New History of the Marathas v1.c19.s1.18

v1.c19.s1.18

The Emperor's anxiety at this time was two-fold, to ensure the peaceful succession to his throne after his own death, and to conciliate the Marathas by offering them such terms as they could accept but as would not damage his prestige. On these points he took serious counsel with his best advisers and entrusted the affairs of the Deccan to his beloved son Kam Baksh with Zulfiqar Khan as his guide, leaving northern India to be shared by the other two sons. Such a division of his Empire between his three sons was long contemplated by him. On 27 November 1703 the Emperor called up Shāhu and entrusted his person to Kam Baksh with instructions to open negotiations with Dhanāji Jadhav about the release of Shāhu. Thereupon Dhanāji was consulted and he offered to close the war on condition that the Maratha King should have the right to levy *Chauth* and *Sardeshmukhi* dues upon the six subhas of the Deccan, in lieu of which the Marathas would protect the country. Dhanāji also agreed to take charge of Shāhu and swear allegiance to the Emperor, provided the prominent leaders of Maratha bands were received by him in open Darbar and honoured with dresses, so that all might feel that the Maratha kingdom of Shivaji's days had been restored to Shāhu as a recognised feudatory of the supreme Mughal authority. These terms were agreed to and invitations were sent round to the chiefs of the Maratha army. Soon these leaders assembled in Dhanaji's camp close to the Emperor's, each with his full quota of troops. When the Emperor saw this huge Maratha assemblage, his suspicious nature became alarmed; he feared that this was a Maratha trick, an intentional ruse to capture his own person. He forthwith broke up the intended negotiations, to the great joy of the Marathas who were unwilling to accept Mughal suzerainty after all the sacrifices of years of war. It appears evident that Dhanāji and Shāhu had open conferences at this time, in the presence of Kam Baksh and Zulfiqar Khan, and possibly Balaji Vishvanath was then a confidential adviser of Dhanaji. This accounts for Dhanaji's respect for Shahu just before the battle of Khed in 1707 and his quick desertion of Tarabai's cause.