Thanjavur Maratha kingdom

The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom was a South Indian monarchy ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty in the Kaveri delta from 1675 to 1855. It was founded by the Maratha general Ekoji I, also known as Venkoji Bhonsle, a half-brother of Shivaji. Sent by the Sultan of Bijapur in 1675 to recover Thanjavur from a rebellious governor, Ekoji defeated his rival and assumed sovereign power in 1676 rather than restoring the previous Nayaka line. The kingdom's capital was Thanjavur, where the court patronized Marathi, Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil literature and helped develop Thanjavur Marathi as the language of the administrative elite. During the Carnatic Wars the rulers allied with the Nawab of Arcot and the British East India Company against the French. British mediation in 1762 imposed a fixed tribute, and a treaty in 1799 ceded civil and military administration to the Company while the king retained ceremonial authority and a pension. The last ruler, Shivaji, died in 1855 without a recognized heir, and Lord Dalhousie annexed the state to the Madras Presidency under the Doctrine of Lapse. Its monuments and Saraswathi Mahal Library remain enduring legacies.