PESHWA, pr•sh'wh (Pers., lender). The Brahman ministers of the Mahratta dynasty of India. On the decline of the Alahratta rulers, the power of their ministers increased until in 1718 the first Peshwa. Balaji Visvanath, acting in the name of Maharaja Salm, marched against Delhi to assist Farrukh Shah against the Mogul Em peror, .1chandar Shah. The Peshwa rule lasted for exactly a century. Balaji was succeeded in 1720 by his son, Baji Rao. who for twenty years was active in expeditions of conquest, even wrest Bassein from the Portuguese in 1739. He was followed in 1740 by his son Rao, under whose administration the Mahrattas reached the acme of their greatness. They rav aged Northern India far and wide, levied eboath, or a quarter-tax, on Bengal, and were in formal possession of Orissa. In 1761, however, the last year of Balaji's life, the power of the Peshwas in Northern India was ended by their rout at Pani pat by Ahmed Shah of Kabul, conqueror of the Punjab. ltalaji was succeeded by his son, Madhu Rao, in 1761, who proved more than a match for Ryder Ali, and at the same time governed with remarkable order the Mahrattas themselves. In 1773, after the assassination of Ns rayan Rao, who ruled for a short time after Abates death. Ilagh
unath Eno: a brother of Balaji Itao, became Peshwa. To defend himself against Narayan's posthumous son, Aladin' Rao II., he was forced to call upon the English for aid. The first Alahratta War then broke out, in which Ragh unath failed in his object, despite the aid of the English, and in 17S2 he became a prisoner, while 'Aladi' Rao succeeded him as Peshwa. 3ladhu committed suicide in 1795, after a puppet-reign, and was followed by Raghnnath's son, Baji Rao II., the last of the Peshwas. To secure. himself, Bail invoked English assistance, and by the Treaty of Bassein in 1S02 ceded territory for the mainte nance of the force given him. The result was an attack by the other Mahratta rulers, and the sec ond Alahratta War (1803). This gave the Peshwa a prolongation of his rule, but he revolted in 1817. The third 3lahratta War, which followed, ended in utter defeat for Baji and the extinction of the Peshwa power. llis territory, which now forms the Bombay Presidency, was annexed by the English, and Baji Rao was a British pen sioner until his death in 1853. Ilis adopted son was the notorious Nana Sahib (q.v.). See SIN DIA,