Following the capture of the Mysore Kingdom, the Maratha Confederacy was one of two major Indian powers (the other being the Sikh Empire) still operating outside of British control.

However, the Confederacy was mired in internal conflict, with Maratha chiefs routinely planning assassination and intrigue against other city-states.

The above map demonstrates the vast territory under the Maratha Confederacy’s control.

Source: Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1907, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1802 the Peshwa of Poona signed the Treaty of Bassein, precluding himself from entering into treaties or war with any other Maratha state without permission from the East India Company, in exchange for the protection of 6,000 British troops. Considered a decisive step toward the dissolution of the Maratha Confederacy, the Treaty of Bassein was instrumental in inciting the Second Anglo-Maratha War.