What were the main causes and consequences of Maratha wars.
Answers
The main cause of the second Maratha war due to the defeat of the peshwa Baji Rao II by the Holkars, one of the prominent Maratha clans, as a result of which he accepted British protection by signing the Treaty of Bassein in December 1802. ... As a result, the second Anglo-Maratha war broke out in Central India in 1803.
The three conflicts or wars fought between British East India Company and the Maratha confederacy or the Maratha Empire in India are referred to as the great Maratha Wars or the Anglo-Maratha Wars. The wars started in 1777 and ended in 1818, with the victory of the British and the destruction of the Maratha Empire in India.
When the Marathas were defeated in the battle of Panipat, the third Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao could not bear the defeat and died on 23 June 1761. After his death, his son Madhav Rao succeeded him. He was an able and efficient leader who maintained unity among his nobles and chiefs and soon was successful in retrieving the lost power and prestige of the Marathas. The growing importance of the Marathas made the British become more cautious and they wanted to destroy their re-establishment. In 1772 when Madhav Rao died, it opened the doors of the British to attack the Marathas.
First Maratha War (1775-82): The main cause of the first Maratha war was the increased interference of the British in the affairs, both internal and external, of the Marathas and also the struggle for power between Madhav Rao and Raghunath Rao. After the death of Peshwa Madhav Rao, his younger brother, Narain Rao succeeded him but it was his uncle, Raghunath Rao who wanted to become the Peshwa. And so he sought the help of the English to get him murdered and make him the Peshwa and in return, he promised to hand over Salsette and Bessien to the British, along with revenues from Surat and Bharuch districts. The British promised to help Raghunath Rao and provided him with 2,500 soldiers. The combined armies of the English and Raghunath Rao attacked the Peshwa and they won. The Treaty of Surat was signed on 6 March 1775 but was not approved by the British Calcutta Council and the treaty was annulled at Pune by Colonel Upton, in which the supremacy of Raghunath was renounced and he was promised only a pension. This was rejected by the Bombay government, who gave refuge to Raghunath. In 1777, Nana Phadnis granted the French a port on the west coast, much against the treaty with the Calcutta Council. As a result, the British and the Maratha armies met at Wadgaon on the outskirts of Pune.