[April 3] Shivaji, chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire

Surname: Shivaji Bhosle (ʃiʋaˑɟiˑ bʱoˑs(ə)leˑ)

Parents: Shahaji and Jibabai

Date of Birth: 19 February 1630

House: Shivaji

Spouse: Sai bai, Soyarabai, Putalabai, Sakavaarbai, and others

Reign: 1674 – 1680

Summary: Shivaji was born into a mercenary band that worked for the Deccan Sultanates, a confederation of sultanates ruling central India during the early Moghul period. Shivaji was named after a local deity and was religious throughout his life thanks to the upbringing from his mother. He was a devout Hindu who respected the tenets of Sufi Islam. Shivaji began claiming power in India at the age of 16 when he convinced a regional commander to hand over possession of a local fortress to him. He petitioned the Moghul Emperor to recognize him as an ally and together they worked to release Shivaji's father from captivity. He had been captured two years prior due to the tenacity of his son. From that point onward, Shivaji began to accumulate a well-organized army. He taught his army to respect women captured in war, to maintain religious monuments even when of a different religion, to avoid enslaving captured prisoners, and to cease with forced religious conversations. Through many years, he became one of the most skilled military tacticians in the world, developing the Shiva sutra, which was a form of guerrilla warfare. He amassed an army 100,000 strong and began conquering the Deccan Plateau in Central India, though with many setbacks along the way. During the early years of his insurrection, Shivaji maintained peaceful relations with the Mughals, but in 1657, small guerrilla strikes made by both sides finally ended the peace. Warfare continued between the two Indian powers until 1666 when Shivaji was captured by the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb. He was placed under house arrested but managed to escape through deception. He and his son made it back to the Deccan dressed as holy men, while convincing Aurangzeb that he was dead. For four years peace was maintained, but Shivaji struck back against the Moghuls in 1670, recovering much of the territory he had lost before 1666. Shivaji then began repairing Fort Raigad as the location of his new capital.


On 6 June 1674, Shivaji was crowned the chhatrapati (emperor) of the Maratha Empire.  50,000 people gathered for his coronation ceremony. When his mother died two weeks later, he had a second coronation performed for good luck. Shivaji then began conquering southern India. His army of 50,000 strong headed south, though it never made it to the bottom tip of India. Six years later, Shivaji died. The emperor was succeeded by his son Raja Ram but Raja was within days deposed and replaced with Sambhaji, the true heir of Shivaji. Shivaji was an emperor like none other who balanced internal and external affairs and organized a truly modern form of a cabinet to lead different areas of public life. He maintained a standing army built on respect while also building a large navy to secure the borders from both Indian and European rivals. He even abolished the feudal system in his lands over a century before the same was done in some European countries. Many of his fortresses survive today as ruins across the Deccan countryside. In India today, he is recognized as a national hero in the early Indian independence movement.

Date of Death: 3 April 1680

Successor: Sambhaji

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• William III, duke of Aquitaine (963)
• Honorius IV, pope of Rome (1287)
• Eudes IV, duke of Burgundy (1350)