Mudhoji I (Mudhoji Bhonsle; reigned 21 May 1772 – 18 May 1788) was the ruler of the

Nagpur kingdom The Kingdom of Nagpur was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state. After the Third Anglo-Mar ...

from 1772 to 1788. During his regency the Maratha kingdom remained peaceful and prospered.

Early life

Mudhoji was a son of

Raghoji I Raghuji I (Raghuji Bhonsle, ; 1695 – 14 February 1755) was a Maratha general who is credited with the Maratha expansion into Gondwana (India), Gondwana, Odisha, and Bengal, thereby establishing Maratha supremacy in these areas. He was gra ...

, a powerful Maratha leader and founder of Maratha rule in

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

, and Sulā Bai

Mohite Mohite is a copper tin sulfide mineral with the chemical formula Cu2SnS3. It is colored greenish gray and leaves a gray streak (mineralogy), streak. It is Opacity (optics), opaque and has metallic Lustre (mineralogy), luster. Its crystal system i ...

, the younger sister of Burhanji Mohite who was an influential courtier at

. His elder brother was

Janoji Bhonsle Janoji I (Janoji Bhonsle, ; reigned 14 February 175521 May 1772) was the second Maharaja of Nagpur from the Bhonsle dynasty. He was one of the four legitimate sons of Raghuji I. Following a succession dispute with his brothers, Janoji ascended t ...

, younger brothers were

Bimbaji Bhonsle Bimbaji Bhonsle was the youngest son of Raghoji I Bhonsle, the Nagpur kingdom#Rulers of Nagpur kingdom, Maratha ruler of Nagpur. Bimbaji was the ruler of Chhattisgarh on behalf of the Nagpur kingdom#Rulers of Nagpur kingdom, Maharaja of Nagpur. Ho ...

and Sabaji Bhonsle. In 1743, Sagunbai, the youngest queen of

Shahu I Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...

(Mudhoji's aunt through his mother's side), proposed that Mudhoji be made the next

Chhatrapati Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a king. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of '' chhatra'' ('' parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and '' pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). This title was used by the Ho ...

of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

after

's death. However, the idea was abandoned due to fierce opposition by Sawkarbai, another queen of Shahu. Mudhoji had initially opposed his brother

's accession to the throne of

. He deserted Janoji when

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

Madhavrao I Madhavrao I (formerly known as Madhavrao Ballal Bhat) was the second son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I, who served as the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha Empire recovered from losse ...

attacked

in 1768 (on account of Janoji supporting

, went to

's camp and unconditionally surrendered.

Reign

Mudhoji's elder brother

had appointed Mudhoji's infant son Raghoji II as ruler of

Nagpur Kingdom The Kingdom of Nagpur was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state. After the Third Anglo-Mar ...

before his death. Between 1772 and 1775 a civil war ensued between Sabaji Bhonsle and his brother Mudhoji Bhonsle for the regency of Mudhoji's infant son

Raghoji II Bhonsle Raghuji II (died 22 March 1816), or Raghuji was the Maratha ruler of the Kingdom of Nagpur in Central India from 1788 to 1816. Reign Raghuji was adopted as an infant by his uncle Janoji Bhonsle to be his chosen heir. Janoji died in 1772, and ...

, culminating in the Battle of Pachgaon. Mudhoji appeared victor and secured the regency of the

for himself. Mudhoji immediately started restoring order in the kingdom, governing wisely. In the year 1777 he cautiously entered into agreements with the English, who were then preparing to support the claims of the upstart

Raghunath Rao Raghunathrao, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada (18 August 1734 – 11 December 1783), was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He defeated ...

. In 1778, Mudhoji came to

Poona Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

to reconcile with

Nana Phadnavis Nana Fadnavis (Pronunciation: aːna pʰəɖɳəʋiːs, fəɖ- also Phadnavis and Furnuwees and abbreviated as Phadnis) (12 February 1742 – 13 March 1800), born Balaji Janardan Bhanu, was a Maratha minister and statesman during the Peshwa a ...

, a powerful Maratha statesman who was disappointed with Mudhoji for supporting the British cause in the

First Anglo-Maratha War The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first conflict fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai. As per the treaty, th ...

convinced Mudhoji to join an alliance against

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

on his stay in

. Mudhoji contributed 10,000 troops to the cause of the coalition but left after the successful siege of Badami in May 1786, leaving a major portion of his troops with

Hari Pant Haripant Phadke, known as Hari Pant was a general of the Maratha Confederacy. Hari Pant became a general during the siege of Badami on 20 May 1786 against the Kingdom of Mysore. He became general of 50,000 and won the war in Maratha-Mysore War. ...

. In 1785, he nominally added

Mandla Mandla is a city with municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandla District. The city is situated in a loop of the Narmada River, which surrounds it on three sides, and ...

and the Upper

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

Valley to the

through a deal with the

, paying twenty-seven lakh rupees to the Poona government.

Death

Mudhoji died of an illness on 18 May 1788. The

District Gazetteer The District Gazetteer is a comprehensive geographical, economic, social and cultural catalogue of the Indian subcontinent catalogued by the British Viceroy during the conquest of India. Most of the catalogues were compiled initially in the late 19 ...

states that he left behind a peaceful and prosperous kingdom at his death. After his death, his son, the now mature

assumed control of the government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madhoji Bhonsle Maratha Chiefs in the Maratha Empire Maharajas of Nagpur History of Nagpur 18th-century regents