Maratha invasion of Awadh
| Maratha invasion of Awadh | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Later Mughal-Maratha wars | |||||||||
 Bajirao riding a horse during his campaigns as Peshwa(1720-1739) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Maratha Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Saadat Ali Khan.svg){kind=small} Qamar-ud-Din Khan Hasan Khan Koka |
Baji Rao I Malhar Rao Holkar Mastani | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | 1,000 Marathas captured | ||||||||
The Maratha invasion on Awadh in 1737, led by Peshwa Bajirao and Malhar Rao Holkar, involved campaigns such as Malhar Rao's invasion of Bhadawar, a Rajput vassal of the Mughal Empire, resulting in the Battle of Jalesar. Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh defeated Malhar Rao at Jalesar, compelling the Marathas to retreat. Subsequently, Bajirao raided Delhi, the Mughal capital, defeating a Mughal contingent at the outskirts but withdrawing upon the approach of Vizier Qamaruddin Khan. During the retreat march, Marathas, including Peshwa wife Mastani, were defeated at a location called Badhsahpur.
Background[edit]
In 1737, Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah dispatched Saadat Ali Khan, the Nawab of Awadh, to collaborate with Qamr-ud-Din Khan, the Vizier of the Mughal empire and Khan Dowran VII, who led the military administration of the Mughal Empire. The purpose of this meeting was to strategize resistance against the Marathas. Saadat Ali Khan embarked on his journey from Faizabad with a sizable army, which included prominent figures like Safdar Jung, Abdul Mansur Khan, and Shen Jung. Their mission was to execute the Imperial order and provide assistance to Anirudh Singh Bhadwariya, the son of Gopal Singh of Bhadawar, in resisting the Marathas.[1][2]
Saadat Ali Khan received information about the defeat of Anrudh Singh and the Maratha occupation of Bhadawar before reaching the town. As a result, he decided to halt his advance towards Bhadawar.[3][4]
Battle of Jalesar[edit]
| Battle of Jalesar | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maratha invasion of Awadh | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Maratha Empire |
 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Malhar Rao Holkar |
Saadat Ali Khan | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,000 captured | Unknown | ||||||
By this time on 23 March 1737, a Maratha detachment under Malhar Rao Holkar had crossed the Yamuna River with the intention of looting the Doab region and preventing the meeting of Safdaar Khan with the Wazir and Mir Bakhshi. They passed through the town of Shikohabad, which was spared from destruction after a ransom of 1,50,000 Rupees was paid. Continuing their advance, they reached Firozabad and Itimadpur, where they plundered and set fire to the towns, causing devastation in the surrounding countryside up to Moti Bagh, near Agra. Subsequently, they proceeded to the town of Jalesar, located some 26 miles northeast of Agra. Early in the morning of March 23, 1737, Abul Mansur Khan, leading 12,000 horsemen, came into view. He was at the forefront of Saadat Khan's army, which had undertaken a forced march of eighty five miles upon hearing news of the Maratha incursion into the Doab in order to reach the vicinity of Jalesar.[5][1]
Marathas, recognizing the comparative smallness of Abul Mansur Khan's force, sought to employ their traditional warfare strategy by attempting to encircle him from all directions. However, Khan skillfully avoided being besieged and instead executed a tactical withdrawal, luring the enemy closer to Saadat Khan's main army, which numbered a formidable fifty thousand soldiers. The fierce charge led by Saadat Ali caused the Maratha forces to scatter in disarray, plunging them into confusion and panic. The fleeing Maratha troops were pursued for many miles, resulting in the capture of around one thousand of them near the Itimadpur tank, situated approximately 10 miles northeast of Agra. The remainder of the Maratha forces successfully crossed the Yamuna River and later rejoined Bajirao's troops at Kotila, near Gwalior. In response, Bajirao raided Delhi.[1][4][6]
The raid on Delhi[edit]
| Maratha raid on Delhi | |||||||
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| Part of Maratha invasion of Awadh | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Maratha Empire |
Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Baji Rao I Mastani |
Qamar-ud-din Khan Hasan Khan Koka | ||||||
The Maratha raid on Delhi occurred on March 28, 1737, when the Marathas, led by Bajirao, targeted the Mughal Empire near Talkatora, close to Delhi.[7][8] Bajirao sought to avenge for the Marathas' prior defeat at the Battle of Jalesar by Saadat Ali Khan. After defeating the Mughal army under Hasan Khan Kota, Bajirao and the Marathas raided Delhi. In response, Vizier Qamar-ud-Din Khan moved from Agra to protect the Mughal capital. Upon learning of the Vizier's approach, Bajirao chose to withdraw from Delhi. However, Mughal forces, led by Zahir-ud-Daulah and Ghiyas-uddin Khan, confronted the Maratha army near Badshahpur, 20 miles from Delhi, achieving victory. Recognizing the potential threat of Saadat Ali Khan joining the Vizier, Bajirao retreated with his wife Mastani from the battlefield.[9][10][11][not in citation given]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1954). The First Two Nawabs of Awadh. Shiva Lal Agarwala & Company. pp. 53–56. ISBN 978-0-8426-1549-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Alam, Muzaffar (1986). The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North India: Awadh and the Punjab, 1707-48. Oxford University Press. pp. 270–271. ISBN 978-0-19-561892-1. Search this book on
- ↑ Andhare, B. R. (1984). Bundelkhand Under the Marathas, 1720-1818 A.D.: A Study of Maratha-Bundela Relations. Vishwa Bharati Prakashan. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gupta, Bhagavānadāsa (1987). A History of the Rise and Fall of the Marathas in Bundelkhand, 1731-1804: Based on Original Sources. Neha Prakashan. pp. 42–43. Search this book on
- ↑ Cheema, G. S. (2002). The Forgotten Mughals: A History of the Later Emperors of the House of Babar, 1707-1857. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 172. ISBN 978-81-7304-416-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Azhar, Mirza Ali (1982). King Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. Royal Book Company. pp. 84–85. Search this book on
- ↑ Tucker, Spencer C. (2009-12-23). A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East - 6 volumes: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. ABC-CLIO. p. 732. ISBN 978-1-85109-672-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Bowman, John (2000). Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture. Columbia University Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-231-11004-4. Search this book on
- ↑ Malik, Zahiruddin (1977). The Reign of Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748. Asia Publishing House. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0-210-40598-7. Search this book on
- ↑ Srinivasan, C. K. (1961). Baji Rao I, the Great Peshwa. Asia Publishing House. p. 104. Search this book on
- ↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1961). Marathas and Panipat. Panjab University. p. 335. Search this book on
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