Peshwa

Peshwa was the title of the chief minister and, from the early 18th century, the de facto ruler of the Maratha Empire in western and central India. Originating as the head administrator who managed finances, administration, and military planning under the Maratha sovereign (the Chhatrapati), the office grew in importance as Maratha power expanded.

From the 1720s onward the Peshwa became the dominant political authority, with the capital at Pune’s Shaniwar Wada. Over time the office was handed down within families and, in practice, became hereditary, enabling the Peshwas to lead major campaigns, oversee diplomacy, and control revenue and appointments for the Maratha confederacy.

Notable holders include Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao I (the renowned general who expanded Maratha influence into northern India), Balaji Bajirao (Nanasaheb), and Madhav Rao I, among others. The last Peshwa, Bajirao II, ruled during a period of increasing pressure from the British East India Company and regional rivals. The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1818 is often cited as the broader conflict period) culminated in 1817–1818 with the defeat of Bajirao II and the dissolution of the Maratha Confederacy, effectively ending the Peshwa’s political authority.

Legacy of the Peshwas lies in their role as the administrative backbone of the Maratha state during a formative era of 18th-century Indian politics. Their tenure saw both expansion of Maratha influence and, ultimately, the decline of centralized Maratha power under rising British supremacy.