Kolhapur

Unlike Chatrapati Rajaram, his widow declared the power stays with her line and coronated her son Shivaji as the ruler in absence of Shambhaji's son Shahu. She imprisoned her co-widow Rajasbai along with her son Sambhaji and took charge of the administration and one would note that she is the driving force behind the Maratha bounce back after the death of Rajaram. Soon after Rajaram died, Aurangzeb marched on the Maratha Empire and took both Panhala and Vishalgad in 1701. Soon after Aurangzeb returned to Ahmednagar, Ramchandra Pant Amatya took Panhala and Tarabai made it her base. By this time, it was clear that the Mughal power was on the wane and though Aurangzeb won a string of victories till 1705, these only acted as temporary affairs. On his death, his son Azam Shah, in an effort to divert the Marathas during his fight for the Mughal crown released Shahu and appointed him the head of Marathas.

Shahu sent letters demanding allegiance but Tarabai refused to accept him - and instead declared him to be an impostor. This only led to an open rift in the Maratha ranks with most of the high officers - Ramchandra Pant Amatya, Dhanaji Jadhav, Parashuram Pant Pratinidhi and Shankarji Narayan Gandekar siding her. A major part of this is because of Tarabai's claims that Shahu is an impostor. When Dhanaji Jadhav engaged him on field, he realized he is not an impostor and defected. Parashuram Pant Pratinidhi was captured during the fall of Satara and would spend his life in prison as he refused to leave Tarabai's side. However, he maintained it as a personal loyalty to Tarabai and made his son Sripatrao a loyal adherent to Shahu. By 1708, the tide has completely turned and with the fall of Panhala and Vishalgad, Tarabai fled into Konkan. Shahu then moved on Shankarji Narayan who held the line of forts guarding Pune. The Pant Sachiv torn between split loyalties - the Maratha crown on one side and his oath to Tarabai on the other, took Sanyasa and committed suicide. A shocked Shahu appointed his infant son as the hereditary Pant Sachiv. Using the window, Tarabai took Panhala but the Pant Sachiv's death completely broke Tarabai's power and Shahu would soon seize control of the empire. What was left with Tarabai came to be known as Kolhapur or Karavira.

Amidst this chaos, Rajasbai led a palace coup which led to the arrest of Tarabai and Shivaji in 1714 while her son Sambhaji was placed on the throne. Shivaji would die of small pox in prison in 1726. Ramchandra Pant Amatya still continued as the Pant Amatya. At this time, Parashuram Pant Pratinidhi's eldest son defected to Kolhapur in Vishalgad and his younger brother Sripatrao had to march on him to defeat him. The Nizam of Hyderabad, on the other had, put his weight behind Kolhapur to contain the Marathas but was severely defeated by the Marathas in 1727 at Palkhed post which he had to withdraw his support to Kolhapur. Shambhaji, in parallel, marched on Satara but was severely defeated and captured along with Tarabai and her daughter-in-law Bhavanibai. The two were shifted to Satara while