Battle of Peshawar (1758)

This article is about the battle in 1758. For the battle in 1001, see Battle of Peshawar (1001). For the battle in 1834, see Battle of Peshewar.
Battle of Peshawar
Date8 May 1758
LocationPeshawar, Now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Result Decisive Maratha victory
Territorial
changes		 Peshawar captured by Marathas.[1]
Belligerents
Maratha Empire
Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Raghunathrao
Malhar Rao Holkar
Tukoji Holkar		 Timur Shah Durrani
Jahan Khan

The Battle of Peshawar took place in on 8 May 1758 between Maratha Empire and the Durrani Empire. The Marathas were victorious in the battle and Peshawar was captured. Before that, the fort of Peshawar was being guarded by Durrani troops under Timur Shah Durrani and Jahan Khan. After being defeated by the army of Marathas, they managed to escape the fort and fled to Afghanistan. The victory in this battle is considered a great success for Marathas as now their rule had extended to the border of Afghanistan, located 2000 km far from their capital Pune.

Aftermath

In Punjab, North-West Frontier Province and Kashmir, the Marathas were now major players.[2][3][4] Malhar Rao Holkar, the commander-in-chief of Maratha forces remained in Peshawar for three months after which he retired to Pune giving the control to Tukoji Rao Holkar with 10,000 Maratha troops to guard the fort of Peshawar from Afghans.[5] However, the city was recaptured by the larger forces of Durrani in 1759.

Notes

  1. ↑ Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia, p. 43, at Google Books
  2. ↑ Roy, Kaushik. India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil. Permanent Black, India. pp. 80–1. ISBN 978-8178241098.
  3. ↑ Elphinstone, Mountstuart (1841). History of India. John Murray, Albermarle Street. p. 276.
  4. ↑ S.R. Sharma (1999). Mughal empire in India: a systematic study including source material. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 763. ISBN 978-81-7156-819-2. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813, p. 237, at Google Books

References