Q4. Write a note on the military and administrative policies of the Marathas.
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Answer:
The Maratha army under Shivaji was a national army consisting of personnel drawn mainly from Maharashtra. It was a homogeneous body commanded by a regular cadre of officers, who had to obey one supreme commander. With the rise of the Peshwas, however, this national army had to make room for a feudal force provided by different Maratha sardars. This new Maratha army was not homogenous, but employed soldiers of different backgrounds, both locals and foreign mercenaries, including large numbers of Arabs, Sikhs, Rajputs, Sindhis, Rohillas, Abyssinians, Pathans, Topiwalas and Europeans. The army of Nana Fadnavis, for example, included 5,000 Arabs.
The Ashtapradhan (The Council of Eight) was a council of eight ministers that administered the Maratha empire. This system was formed by Shivaji. Ministerial designations were drawn from the Sanskrit language and comprised.
- Pantpradhan or Peshwa – Prime Minister, general administration of the Empire
- Amatya or Mazumdar – Finance Minister, managing accounts of the Empire
- Sachiv – Secretary, preparing royal edicts
- Mantri – Interior Minister, managing internal affairs especially intelligence and espionage
- Senapati – Commander-in-Chief, managing the forces and defence of the Empire
- Sumant – Foreign Minister, to manage relationships with other sovereigns
- Nyayadhyaksh – Chief Justice, dispensing justice on civil and criminal matters
- Panditrao – High Priest, managing internal religious matters