Dear Delegates, My name is Mashal Shah, and as head chair, I would like to welcome you to Peshwa Bajirao I’s Pradhan (Council)! I am third year at the University of California, Davis majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. I have been a member of the Model United Nations Club at UC Davis since my freshman year, and participated in MUN and Parliamentary Debate in high school as well, and my favorite committees are usually historical ones. A fun fact about me: I lived in five different countries by the time I was eight years old, and this has inspired me to explore the world even more. I look forward to chairing another conference on the collegiate circuit, and am even more excited about chairing a committee on the Maratha Empire and the Indian Subcontinent. Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, South Asian history and politics have always interested me. I hope you enjoy your time at AggieMUN 2017 as you engage with the Marathas, the Mughals, the Europeans, and many, many more. Regards, Mashal Shah [email protected] Dear Delegates, My name is Stephen Zehnder, and I will be the Crisis Director for Peshwa Bajirao’s I’s Council. I am a senior at the University of California, Davis studying History and Economics. Model United Nations has been a part of my life since high school, helping mold my areas of interest. This will be my third time staffing a crisis committee, and my first in the arena of South Asia. This particular committee is exciting for me because of the inherent potential for power politics from within the Council as well as without. As an intern in the California State Capitol as well as in Washington D.C., I live for politics. Cultures may be different, but the political and economic motivations for action are often quite similar. Although the Indian Subcontinent has not been an area of extensive study for me in the past, I have relished the opportunity to learn more about its history and culture. Hopefully in your preparation for this committee, you find an appreciation Maratha and Mughal history as I have. I look forward to our time together at AggieMUN 2017. Regards, Stephen Zehnder Malhara! Malhara! Welcome to Peshwa Bajirao I’s Cabinet! The year is 1720, and twenty year old Bajirao Ballal has just inherited the peshwa throne from his deceased father. He is tasked with the job of expanding the Maratha empire and leaving his mark in the Indian subcontinent. While it may seem like his only enemies are the Mughals and the Europeans, one must not forget that there was much opposition to his appointment as peshwa at such a young age. You as delegates must be wary not only the external forces that are trying to sabotage Bajirao’s mission, but also of the conflicts among the Maratha officials and within the Maratha community. Historical Background Before the rise of the Marathas in the Indian subcontinent, the Mughals held power in the region since Babur won the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. However, when Shivaji Bhonsle wanted to free the Maratha people from the rule of the sultans in Bijapur in 1764, the seeds for the empire were sown, it posed a great threat to the Mughals, for they had lost their stronghold over the region. Maratha chiefs worked under of the sultans of Bijapur in the western Deccan, which the Mughals ruled. Shivaji, however, was determined to have the Maratha nation represented in the subcontinent. In 1647, he had seized two forts and had complete control over the city of Pune. He further expanded his territory by occupying forts in Purandar, Rajgad, and Torna.1 In an effort to continue his expansion, Shivaji led a Maratha army to challenge the Adilshahi rule. While the Adilshahi general, Afzal Khan, initially managed to push the Marathas back into the hill forts, he made the mistake of provoking Shivaji further. In an attempt to bring Shivaji back onto the battlefield once again, General Khan instructed his army to destroy many Hindu temples, and Shivaji returned to fight. The general had planned to take Pune, but Shivaji knew that he would be at a disadvantage here, so moved the battle to Pratapgad Fort. Shivaji’s army was far more used to the topography of the area, and successfully defeated the Adilshahi army and killed the general. By doing so, he managed to take over Pune and establish the Maratha dominance. In the 1660s, he used guerrilla warfare and other military tactics to take down multiple major Mughal cities, including the Port of Surat. However, in 1666 he fled from a court meeting that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had invited him to, he was imprisoned with his son, Sambhaji, but this army was allowed to return to the Deccan. After several weeks, Shivaji and Sambhaji escaped from their Mughal jail, and in disguise, returned to the Deccan. Between 1666 and late 1670, many peace proposals were made between Shivaji and the Mughals, but Shivaji broke these off by launching an attack on the Mughals in an attempt to reclaim the territory he lost to them. During this offensive, he regained Surat and also took the Fort of Sinhgad By 1673, Shivaji had taken much of the Western Maharashtra, declared Raigad the capital, and in 1674 had crowned himself Chhatrapati (monarch). 