Capture of Delhi (1771)

The Capture of Delhi was a battle in 1771 when the forces of the Maratha Empire led by Mahadaji Shinde captured Delhi along with the Red Fort and gave Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II the throne back with a treaty. The Marathas captured Delhi from Najib Khan's son Zabita Khan who was put in charge by the Afghans. With this capture, the Marathas regained their lost supremacy in North India after the Third Battle of Panipat and conquered much of the lost territories which they lost after that battle.

In the Third Battle of Panipat, the Maratha Empire suffered a serious blow at the hands of the Muslim axis of the Durrani Empire, the Nawab of Awadh and the Kingdom of Rohilkhand under Najib ad-Dawlah. After the death of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, Madhavrao I became the Peshwa under the regency of Raghunathrao. Mahadji Shinde's victory over the Jats of Mathura, Rajputs of Rajasthan and Pashtuns-Rohillas of Rohilkhand (in the western part of present-day Uttar Pradesh state) re-established the Marathas in the northern India.