Bhonsle

The Bhonsle or Bhonsale were a prominent Maratha clan who served as rulers of several states in India.

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The most prominent member of the clan was Sivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire. His successors ruled as maharajas from their capital at Satara, although de facto rule of the empire passed to the Peshwas, the Marathas' hereditary chief ministers, during the reign of Shahu I.

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In addition to the Bhonsle Maharajas of Satara, rulers of the Bhonsle clan established themselves at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu in the 17th century, and at Nagpur and Kolhapur in modern-day Maharashtra in the 18th century. The Bhonsle of Thanjavur were descendants of Sivaji's half-brother Venkaji, while the Bhonsle of Satara and Kolhapur were descended from Sivaji's sons, Sambhaji and Rajaram.

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After the British defeat of the Marathas in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the Marathas were forced to accept British rule. The four Bhonsle dynasties continued as rulers of their princely states, acknowledging British sovereignty while retaining local autonomy. The states of Nagpur, Thanjavur, and Satara came under direct British rule in the mid-nineteenth century when their rulers died without male heirs; Kolhapur continued as a princely state until India's independence in 1947, when the rulers acceded to the Indian government.

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Maratha: Maratha is a kshatriya (warrior) caste of Marathi language speaking people primarily residing in the plains and hills of India's western state of Maharashtra. They are thought to be descendents of India's Scythian conquerors who mingled with the local people. Buddhists initially, they converted to H...

India: The Republic of India is a country in South Asia which comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres, and shares its borders with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh...

Sivaji: The name Sivaji can be referred to:...