The Treaty of Bassein made the Maratha peshwa a British client ruler, setting in motion the dissolution of the Maratha Empire by 1818.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 31 December 1802
- Location
- Bassein (Vasai), present-day India
- Peshwa restored
- 13 May 1803, under British protection
- Maratha Empire dissolved
- 1818, following British annexation
- Triggered conflict
- Second Anglo-Maratha War
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Battle of Poona, Baji Rao II, the peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, found himself politically weakened and sought British protection to secure his position against rival Maratha chieftains who had driven him from power.
On 31 December 1802, Baji Rao II signed the Treaty of Bassein with the British East India Company, accepting British suzerainty and a subsidiary alliance in exchange for restoration to the peshwaship of the Maratha Confederacy.
Baji Rao II was reinstated as peshwa on 13 May 1803 as a British client ruler, extending Company dominance over the subcontinent. Not all Maratha chiefs accepted the agreement, triggering the Second Anglo-Maratha War and ultimately leading to British annexation of Maratha territories in 1818.
Political Outcome
Baji Rao II accepted British suzerainty and was restored as peshwa; the Maratha Confederacy effectively became a British client state, culminating in British annexation of Maratha territories by 1818.
Maratha Confederacy as a sovereign power in western India
Peshwa as British client ruler; Company dominance extended over western India