Marathas

The Maratha state arose in the western Deccan under Shivaji of the Bhonsle clan. He seized forts from Bijapur and was crowned at Raigad in 1674, defending his kingdom against the Mughals.

In the eighteenth century the Peshwa Bajirao I and leading Maratha families expanded into northern and central India. Defeat by the Durrani Empire at Panipat in 1761 checked their advance, though they recovered much territory. After the Peshwa sought British protection in 1802, wars with the East India Company ended the confederacy in 1818.