The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.77

c9.77

The Peshwas not only encouraged but sometimes compelled the garrison to bring their families into the fort. This was probably a wise precaution. Shahu had compelled Sheikh Mira to betray his trust by putting under arrest his wife and children who were living in an unprotected village outside the fort, and the Peshwas rightly feared that such a pressure could be brought to bear upon their officers as well by an invading enemy. During the troubles created by the pretender Sadoba the Peshwa’s Government therefore not only permitted the garrison in the troubled area to bring their families within the fort, but also granted them an extra allowance and exempted them from some newly imposed taxes.⁴