Maratha Empire is one of the prominent Indian empire which ruled majority of India and reached its pinnacle during 1600 era. Journey of the first Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj (1630 - 1680) is very eventful and can fit in the AOE campaign very well and can represent India with its own native ruler. It has everything that makes a solid story - a hero, unique warfare style, conquests and fight for freedom with Mughal and British Empires. Here is an attempt to give a snapshot of how the whole story can fit in from AOE perspective.
Birth of Shivaji:
It all began with a warrior mother who trained and instilled values of freedom and equality into a young boy who would one day become the King of Marathas. Born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, Pune India on 19 February 1630, near the city of Junnar. At the time of Shivajiâs birth, power in the Deccan was shared by three Islamic sultanates: Bija pur, Ahmednagar, and Golkonda. A fight was about to began for the Swarajya (meaning âself-ruleâ) when India was ruled by Mughals.
Rise of a King:
In 1646, at a young age of 16-years, Shivaji captured the Torna Fort. In the following two years, Shivaji took several important strategic forts near Pune, including Purandar, Kondhana, and Chakan. A General was in making, as he brought areas east of Pune around Supa, Baramati, and Indapur under his direct control. The list of conquests was long:
- Battle of Raigarh (1646)
- Battle of Torna (1647)
- Battle of Thanjavur (1656)
- Treaty of Purandar (1665)
- Battle of Umargarh (1666).
- Conquest of Berar and Khan desh (1673â74)
- The coronation of King Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj took place at Raigad Fort on June 6, 1674.
- In 1677, Shivaji invaded Karnataka (Southern part of India) with 30,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry, backed by Golkonda artillery and established strong hold over that region. Thus creating dominance over majority of India.
Although Shivaji was not very tall built, but he was a ferocious and skillful warrior. His combat with Afzal Khan has a special place in Maratha history. Khan was one of the most feared General of Adil Shahi dynasty, with a huge physique and was 7 feet tall. The two met in a hut in the foothills of Pratapgad fort on 10 November 1659 for negotiations. Shivaji, suspecting Afzal Khan would arrest or attack him, wore armour beneath his clothes and concealed a âWaagh Nakhâ (metal âtiger clawâ) on his left arm. In the disguise of a friendly hug, Khan tried to attack Shivaji. But the armour and bagh nakh saved him. Khan was eventually killed.
Shivaji died in April 1680 at the age of 50 due to fever and health conditions.
Unique warfare style - Guerrilla:
Marathas used the guerrilla warfare style in early times to fight the war against the Mughal army due to their armyâs small size. The word guerrilla means âsmall groupâ. Shivaji had prepared a small and agile Maratha army to suit the geographical conditions of the hilly areas.
These soldiers were trained in fast movement and fighting. They would suddenly attack the Mughal army and immediately retreat into the mountains. They were trained to attack at night which gave element of surprise. These tactics worked in favour of this small size of army. The Mughal army became completely helpless due to the guerrilla warfare style.
Unique Weapons - Waagh Nakh (Metal âTiger Clawsâ), Daand Patta (a sword with a gauntlet integrated as a handguard), ###### (doubly curved doubly edged S shaped bladed dagger with a looped hilt), etc.
Ref: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-unique-weapons-used-by-Marathas
Shivajiâs military forces expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy.
Strong naval power:
In early Modern India, Mughal Empire had paid less attention to building the naval arm of their military forces. This scenario changed, however, when the Portuguese arrived in India and started monopolizing and controlling trade on the western coast of the continent. Shivaji realized the importance of a strong navy and commissioned the building of the first Maratha naval vessel in a creek near Kalyan around 1654.
In 1674, the year of Shivajiâs coronation, the Portuguese at Goa acknowledged the Maratha naval power and sent their emissary to Shivaji with gifts; they signed a treaty of friendship. Around this time, the Maratha Navyâs strength was around 5,000 men and 57 warships. During its expedition to Karwar (present-day Karnataka), the navy possessed around 85 assorted Gallivats (warboat) ranging from 30 to 150 tons and 3 three-masted Gurabs/Grabs (warship).
Hope the AOE team will give some attention to this and make a wonderful AOE experience of it.
References: Maratha Empire - Wikipedia