New History of the Marathas v2.c35.27

v2.c35.27

5. Character of the Peshwa.—Of all the Peshwas Madhavrao stands by common consent as the greatest in point of character. He possessed all those qualities which a good ruler ought to have,—thorough honesty, love of impartial justice, quick despatch, concern for the welfare of the people committed to his charge, and an independent judgment, formed after full enquiry, upon which he acted without fear or favour. If one takes into account that he was only sixteen when called upon to manage the complex affairs of a widely spread Empire, and that within some eleven years, of which many were wasted in an unnecessary civil war and in fighting a consuming disease, he carried to completion the main objects of his three eminent predecessors, then only can one form a correct estimate of his powers. Indeed, he stands as an outstanding figure in Maratha history and as a brilliant ornament to his nation. He possessed the statesmanship of Balaji Vishvanath, a valour second only to that of Bajirao, and a sternness which his father lacked. He wiped off the disgrace which the Maratha nation had suffered on account of the disaster at Panipat, and restored the Maratha fortunes to such a glory that it is rightly claimed that the premature death of this young Peshwa was a greater blow to the Maratha State than the disaster of Panipat. The great historian Grant Duff has justly emphasized the same view by saying, that "the plains of Panipat were not more fatal to the Maratha Empire than the early end of this excellent prince."