Yesaji Angre was a military commander and the youngest son of

Kanhoji Angre Kanhoji Angre (Help:IPA/Marathi, anʱod͡ʒiː aːŋɡɾe, also known as Conajee Angria or Sarkhel Angré (August 1669 – 4 July 1729) was a Maratha Navy admiral. Kanhoji became known for attacking and capturing European Union, European Ea ...

, the famed

Maratha Navy The Maratha Navy was the maritime component of the military forces of the Maratha Confederacy, active along the western coast of India from the mid-17th to early 19th century. It was established under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji in ...

admiral from his wife Gahinabai Bhonsle. He spent his naval career under the service of his elder half-brother Sambhaji Angre. The Gwalior branch of the Angre family was descended from him.

Career

After the death of Sekhoji Angre, the ''sarkhel'' (supreme commander or admiral) of the

, his younger brother Sambhaji Angre succeeded him as ''sarkhel''. Upon Sambhaji Angre's succession as ''sarkhel'', Yesaji Angre was given charge of administrative and civil duties of the

Kolaba Fort Kolaba Fort located at Alibag beach is an old fortified maritime base in Alibag. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag, 35 km south of Mumbai, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is ...

. Shortly after, Manaji Angre quarreled with his brothers (including Yesaji), and unable to hold his ground against his brothers' superior force, took shelter with the Portuguese at Lower

Chaul Chaul is a historic town located in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Korlai Fort is located nearby. History Many foreign writers have mentioned Chaul. Ptolemy in his ''Geography of India'' calls the town Symullla or Timulla. The ...

Revdanda Revdanda is a village near Alibaug, Raigad District, Maharashtra. It is the site of the medieval 'Chaul harbor'. Directions India. It is connected through a coastal highway (Sagari Mahamarg) away from Alibag, away from Mumbai, 37 km ...

. From

Manaji gathered a few troops, launched a surprise attack on the

and successfully captured it. With the

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 ...

's aid, he also defeated and captured Yesaji. According to the Maritime History Society, Yesaji was subsequently executed, while the Kolaba district gazetteer does not mention it.

Personal life

Yesaji Angre was the last and youngest child born to

, a famed and powerful admiral in the

, by his third wife Gahinabai of the

Bhonsle The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of India. History Earliest members The earliest accepted members of the Bhonsles are Mudhoji Bhonsle and his kin Rupaji Bhonsle, who were the vi ...

family. Dhondji was his elder sibling, Sekhoji and Sambhaji, were the sons of Kanhoji from Rajubai and two sons- Manaji and Tulaji, were his half brothers from Lakshmibai. Yesaji fathered three children, two of them sons- Mawji by his wife Krishnabai and Baburao by his wife Kashibai. The third was a daughter named Maina Bai, who married Anandrao Scindia, nephew of

Mahadji Shinde Mahadaji Shinde (23 December 1730 – 13 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Scindia, was a Maratha statesman and general who served as the Maharaja of Gwalior from 1768 to 1794. He was the fifth and the youngest son o ...

and became the mother of

Daulat Rao Scindia Daulat Rao Scindia (1779 – 21 March 1827) also conferred with the title "''The defender of Delhi"'' was the Maratha Maharaja of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremac ...

, the ruler of Gwalior Kingdom. His children settled at the court of the

Scindia House of Scindia or earlier known as the Sendrak was a Hindu Maratha Royal House that ruled the erstwhile Gwalior State in central India. Ranoji Scindia rose as a prominent military commander under Peshwa Bajirao I. Ranoji and his descendants ...

kings of

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

, and achieved remarkable success, serving as hereditary prime ministers or in other influential positions for over two centuries.

Descendants

At times the powerful Angre family of Gwalior tried to claim the throne of Kolaba for themselves, but failed. Chandrojirao Angre, Yesaji's descendant, distinguished himself as the champion of Hinduism and was popularly called "Dharmvir". Chandrojirao Angre's son

Sambhaji Angre Sardar Sambhaji Chandroji Rao Angre (1920–2008) was an Indian politician . He was a Member of Parliament, representing Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament as a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Ak ...

was an influential politician and strong supporter of

Vijaya Raje Scindia Vijaya Raje Scindia (born Lekha Divyeshwari Devi; 12 October 1919 – 25 January 2001), known popularly as the Rajmata Scindia, was an Indian politician and consort of the last ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, Jiwajirao Scindia, in British Raj. ...

, and was involved in a legal fight against

Madhavrao Scindia Madhavrao Jiwajirao Scindia (10 March 1945 – 30 September 2001) was an Indian politician and minister in the Government of India. He was a member of the Indian National Congress. He was viewed as a potential future prime ministerial candidat ...

over property issues and the will of the late

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angre, Yesaji People from the Maratha Empire People from Alibag