1 “Indian History - Rise of Marathas and Sikh Kingdoms in India.” Indian History - Rise of Marathas and Sikh Kingdoms in India, www.gatewayforindia.com/history/maratha.htm. This title freed him from all Mughal influence, so that he could officially establish a homeland for the Marathas. Starting in October 1674, the Marathas began their expansion into Southern India, taking over land including Khandesh, Bijapuri Ponda, Karwar, and Kohlapur. By the time of Shivaji’s death in 1680, the Marathas had taken much of South India, including Athani, Belgaum, Vayem Rayim, Vellore, and Gingee; most of the Deccan had become part of the Maratha kingdom.1 During March 1680, Shivaji was suffering from a fever and dysentery, and died in early April 1680 at 52. Right after his death, his younger son, Rajaram, was initially named as the heir to the throne on April 21, 1680 when he was made the new Chhatrapati. However, Shivaji’s eldest son, Sambhaji, felt cheated out of his right, and after taking the Fort of Raigad of June 18, 1680 and formally took the position of Chhatrapati away from Rajaram on July 20, 1680. Sambhaji continued the expansion of the Maratha empire, but unlike his father, he condoned the use of force and violence on those living in the territories that he was conquering. With these same tactics, he looted and burned down the city of Burhanpur, once a Mughal stronghold. At the beginning of 1681, the angered Mughals sent armies to impose blockades on multiple Maratha forts, and later that year, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb set out on a mission to the Deccan to destroy the Maratha empire in its infancy. He was able to establish himself in Burhanpur. Within three years of violence and aggression, the Mughal army took back Bijapur and Golconda from the Marathas. When Sambhaji’s senapati (general) Hambir Rao Mohite was killed by the Mughals in 1687, the Marathas lost direction, and were surrounded by Mughal forces. Additionally, Rajaram’s mother’s clan, still angry that Sambhaji had taken the throne, were relaying all of Sambhaji’s movements and actions to the Mughals, and by 1689, Sambhaji was arrested with counsel and twenty-five of his officers, and taken to Aurangzeb’s camp and tortured to death. With Sambhaji’s death, the entire Maratha empire was transferred to Aurangzeb and the Mughals.2 However, while Aurangzeb thought he had strong control of the empire, Sambhaji’s death had aroused a sense of Maratha patriotism that he could did not instill in his life. Many that had envisioned the Maratha empire to be as strong as it was during Shivaji’s time rallied together to take their territory back from the Mughals. At the forefront of this struggle was Shivaji’s younger son, Rajaram, who was freed from prison by the Marathas once they had learned of Sambhaji’s death, and he was made chhatrapati. Since Rajaram had been a state prisoner from a young age, he had no knowledge of civil or military governance. However, his character was much like his father’s, determined and strong-willed, and he set forth to reclaim the Maratha empire. In March 1690, Maratha commanders forced their way against the Mughals, attacked the army, and found the tent in which the Mughal Badshah Aurangzeb slept. Although Aurangzeb was not in his tent at the time, many members of his army and security contingency were 2 Mehta, J. L. “Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813.” Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813, New Dawn Press, Inc., Slough, Berkshire, UK, 2005, pp. 45–50. killed. However, during this time, Sambhaji’s wife and son, Yasu Bai and Shahu, were captured, and Raigad had been taken from the Marathas. Meanwhile, the Mughal army continued their attempt to reconquer land further south, and raided Fort Panhala, however, the Maratha military leader in Panhala fought bravely and the Mughal forces incurred a great loss. Unfortunately for the Marathas, Aurangzeb himself made an appearance at Panhala, and they were forced to surrender. Once Panhala and Raigad had been given up to the Mughals, many Maratha ministers realized that Rajaram had to be moved to a new capital.