Maratha–Portuguese War (1729–1732) - Revision history

Svetlanabpd: general expand formatting as per guidelines and updated info

2025-11-22T06:20:48Z

general expand formatting as per guidelines and updated info

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|Historycal conflict in India}}
+#REDIRECT [[Luso-Maratha War (1729–1732)]]
-{{Infobox military conflict
+{{Redirect category shell|
-| conflict          = Maratha–Portuguese War (1729–1732)
+{{R from move}}
 }}
-The '''Maratha–Portuguese War of 1729–1732''' was an armed conflict between the [[Portuguese Empire]] and the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha Confederacy]], who invaded Portuguese territory in India.
+{{Redirect category shell|
+{{R from alternative name}}
-==Context==
+}}

SJoshi at 01:02, 16 July 2023

2023-07-16T01:02:52Z

New page

{{Short description|Historycal conflict in India}}

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Maratha–Portuguese War (1729–1732)
| partof =
| image =
| caption =
| date = 1729–1732
| place = [[Konkan]], [[Indian subcontinent|India]]
| result = Portuguese victory<ref name="lobato126">Alexandre Lobato: ''Relações Luso-Maratas 1658-1737'', Centro de Estudos Históricos Ultramarinos, Lisboa, 1965, p. 126.</ref>
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|Portugal|1707}} [[Portuguese Empire]]<br>'''Supported by''' <br>{{ubl|[[File:Flag of Great Britain.svg|23px]] [[British Empire]]|[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg|23px]] [[British East India Company]]}}
| combatant2 = [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|23px]] [[Maratha Empire|Maratha Confederacy]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Portugal|1707}} Viceroy João Saldanha da Gama
*General Francisco Guerra de Mesquita
*General Martinho da Silveira
| commander2 = [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|23px]] [[Bajirao I]]
*Pilaji Jadhavrao
*Apagi Panta
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
}}
{{Portuguese colonial campaigns}}

The '''Maratha–Portuguese War of 1729–1732''' was an armed conflict between the [[Portuguese Empire]] and the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha Confederacy]], who invaded Portuguese territory in India.

==Context==
After a war against the Marathas, the [[List of governors of Portuguese India|Portuguese viceroy]] of [[Goa]] João Saldanha da Gama had previously signed with the Maratha Confederacy a peace treaty in 1726, which resulted in the "peace of Bassein", which would prove to be brief.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p.100.</ref>

Despite the peace treaty, in May 1729, Maratha forces under the command of Pilaji Jadhavrao raided two villages in the vicinity of the Portuguese fortified city of [[Daman, India|Daman]].<ref name="pissurlencar">Panduronga Pissurlencar: ''Portuguese-Maratha Relations'', Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture, Bombay, 1983, pp. 118-165.</ref><ref name="lobato101-102">Lobato, 1965, p.101-102.</ref> Since the Marathas often excused their raids as the work of [[brigands]], the commander of Portuguese forces in the region, general Francisco da Guerra de Mesquita, was instructed by the viceroy to conduct limited retaliatory attacks against the border Maratha towns from which such raids had come from.<ref name="lobato101-102"/>
[[File:Fortes de Damão.jpg|thumb|left|Portuguese forts of Daman]]
The Marathas took Portuguese retaliaton of their raids as a sign that the peace treaty had been broken.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p. 103.</ref> By the end of May 1730, the Marathas invaded the region around Bassein and war spread across the region.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p. 102.</ref> The Marathas had never attacked Portuguese territory in so much force after the reign of [[Sambhaji]].<ref>Lobato, 1965, p. 104.</ref>

==Course of hostilities==
[[File:Portuguese possessions in the Province of North.jpg|thumb|Portuguese territory in the north Konkan.]]
In spite of Maratha numerical superiority, lack of internal unity made military operations difficult, and the Portuguese viceroy was approached with a peace offer through the [[East India Company|English East India Company]] governor [[Robert Cowan (governor)|Robert Cowan]] in [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]].<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 104-105.</ref> The viceroy proposed to return captured Maratha belongings, however he refused to sign a peace while Portuguese territory was occupied by Maratha forces while the Marathas refused to return captured spoils or make peace unless the Portuguese paid tribute and allowed [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples to be built on their territory.<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 107-108.</ref><ref name="pissurlencar"/>

