Third marath war
Indian troop camp
| date | November 1817 - February 1818 |
|---|---|
| place | present-day Maharashtra , India |
| output | Dissolution of the Marathas Empire |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| About 70,000 men | About 120,000 men |
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The Third Marathon War was a military confrontation between the British East India Company and the Marathon Empire from 1817 to 1818.
background
The Marathon Empire, a confederation of petty kings, was a retreat for the Pindari . The Pindari were irregular cavalry units that, with the toleration of some Marathas leaders, especially the Scindia of Gwalior and Holkar of Indore , undertook raids into the territory of the British East India Company and wreaked havoc in central and southern India. The British Governor General Francis Rawdon-Hastings made preparations in advance to remove the danger posed by the Pindari. Making sure Hyderabad and Avadh were keeping quiet, he overcame the resistance of those in the ranks of the East India Company who eschewed the dangers and costs of war.
In 1815, the strategically important Bhopal between Gwalior and Indore asked for British protection, which Hastings granted. He ignored protests from Scindia and the East India Company administration. Efforts by local landowners to acquire sovereignty on British territory were suppressed by force in order to avoid the danger of an uprising during the campaign. In 1816 5,000 Pindaris destroyed over 300 villages in the northern districts. This raid convinced the council of the East India Company to render the Pindari harmless despite the risk of war with the Marathas.
Peshwa Baji Rao II and Scindia were forced to sign agreements to ensure their cooperation in the event of a war with the Pindari. Meanwhile, Amir Khan , the leader of the Pindari, had not gone unnoticed about the preparations of the British, and so he contacted the British to seek safety. A treaty was negotiated in which the British guaranteed him his territories illegally appropriated from Indore. In return, he should hand over his artillery and disband his army. On November 9, 1817, the treaty was signed and Amir Khan became the Nawab of Tonk .
course
Hastings' plan was to field two armies with a total of 120,000 men against the 30,000 Pindari. A northern one, under his command ( Bengal Army ) and a southern one under the command of Sir Thomas Hislops ( Army of the Deccan ). In the meantime, contrary to his promises, Baji Rao II had decided to go to war against the British and attacked the 800 British and 2000 sepoys under the command of Mountstuart Elphinstones near Kirki with 20,000 men on November 5 . Despite this superiority, Baji Rao II suffered defeat and remained calm for a week. In the meantime the British had received reinforcements and defeated the Peshwa in a battle near Yeradoa . The Peshwa fled south and the British occupied Pune .
At the end of November, the Bhonsle Mudhoji II followed the example of Baji Rao II and attacked the British residency in Nagpur . On the evening of November 26th, the battle of Sitabaldi broke out . 1500 British sepoys withstood 20,000 men and 36 cannons Mudhoji II. Although the defeat was not decisive, Mudhoji II immediately sought a truce. In mid-December, a British division under Doveton reached Nagpur and Mudhoji II capitulated. His army refused to obey and so there was still hostility in Nagpur, which the British won.
At the end of November, Indore had also entered the war. But as early as December 21, 1817, the Indore's army had been defeated in the Battle of Mahidpur , the only major battle of the war, and the Holkar's defeat was complete. At the end of December they asked for peace.
After the defeat of the Marathas, many Pindari surrendered to the British. Nevertheless, they were still busy until February 1818 to disperse the remaining Pindari completely. On January 1, 1818, there was another battle between 28,000 men of the Peshwas and 900 sepoys at Koregaon .
The Sepoys managed to hold out until the Peshwa moved on for fear of British reinforcements. On February 20, there was a cavalry battle with the troops of the Peshwa near Ashti , which the British also won. Nevertheless, the Peshwa managed to further evade the British with his army until he made contact with Sir John Malcolm in May . On June 2, 1818, Peshwa Baji Rao II surrendered. He was settled with a pension of 800,000 rupees , about 80,000 pounds . Except for the siege of Asirgarh fortress , the commander of which refused to surrender and which dragged on until April 1819, all fighting was over.
Consequences and effects of the war
The original aim of the war, the removal of the threat posed by the Pindari, had also been achieved completely and without great losses. The quick victory of the British and the surrender of Peshwa Baji Rao II led to the collapse of the Marathas League and the loss of their sovereignty to the conquerors. The territory of the Peshwas had been completely annexed except for the small principality of Satara . Parts Indores and Berars also went to the British. Rajputana and central India became vassals of the British East India Company. Except for Punjab , Sindh and Assam , the British were now masters in all of India.
After the end of the campaign, there was a dispute over the division of the booty, the so-called Deccan Prize . The Bengal Army had not been involved in any combat operations under the command of Francis Rawdon-Hastings. In contrast, the Army of the Deccan under General Hislop had secured most of the booty. Nevertheless, Rawdon demanded a share of the sales proceeds for himself and his army. The matter came before the Privy Council . The latter decided that the Bengal Army was entitled to a share because it had been present and had tied up enemy forces.
Individual evidence
literature
- Randolf GS Cooper: The Anglo-Maratha Campaigns and the Contest for India: The Struggle for Control of the South Asian Military Economy . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York 2003, ISBN 978-0-521-82444-6 (English)
- Edward Penderel Moon : The British Conquest and Dominion of India . Duckworth Publ., London 1990. ISBN 0-7156-2169-6