Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Biography: From 1681 to 1689, Sambhaji was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire. He was the eldest son of the Maratha Empire’s progenitor, Shivaji. Sambhaji’s rule was significantly influenced by the ongoing conflicts between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers including the Abyssinians of Janjira, Wadiyars of Mysore, and the Portuguese Empire in Goa. His brother Rajaram I succeeded him as Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars after Sambhaji’s demise.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Biography
Early years
Sambhaji was born at Purandar Fort to the Maratha Emperor Shivaji and his first wife Saibai, who passed away when he was two years old. His paternal grandmother Jijabai reared him. Sambhaji was sent to reside with Raja Jai Singh I of Amber at the age of nine as a political hostage to ensure compliance with the Treaty of Purandar signed by Shivaji and the Mughals on 11 June 1665. As a consequence of the treaty, Sambhaji became a mansabdar under the Mughals. On 12 May 1666, he and his father Shivaji attended the court of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Agra. Both were placed under house arrest by Aurangzeb, but they escaped on July 22, 1666.[4] During the years 1666 to 1670, however, the two factions reconciled and enjoyed amicable relations.
In the years between 1666 and 1668, Prince Mu’azzam persuaded Aurangzeb to grant Shivaji the title of Raja on behalf of the Mughal Empire. Initially, Aurangzeb refused, but he eventually conceded. Aurangzeb viewed Prince Muazzam’s friendship with Shivaji and Sambhaji with considerable suspicion. Sambhaji was also reinstated to the Mughal mansabdar rank of 5,000 cavalry through the mediation of Muazzam. Shivaji then dispatched Sambhaji along with General Prataprao Gujar to serve under Prince Mu’azzam, the Mughal viceroy at Aurangabad, and Diler Khan, his lieutenant. Sambhaji paid a visit to Prince Muazzam in Aurangabad on 4 November 1667 and was granted rights to territory in Berar under the guise of tax collection. Sambhaji returned to Rajgad after a brief sojourn, while representative Maratha officers remained in Aurangabad. During this time, the Marathas led by Sambhaji fought alongside the Mughals led by Muazzam against the Bijapu Sultanate.
Career
Sambhaji was appointed crown prince of the Maratha Empire at the age of nine, and his father instructed him in various aspects of administration and military strategy. Sambhaji succeeded Shivaji as Chhatrapati (king) of the Maratha Empire after his demise in 1680.
He continued his father’s endeavours to expand the Maratha Empire during his reign. In addition to waging victorious military campaigns against the Mughal Empire and the Portuguese, he worked to strengthen the empire’s administration.
However, Sambhaji’s reign was also characterised by internal strife and political unrest. His stepmother and half-brother Rajaram also opposed him. In addition, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured him in 1689, and he was mercilessly tortured and executed.
Sambhaji Maharaj is remembered as a valiant warrior and accomplished administrator who made significant contributions to the growth and development of the Maratha Empire despite his relatively brief reign.
Personal Life
Sambhaji wed Jivubai in a marriage of political alliance; by Maratha’s custom, she adopted the name Yesubai. Jivubai was the daughter of Pilaji Shirke, who joined Shivaji’s service after Deshmukh Suryaji Surve, his previous liege, was defeated. This marriage granted Shivaji access to the Konkan coastal belt region. Yesubai had two children, a daughter named Bhavani Bai and a son named Shivaji, who went on to become the Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire.
Succession
Sambhaji’s passing destabilised the Maratha Kingdom, and his younger half-brother Rajaram I ascended to the throne. Rajaram relocated the Maratha capital to Jinji, while Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav continued to harass the Mughal army with their guerrilla forces. A few days after Sambhaji’s demise, the Mughals captured the capital, Raigad Fort. Sambhaji’s wife, Yesubai, and his son, Shahu, as well as Shivaji’s widow, Sakvarbai, were captured; Sakvarbai perished while in Mughal captivity.
Shahu, who was seven years old when he was captured, was held captive by the Mughals from February 1689 until the demise of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. The emperor Muhammad Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb, then set Shahu loose. After his release, Shahu fought a brief succession conflict with his aunt Tarabai, the widow of Rajaram, who claimed the throne for her son Shivaji II. Yesubai was held captive by the Mughals to ensure that Shahu complied with the terms of his parole. In 1719, when the Marathas were sufficiently powerful under Shahu and Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, she was liberated.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Death
Sambhaji was still a prisoner at the Panhala Fort when Shivaji perished in the first week of April 1680. Soyrabai, Shivaji’s ambitious widow and Sambhaji’s stepmother, along with influential courtiers such as Annaji Datto and other ministers, plotted against Sambhaji to prevent him from succeeding to the throne.
