Shivaji

@Kings, Life Achievements and Family

Shivaji was a great Indian warrior, who established the Maratha kingdom in western India

Feb 19, 1627

IndianHistorical PersonalitiesEmperors & KingsAquarius Celebrities
Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: February 19, 1627
  • Died on: April 3, 1680
  • Nationality: Indian
  • Famous: Emperors, Kings, Historical Personalities, Emperors & Kings
  • Spouses: Gunvantibai, Kashibai, Laxmibai, Putalabai, Sagunabai, Sai Bhosale, Sakvarbai, Soyarabai
  • Siblings: Ekoji I, Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale
  • Known as: Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji born at

Shivneri

Unsplash
Birth Place

In 1640, he got married to Saibai, from the renowned Nimbalkar family, with whom he had four children – daughter Sakhubai (1651), daughter Ranubai (1653), daughter Ambikabai (1655) and son Sambhaji (1657).

Unsplash
Personal Life

His second marriage to Soyarabai was forcefully arranged by his stepmother, Tukabai, despite Jijabai’s consistent refusal. The couple had two children – daughter Balibai and son Rajaram.

Unsplash
Personal Life

He had several other wives, including Putalabai, Sakvarbai and Kashibai.

Unsplash
Personal Life

Shivaji Bhonsale was born in 1627 (or 1630) at Shivneri, a hill fort near Junnar, Pune, into a family of Maratha bureaucrats, to Shahji Bhonsale, a Maratha general in the army of the Bijapur Sultanate, and Jijabai.

Unsplash
Childhood & Early Life

His mother’s extremely religious nature made a great impact on his upbringing as he grew up studying Ramayana and Mahabharata and showed great interest in religious teachings, especially those of Hindu and Sufi saints.

Unsplash
Childhood & Early Life

He was brought up by his mother and his administrator, Dadoji Konddeo, who taught him horse riding, archery, marksmanship, patta and other fighting techniques after his father left for Karnataka with his second wife, Tukabai.

Unsplash
Childhood & Early Life

He made his first military conquest at the age of 16 in 1645 by attacking and capturing Torna Fort in the Bijapur Sultanate, followed by conquest of other forts – Chakan, Kondana, and Rajgad.

Unsplash
Accession & Reign

Fearing his rising power, the Bijapur Sutlan, Mohammed Adil Shah imprisoned his father, following which he halted his conquests and built a stronger army until his father’s release in 1653 or 1655.

Unsplash
Accession & Reign

The Bijapur Sultan sent his general, Afzal Khan, to supress Shivaji in November 1659, who, fearing Afzal’s deceitful plans, came armed with bagh nakh (tiger claw) in one hand and a dagger in the other, and slayed him at the Pratapgar Fort.

Unsplash
Accession & Reign

He was attacked by the army of Adilshah’s general, Siddi Jauhar, while camping at Panhala Fort, near present-day Kolhapur, in 1660, but Shivaji escape to Vishalgad fort to regroup his large army for a battle. Backed by his Maratha sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande, who wounded himself while holding back the army at the Battle of Pavan Khind, he reached Vishalgad safely, resulting in a truce between him and Adilshah in July 1660.

Unsplash
Accession & Reign

He resumed his raids after his father’s death in 1664-65 and seized the northern parts of Konkon and forts of Purandar and Javali.

Unsplash
Accession & Reign

His army attacked the Bijapur Sultanate’s forces at the Battle of Pratapgarh killing over 3,000 soldiers and imprisoning two sons of Afzal Khan, besides seizing weapons, war-materials, horses and armor to further strengthen his army.

Unsplash
Major Battles

To curb down the emerging power of Shivaji, the Bijapur Sultan sent an army of 10,000 forces under Rustam Zaman in December 1659 but was defeated at the hands of the Maratha army at the Battle of Kolhapur.

Unsplash
Major Battles

Aurangzeb sent Rajput Raja Jai Singh to suppress Shivaji and succeeded in capturing various Maratha forts, thereby forcing him to surrender and sign the Treaty of Purandar in 1665, ceding 23 forts and 400,000 rupees to the Mughals.

Unsplash
Major Battles