The chronology of the Peshwa dynasty is a story of three generations of the Bhat family who transformed from royal ministers to de facto emperors. It began with Balaji Vishwanath (1713–1720), who secured the hereditary right to the title of Peshwa. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the legendary warrior Baji Rao I (1720–1740), who expanded Maratha power into North India. Baji Rao I had two sons who would define the family’s future: his successor Nan Saheb (Balaji Baji Rao) and the ambitious Raghunathrao.
Under Nan Saheb (1740–1761), the empire reached its territorial peak, but his death following the disaster at Panipat passed the mantle to his son, Madhavrao I (1761–1772). Madhavrao I successfully resurrected the empire’s power but died young, leaving the throne to his younger brother, Narayanrao (1772–1773). In a tragic turn of family relations, Narayanrao was murdered by his own uncle, Raghunathrao, who sought the throne for himself. This treachery led to the installation of Narayanrao’s infant son, Madhavrao II (1774–1795), as a child-ruler under a council of regents. The line finally ended with Baji Rao II (1796–1818), the son of Raghunathrao, whose weak leadership and internal family feuds with the Scindias and Holkars eventually led to the British annexation of the empire.
Anglo-Maratha War Treaties
| War | Treaty | Year |
| First War(1775-82) | Treaty of Surat | 1775 |
| Treaty of Purandar | 1776 | |
| Convention of Wadgaon | 1779 | |
| Treaty of Salbai (Final) | 1782 | |
| Second War(1803-05) | Treaty of Bassein(peshwas) | 1802 |
| Treaty of Deogaon (Bhonsle) | 1803 | |
| Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon (Scindia) | 1803 | |
| Treaty of Rajpurghat (Holkar) | 1805 | |
| Third War(1817-19) | Treaty of Poona (Peshwa) | 1817 |
| Treaty of Gwalior (Scindia) | 1817 | |
| Treaty of Mandasor (Holkar/Final) | 1818 |