Question

mughal relationship with maratha

Answer 1

Aurangzeb was a religious fundamentalist and his ambitious campaign to conquer the Deccan bankrupted the Mughal Empire. It is safe to assume that any ambitions Mughals might have had to subjugate the Deccan died with Aurangzeb. With the Mughals in terminal decline, Bajirao I (a prominent Maratha general) undertook an aggressive campaign of expansion which culminated in the surrender of Delhi in March 1737. After the surrender of Delhi and subsequent skirmishes, Marathas were de facto rulers of large portions of the territory of the erstwhile Mughal Empire. Mughals were essentially titular rulers and any involvement of the Marathas for/against them was driven by regional considerations and interests of powerful individuals. Often, they opportunistically intervened on behalf of a faction of Mughals during the chronic succession struggles. For example, the Marathas installed Shahjahan III as the Mughal Emperor in 1759. At other times, they fought the Mughals to limit their political influence. For example in 1757, Marathas led by Raghunathrao laid siege to Delhi as they were opposed to the alliance between Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Mughal Emperor.