Realizing that the Marathas would not make peace unless directly threatened, the viceroy dispatched reinforcements from Goa were to general Guerra de Mesquita, along with instructions to persistently raid Maratha territory and also engage in psychological warfare by threatening to forcibly baptize hindu prisoners, which in the words of the viceroy, "they resent much" though the general was forbidden from actually carrying out this task.<ref name="pissurlencar"/><ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 108-109.</ref> In October 28 1730 Bagi Rao wrote to the British governor in Bombay stating: "The dispute between us and the Portuguese over Galiana-Biundi is notorious, and we have been conquering and will conquer their territories."<ref name="lobato109">Lobato, 1965, p. 109</ref>

The British aided the Portuguese in 1730 with 200 musketeers, of which 50 were Europeans and 150 sepoys, 250 sepoys and 6 galliots.<ref>Pedro Nobre: "The East India Company and the Portuguese loss
of the Província do Norte" in ''Revista Tempo'', Vol. 21 n. 37, p. 142.</ref>

By then, the shortage of fodder in the region threatened to bring Maratha cavalry incursions to a halt.<ref name="lobato109"/> Although numerically inferior, the Portuguese prevented the Marathas from taking advantage of their numerical superiority by engaging in vigorous offensive warfare with a mobile army, which pinned the Marathas.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p. 111.</ref> In April 3 1731 the viceroy decreed a general conscription for all Portuguese except those charged with [[Lèse-majesté]].<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 112-113.</ref> After reinforcements had arrived in Bassein, through persistent Portuguese attacks, Maratha offensive operations ceased.
[[File:Fortaleza de bacaim.jpg|thumb|Portuguese fortified city of Bassein.]]
Successful Portuguese operations brought the Marathas to the negotiating table.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p. 114.</ref> During negotiations however, in mid June Pilaji Jadhavrao captured a Portuguese fort in Cambá without firing a shot, by convincing its garrison to hand it over.<ref name="lobato115"/><ref name="pissurlencar"/> It appears the Portuguese commander Luís de Melo de Sampaio was invited for talks under the guise of a truce and then held hostage until the fort was evacuated.<ref>Frederick Charles Danvers: ''The Portuguese in India A. D. 1571-1894'' W. H. Allen & Co. Limited, 1894, p. 396.</ref> The viceroy later criticized Melo de Sampaio for having failed the established custom of requesting hostages from the Marathas before talks, which would have uncovered the ruse.<ref name="lobato115">Lobato, 1965, p. 115.</ref> As a result of the treachery, the Portuguese called off peace negotiations, arrested the Maratha ambassador along with his family and attendants and hostilites continued.<ref>.Lobato, 1965, pp. 115-116.</ref>

Persistent Maratha offers for peace in exchange for tribute, without withdrawing from Portuguese territory, were refused. The Marathas threatened to invade Goa, capital of Portuguese India, however this failed to intimidate the viceroy.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p.117.</ref> At the same time, the Portuguese sought to convince the Mughals to attack the Marathas.<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 117-118.</ref> Local Indian lords proved unreliable in their support for either side, inconsistently favouring whoever appeared to have the military advantage or initiative.<ref>Lobato, 1965, p.113.</ref>

==Treaty of Bombay 1732 and peace==
By January 1732, the Marathas had been immobilized for six months, unable to effectively combat the Portuguese due to internal civil affairs in their territories beyond the Konkan, and a Mughal army under the command of Quiliscan was fast approaching.<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 118-119.</ref> Many Marathas had begun to seek refuge in Portuguese territory from the advancing Mughals. The Portuguese had secretly promised aid to the Mughals against the Marathas.

Under the mediation of the British governor in Bombay, in January 30 a peace treaty was signed in [[Bombay Castle]] between the Portuguese, represented by Francisco de Melo de Castro and the Marathas, represented by Siva Rama Pandit and Raiagi Ramagi.<ref>Lobato, 1965, pp. 121-122.</ref>

==Aftermath==
The Marathas withdrew from Portuguese territory.<ref name="lobato126"/> Nevertheless, Bajirao planned to resume hostilities against the Portuguese with an attack on [[Salsette Island|Salcette Island]] on 13 March 1733.<ref name="pissurlencar"/> Peace would prove to be short, as five years later the Marathas would again invade Portuguese territory and attack Bassein.<ref name="lobato126"/>

==See also==
*[[Maratha–Portuguese War (1683–1684)]]
*[[Portuguese India]]
*[[Mughal-Maratha Wars]]
*[[Battle of Vasai]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Conflicts in India]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1729]]
[[Category:Portuguese India]]
[[Category:Colonial India]]
[[Category:History of Portugal]]
[[Category: History of Goa]]
[[Category: History of Mumbai]]
[[Category: History of Vasai]]
[[Category: History of Daman and Diu]]
[[Category: Wars involving Portugal]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Maratha Empire]]