The Death of Shahu & The Mughal Emperor Becomes a Burden (1749-1754)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

Chapter Title: "Marathas Win Battles, But Lose Friends"

The paradox: Military victories that alienate potential allies and create more enemies than they solve problems.

The Letter from Holkar

The New Emperor Announcement

From: Malhar Rao Holkar To: Raghunath Rao Peshwa

Content summary:

• The old emperor and his mother have been imprisoned
• A new emperor has been placed on the throne: Alamgir II
• The Marathas (specifically Holkar) orchestrated this
• They went around Delhi making announcements
• Had ceremonies with music and celebrations
• "Your success and glory is seen by all residents of the capital"

What this shows: The Marathas have completely manipulated the foundation of the Mughal Empire. They're kingmakers now.

The Death of Shahu: Losing the Moderating Influence (1749)

Who Was Shahu?

Shahu Maharaj = The stabilizing force for the Maratha Empire

His role:

• Had a modest/moderate influence on the rising ambitions of Maratha warriors
• Acted as a brake on unlimited expansion
• Someone the commanders were accountable to

What Shahu Prevented

If it had been left to Bajirao I alone:

• He would have taken over the Mughal throne in Delhi
• Would have replaced the Mughal Emperor with Maratha rule
• Completely destroyed the Mughal Empire

But Shahu said NO:

• "We don't want to get rid of the Mughal Emperor"
• "We shouldn't establish Maratha rule in Delhi"
• "Don't get into destroying the Mughal Empire completely"
• Basically: slow down, be strategic, don't overreach

The Post-Shahu Power Vacuum

1749: Shahu Dies

The aftermath:

• Maratha chiefs had no one left to be accountable to
• No more moderating influence
• No one to keep ambitious commanders in check
• Control over capable Maratha commanders in the north was gone

The Generation Gap Problem

The commanders who flourished under Bajirao I:

• Holkar
• Jayapa Shinde
• Gayakwad

These guys were:

• Older and more experienced than Nana Saheb Peshwa
• Battle-hardened veterans
• Extremely knowledgeable about North India politics
• Originally just normal soldiers mentored by Bajirao I
• Proved themselves and got promoted by Bajirao I
• Felt ownership over their achievements

Nana Saheb Peshwa's challenge:

• He was just Bajirao I's son
• NOT a warrior himself
• More of an administrator, thinker, planner
• These commanders were basically his father's peers
• He couldn't command them the way his father did
• They had already proven themselves before he became Peshwa

The Distance Problem: Strategic Autonomy

The Communication Challenge

From Pune to Delhi:

• About 1.5 months travel time one way
• To get a response back = 3 months total

The impossibility:

• Commanders in Delhi couldn't wait 3 months for every decision
• Some decisions needed to be made immediately
• Strategic autonomy was necessary

The result:

• Commanders made sovereign decisions without waiting for approval
• Peshwa would learn about these decisions afterwards
• Unless they could afford to wait and send a messenger

The Empire Builders: Personal Fiefdoms

The Commanders' Mentality

These Maratha commanders were planning:

• To increase territory under their own control
• Creating personal power bases
• Felt like primary owners of new territories
• Empire was expanding rapidly - they wanted their piece

The dynamic:

• Peshwa was the chief/sovereign (first among equals)
• But Sadashiv Rao Bhau was also important (cousin with strategic mind)
• Together they were the decision-making team
• But reality was messier - commanders operated semi-independently

The Mughal Empire: Fragmentation

The Loss of Cohesion

During Aurangzeb's time:

• Mughal Empire was integrated and cohesive
• Kingdoms tightly tied to the Mughal Emperor
• Central control was real

Now (1750s):

• That cohesiveness was completely lost
• Kingdoms that were tied to Mughals were getting their freedom back
• Operating independently (but wouldn't publicly declare independence)
• Loosely connected to Mughal Empire in name only

The situation:

• These kingdoms took liberties, had their own policies
• Would say "Yeah, we're part of Mughal Empire" publicly
• But in reality, may or may not listen to the Emperor
• Complex, fragmented political landscape

The Buffalo Analogy: The Emperor Becomes a Burden

Traditional Indian Farming Practice

The custom:

• Farmers tie a big wooden log around cattle's neck
• Why: So buffalo/cows can't run away at speed
• Slows them down, weighs them down
• Keeps them from escaping

The Analogy Applied to Marathas

The Mughal Emperor = The wooden log around Marathas' neck

The situation:

• Marathas had made the Ahadnama contract (with Ahmad Shah, previous emperor)
• Contracted to protect the Mughal Empire and the Emperor
• But the Emperor was so weak he couldn't do anything
• Based only in Delhi, no real power beyond that

The contradiction:

1. On one hand: Marathas were duty-bound/contract-bound to protect him
2. On the other hand: He took all the liberties to do whatever he wanted
3. No restrictions on his behavior
4. He would create problems
5. Marathas had to fix those problems

The Emperor's Empty Promises

Example situations:

• Emperor says: "You can have the tax rights (chauth/sardeshmukhi) of Agra and Ajmer"

• Problem: If those districts are controlled by the King of Awadh, and he says no?

