Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) - Background, Events & Treaty of Bassein

The Second Anglo-Maratha war started in circumstances similar to those of the first.
After Peshwa Madhavrao Narayan committed suicide in 1795, Bajirao II, the worthless son of Raghunathrao, became the Peshwa.
Nana Phadnavis, a bitter foe of Bajirao II, became the chief minister.
The dissensions among the Marathas provided the English with an opportunity to intervene in Maratha affairs.
The death of Nana Phadnavis in 1800 gave the British an added advantage.

On April 1, 1801, the Peshwa brutally murdered the brother of Jaswantrao (also called Yashwantrao by some historians) Holkar, Vithuji.
A furious Jaswant arrayed his forces against the combined armies of Sindhia and Bajirao II.
The turmoil continued and on October 25, 1802, Jaswant defeated the armies of the Peshwa and Sindhia decisively at Hadapsar near Poona and placed Vinayakrao, son of Amritrao, on the Peshwa’s seat.
A terrified Bajirao II fled to Bassein where, on December 31, 1802, he signed a treaty with the English.

Under the treaty, the Peshwa agreed:
(i) to receive from the Company a native infantry (consisting of not less than 6,000 troops), with the usual proportion of field artillery and European artillery men attached, to be permanently stationed in his territories;
(ii) to cede to the Company territories yielding an income of Rs 26 lakh;
(iii) to surrender the city of Surat;
(iv) to give up all claims for *chauth* on the Nizam’s dominions;
(v) to accept the Company’s arbitration in all differences between him and the Nizam or the Gaekwad;
(vi) not to keep in his employment Europeans of any nation at war with the English; and
(vii) to subject his relations with other states to the control of the English.

After the Peshwa accepted the subsidiary alliance, Sindhia and Bhonsle attempted to save Maratha independence.
But the well-prepared and organised army of the English under Arthur Wellesley defeated the combined armies of Sindhia and Bhonsle and forced them to conclude separate subsidiary treaties with the English.
In 1804, Jashwantrao Holkar made an attempt to form a coalition of Indian rulers to fight against the English.
But his attempt proved unsuccessful. The Marathas were defeated, reduced to British vassalage and isolated from one another.
(i) Defeat of Bhonsle (December 17, 1803, Treaty of Devgaon);
(ii) Defeat of Sindhia (December 30, 1803, Treaty of Surajianjangaon); and
(iii) Defeat of Holkar (1806, Treaty of Rajpurghat).

Admittedly, the treaty was signed by a Peshwa who lacked political authority, but the gains made by the English were immense.
The provision of keeping English troops permanently in Maratha territory was of great strategical benefit.
The Company already had troops in Mysore, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
The addition of Poona on the list meant that the Company’s troops were now more evenly spread and could be rushed to any place without much delay in times of need.
Though the Treaty of Bassein did not hand over India to the Company on a platter, it was a major development in that direction; the Company was now well placed to expand its areas of influence.
In the circumstances, the observation that the treaty “gave the English the key to India,” may be exaggerated, but appears understandable.

Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805): British Ascendancy in India