hi,

Q1.Who was SHIVAJI ? How did the marathas rise to power ? Also state the cause of their decline in short ?

thanks :)

Dear Student,

• Shivaji (1627--1680) was the founder of Maratha Empire.He belonged to the Bhonsle clan and he carved out a stable support of powerful warrior families(deshmukhs)
• Marathas rose to power under the Peshwas. They had a successful military organisation which helped them to wage wars and chip away the Mughal empire authority. They has effective administration system as well.
• The main cause of decline of the Marathas was the hostililty of others towards Marathas on account of their expansions into other's territories and instability in the expanded kingdom.