Battle of Delhi (1757)

2025-09-07T11:33:56Z

2409:408A:8EBF:722E:B58D:8D6A:E9F0:9A41:

{{Short description|1757 fought between the Maratha Empire and the Rohilla}}
{{Other uses|Battle of Delhi (disambiguation){{!}}Battle of Delhi}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| image =
| caption =
| partof =
| conflict = Battle of Delhi, 1757
| date = 11 August 1757
| place = [[Delhi]], [[India]]
| result = Maratha victory
* Raghunath Rao appoints Antaji Mankeshwar as the Maratha governor of Delhi<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mehta |first=Jaswant Lal |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Advanced_Study_in_the_History_of_Modern.html?id=d1wUgKKzawoC#v=onepage&q=marathas%20delhi%201757&f=false |title=Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813 |publisher=New Dawn Press, Incorporated |year=2005 |isbn=9781932705546 |pages=232 |language=English |format=Hardcover}}</ref>
| combatant1 = '''{{flag|Maratha Empire}}'''
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Rampur State.svg}} '''[[Kingdom of Rohilkhand]]'''
| commander1 = [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] '''[[Raghunathrao]]''' [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Malharrao Holkar]] [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Manaji Paygude [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Sakharam Bapu [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] [[Dattaji Rao Scindia|Dattaji Shinde]] [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Antaji Mankeshwar [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|25px]] Ambaji Ingle
| commander2 = {{nowrap|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Rampur State.svg}} '''[[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib-ud-Daula]]'''{{POW}}}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Rampur State.svg}} [[Mian Qutb Shah]]{{POW}}}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Rampur State.svg}} Mulla Aman Khan{{POW}}}}
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 = Minimum
| casualties2 = Heavy
| territory = Marathas gains control over Delhi.
| campaignbox =
}}

'''Battle of Delhi (1757)''' was fought on 11 August 1757 between the [[Maratha Empire]] under the command of [[Raghunath Rao]] and the [[Rohilla|Rohillas]] under the command of [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib-ud-Daula]], who was under the [[Durrani Empire|Afghan]] suzerainty and simultaneously the "Pay Master" of what remained of the [[Mughal Army]]. The battle was waged by the Marathas for the control of [[Delhi]], the Mughal capital which was invaded by [[Rohilla]] chief [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib-ud-Daula]], as a consequence of the fourth invasion of [[Hindustan|India]] by [[Ahmad Shah Abdali]].<ref name="delhi">[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&dq=marathas+in+control+of+delhi&pg=PA229 Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813]</ref>

==Background==
[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] invaded [[North India]] for the fourth time in early 1757. He entered Delhi in January 1757 and kept the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] under arrest. On his return in April 1757, Abdali re-installed the Mughal emperor [[Alamgir II]] on the Delhi throne as a titular head. However, the actual control of [[Delhi]] was given to [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib-ud-Daula]], who had promised to pay an annual tribute of two million rupees to [[Ahmad Shah Durrani|Abdali]]. Najib had also assisted Abdali in his fourth invasion and had already won the trust of the Afghan emperor. It can be said that he worked as the agent of [[Ahmad Shah Abdali|Abdali]] in Delhi court. So, [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib]] was now the de facto ruler of Delhi with [[Alamgir II]] as a puppet emperor in his control.<ref name="delhi"/>

The Mughal emperor and his ''wazir'' [[Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung III|Imad-ul-Mulk]] were alarmed by these developments. Being a vasal and paying tributary of Marathas, he requested the [[Maratha]]s to help them get rid of Abdali's agents in Delhi.<ref name="delhi"/><ref>[http://www.google.co.in/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=the+marathas+occupied+delhi+without+difficulty&btnG=#hl=en&tbm=bks&sclient=psy-ab&q=+At+this+very+moment+Ahmad+Shah+Abdali+invaded+India+the+fourth+time+in+1755+and+departed+from+Delhi+in+1757%2FShortly+after+this%2C+the+Marathas+were+invited+to+Delhi+and+the+Punjab+by+Imad.+&oq=+At+this+very+moment+Ahmad+Shah+Abdali+invaded+India+the+fourth+time+in+1755+and+departed+from+Delhi+in+1757%2FShortly+after+this%2C+the+Marathas+were+invited+to+Delhi+and+the+Punjab+by+Imad.+&gs_l=serp.3...25599.25599.0.26042.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.1...1c.qZeHMniebsw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=bc2404c6dd39d4c5&biw=1024&bih=685 Indian History - Page C-27]</ref>

==Battle==
The Marathas encamped opposite the [[Red Fort]] on the other side of [[Yamuna river]]. Najib gave the charge of 2,500 strong infantry to Qutub Shah and Mulla Aman Khan and himself commanded another infantry contingent of 5,000 elite Afghan troops and heavy artillery, which were deployed by him to prevent the Marathas from entering the city. The battle started on 11 August and after two weeks of intense fighting with heavy Afghan losses, [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib]] came of the fort with his associates to negotiate a settlement with [[Malhar Rao Holkar|Holkar]] but was surrounded and arrested by Marathas.<ref name="delhi" />

Maratha commander [[Raghunath Rao]] ordered immediate withdrawal of [[Najib ad-Dawlah|Najib]] from Delhi along with a tribute of 5 million rupees. Najib also promised that he would never return to Delhi and never threaten any Maratha fort.<ref name="delhi"/>

==Aftermath==
The Marathas had now become the de facto rulers of Delhi.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC&dq=maratha+had+become+the+de+facto+rulers+of+delhi&pg=PA232 History of Indian subcontinent]</ref> Raghunathrao appointed Antaji Mankeshwar as the Governor of Delhi province, while [[Alamgir II]] was retained as titular head with no actual power.<ref name="delhi"/><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1BY9AAAAIAAJ&dq=the+marathas+occupied+delhi+without+difficulty&pg=PA564 The New Cambridge Modern History, Volume 4]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Battle of Delhi (disambiguation)]]
* [[Battle of Plassey]] (1757)
* [[Battle of Karnal]]

* [[Decline of the Mughal Empire]]
** [[Sikh attacks on Delhi]]
** [[Maratha conquest of North-west India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=UbdgaWR_xsUC&dq=In+1757%2C+they+captured+Delhi+and+in+1758+they+conquered+Punjab+by+defeating+Timar+Shah+%28Abdali%27s+son%29&pg=SA10-PA13 TVandana Thorpe]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=MmXfBqefJh8C&dq=marathas+delhi+1757&pg=PR28 y Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī, Marcia K.]

{{Maratha Empire}}

[[Category:Battles involving the Maratha Empire|Delhi 1757]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1757|Delhi 1757]]
[[Category:1757 in India]]
[[Category:18th century in Delhi]]
[[Category:Military history of Delhi|Delhi 1757]]

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Battle of Delhi (1757)