sovereign). The empire is vast but fragile. And the last year of his reign ends badly. It's 1759—Panipat is just 2 years away. The cracks are about to widen.

Nana Sahib was a better administrator than his father, and the empire expanded farther than ever. But expansion without financial foundation is just empire on borrowed time. He conquered like a tiger and managed like a banker, but the banker didn't have enough money. Shahu died and suddenly Nana Sahib was de facto king but couldn't claim the title. And in the north, Shinde and Holkar were still competing. And at Panipat, everything would collapse. The last year of his reign would be the worst. He'd win every battle except the one that mattered.