Capture of Delhi (1771)
| Capture of Delhi (1771) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Kingdom of Rohilkhand |
Supported by Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Zabita Khan René-Marie Madec Walter Reinhardt |
Mahadji Scindia Visaji Krushna Mirza Najaf Khan | ||||||||
In 1771, the forces of the Maratha Empire led by Mahadaji Shinde captured Delhi from the Rohillas and installed the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II on the throne of Delhi. The Marathas defeated Zabita Khan Rohilla who was put in charge by the Afghans.
After taking control of Delhi, the Marathas sent a large army of around 50,000 soldiers under leadership of Shinde and Holkar in 1772 to punish Afghan Rohillas for their involvement in Panipat and slaughtered thousands of Rohillas. They desecrated the grave of Rohilla chieftain Najib ad-Dawla and captured Najibabad. With the fleeing of the Rohillas, the rest of the country was burnt, with the exception of the city of Amroha. The Rohillas who could offer no resistance fled to the Terai region.
In the Third Battle of Panipat, the Maratha Empire suffered a serious blow at the hands of the Afghan Empire, the Nawab of Awadh and the Kingdom of Rohilkhand under Najib ad-Dawlah. After the death of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, Madhavrao I became the Peshwa under the regency of Raghunathrao. Mahadji Shinde's victory over the Jats of Mathura, Rajputs of Rajasthan and Pashtuns-Rohillas of Rohilkhand (in the western part of present-day Uttar Pradesh state) re-established Maratha rule in the region.