Battle of Poona

Overview

The Battle of Pune took place on 25 October 1802 near Pune between the states of the Maratha Confederacy. The forces of the Scindia (Shinde) and the Peshwa Bajirao II were attacked by the Holkars. While the British East India Company was not involved in the battle, its outcome and aftermath led to the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Poona was fought between rival factions within the Maratha Confederacy, pitting the forces of Yashwantrao Holkar against the combined army of Peshwa Baji Rao II and Daulat Sindhia. The Peshwa's force of 25,000 suffered approximately 2,000 casualties against Holkar's 20,000. Though the British East India Company took no part in the engagement, the battle's outcome proved directly consequential for British India: the defeat destabilized Baji Rao II's position as Peshwa and drove him to seek British protection, setting in motion the diplomatic and military chain of events that produced the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803–1805. The battle thus acted as the proximate cause of a wider conflict that would ultimately extend British dominance over central India.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)