Baji Rao II
Baji Rao II | |
|---|---|
| 13th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy | |
| In office 6 December 1796 – 25 October 1802 | |
| Monarchs | Shahu II, Pratap Singh of Satara |
| Preceded by | Madhavrao II |
| Succeeded by | Amrut Rao |
| In office 13 May 1803 – 3 June 1818 | |
| Preceded by | Amrut Rao |
| Succeeded by | Position disestablished (Nana Saheb II as titular Peshwa) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 January 1775 |
| Died | 28 January 1851 (aged 76) |
| Spouse | Warnashi Bai |
| Children | Nana Saheb II (adopted) |
| Parents |
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Baji Rao II (10 January 1775 – 28 January 1851) was the 13th and last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He served from 1796 until his deposition in 1802, and again from 1803 to 1818. Initially installed as a nominal ruler by powerful Maratha nobles, Baji Rao II's authority was soon undermined by internal factionalism. Following his defeat by rival chiefs, he fled from the Maratha capital at Poona and, in 1802, signed the Treaty of Bassein with the British East India Company.
This led to the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805), which ended with a British victory and Baji Rao II's restoration as Peshwa under British protection. In 1817, tensions with the British resurfaced when they supported the Gaekwads of Baroda in a revenue dispute, prompting Baji Rao II to join other Maratha chiefs in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818). After a series of defeats, he surrendered to the British and agreed to retire. Under the terms of his surrender, he was granted an estate at Bithur, near Kanpur, along with an annual pension.