Never Peshwa enough

One of the well-known Marathas but never enough to go against the likes of Peshwa Bajirao I or his father, Raghunath Rao's life seemed full of misfortunes until he descended into familicide.

Knowing Raghunath. Source: Bookganga

Tragic, yet a life full of military achievements, Raghunath Rao could never be the Peshwa. He killed his own family for the title and yet could not once sit on the throne that he yearned for, he fought several battles and faced dire situations which would almost break anybody.

His father was Peshwa Bajirao I and his brother Nanasaheb Peshwa, his life was overshadowed by his family, however, he would shine not in the light but illuminate in the darkest corners of humanity.

His early conquests were very successful, where he even managed to cripple the Mughal rule of Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Alamgir II in the north. His second expedition however was filled with hardships as he would have to face the Afghans, a force quite formidable and well known for their cruelty in war. Nanasaheb Peshwa gave him two responsibilities, to protect the Mughals from the Afghans and to seek tributes and finances to help the Peshwa from his crippling debt.

Fighting the King of Jaipur, Raghunath intended to suck him of any resources he had but eventually had to settle as the surrounding region was unwelcoming of their army and the losses were already irreparable. From 50 lakhs to a mere 11, Raghunath had to settle for only this, as his army had no strength to siege and battle anymore. Furthermore, no help was also sent by the Peshwa, and thus they simply decided to transport to Delhi to face the Afghans, however, Ahmad Shah Abdali had already traversed to his country, making the campaign a failure.

Ahmad Shah Abdali had made Najib-ud-Daulah the real ringleader behind the rule, as Alamgir II was merely a puppet. The battle of Delhi was a battle of endurance for Raghunath's army as talks of peace were firstly rejected and hence the siege of the Delhi fort began.

Supplies were cut from the fort and only a mere 3000 loyal soldiers remained for Najib. Famine did not also help the shadow monarch, and thus after almost two months of battle, Najib surrendered.

Raghunath also took a major part in the invasion of Punjab and earned some laurels, but still, the man wanted something more, the title of Peshwa.

After his brother's death, the title of Peshwa was passed to his son Madhavrao I. Raghunath was appointed as regent as Madhavrao I was a minor. A series of treason and treachery ensued as Raghunath soon conspired with Nizam of Hyderabad but failed. Put into house arrest, he was only released after Madhavrao's death and once again appointed as regent to Narayanrao.

Already having booked a ticket to hell, Raghunath wanted the title no matter what, and he had his nephew murdered in cold blood in front of him as his nephew asked him for help.

Karma struck and even though he had his time on the throne, it was very short-lived. "The Baarbhaai Conspiracy" by Nana Phadnavis and 11 other influential leaders cut his time short and was convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was never carried out.

From then on, his life only went downhill, as the British nor the Portuguese were willing to help him get the title of Peshwa back. Raghunath died in mysterious circumstances at Kopargaon on 11 December 1783.