• Emperor's word means nothing - you still have to fight for it

• Emperor says: "You can collect revenue from Punjab"

• Problem: If Punjab is under Abdali's influence?

• Doesn't mean anything - you have to fight Abdali and kick him out first

The reality: Emperor was an obstruction, not an asset. Weighing Marathas down while creating headaches.

The Regional Powers: Everyone Is Semi-Independent

The Northern Threats

The Abdali problem:

• Afghanistan's land is not fertile
• So Abdali claimed Punjab (super fertile, lots of water)
• Punjab traditionally part of Mughal Empire
• Abdali: "Nah, it's Afghanistan now"
• This was completely unacceptable to Mughals
• But what could they do about it?

The Southern Powers

The European realization:

• British hadn't started reinforcing territories yet
• But they understood the deep divisions in the country
• Recognized the weaknesses
• Realized: "We could rule this place one day"
• Goa was already being ruled by Portuguese
• The groundwork for colonialism was being laid

All the Regional Enemies

The complete picture:

• Regional powers spread all through India
• Each one ambitious and opportunistic
• Marathas had nominal power through the Mughals
• But reality = death by a thousand cuts
• All these "minor paper cuts" to deal with
• Each one reacting quickly and efficiently (unlike Marathas)

Why regional powers were dangerous:

• They were "self-contained compact powers"
• Could react quickly to situations
• Focused efficiently
• NOT spread thin like Marathas
• Each one in their territory = very strong

The Marathas' Impossible Position

The Contradictions

The Maratha paradox:

1. Have power over Mughals in name
2. Required to be the Mughal Emperor's babysitter
3. Emperor free to do whatever stupidity he wants
4. Marathas have to fix all his problems
5. But also deal with multiple regional enemies
6. All while being spread thin across a massive territory

They're kingmakers but also cleanup crew.

The Jat Problem & Kumbher Fort

Who Are the Jats?

Jats: Warrior community/tribe (like Sikhs, but not Sikhs)

• Based in and around Agra
• Warrior-like community even today
• King: Surajmal Jat
• Small kingdom: Bharatpur (near Agra)
• Ambitious character who wanted to be kingmaker in Delhi

The Alliance Structure

Remember the factional split:

• Marathas + Imad-ul-Mulk + Emperor (one side)
• Safdar Jang + Shuja-ud-Daula + Surajmal Jat (other side)

Why target Surajmal now:

• It wasn't enough to punish Safdar Jang alone
• His allies also had to pay a price
• Especially Surajmal Jat, whose troops created terror in Delhi
• The Emperor gave 1 crore rupees to Marathas to "take care of the situation"
• That includes putting Surajmal in his place

The Stage Is Set

The chapter ends with:

• Marathas winning battles
• But creating more enemies
• Losing friends and potential allies
• The Mughal Emperor = dead weight around their neck
• Regional powers all watching for opportunities
• And Surajmal Jat about to face the consequences at Kumbher Fort

Key Players

Timeline

Critical Insights

The Shahu Factor

• His death removed the adult in the room
• Ambitious commanders no longer had anyone to answer to
• Unlimited expansion became the goal
• No one to say "slow down"

The Generational Problem

• Nana Saheb had to manage his father's peers
• They were more experienced than him
• He lacked his father's warrior credibility
• Made controlling them nearly impossible

The Communication Curse

• 3-month decision cycle was unworkable
• Forced commanders to act independently
• Created inconsistent strategy
• Peshwa found out about decisions after the fact

The Emperor Paradox

• Contractually bound to protect him
• But he was a liability, not an asset
• Created problems Marathas had to solve
• His promises were worthless
• A burden weighing them down

The Fragmentation Opportunity

• All these regional powers = future problems
• But also: sign that Mughal authority was dead
• British were taking notes
• Seeds of colonialism being planted
• Everyone operating for themselves

Shahu's death unleashed the Maratha war machine, but it also removed the guardrails. The commanders were empire building for themselves, the Mughal Emperor was a millstone around their necks, and everyone from Kabul to Pondicherry was watching the chaos and thinking: "Opportunity." Meanwhile, the next chapter was about to be written at a fort in Agra, where a Jat king was about to find out what happens when you make enemies of the Marathas.