Shamsher Bahadur I

Shamsher Bahadur I (1734 – 14 January 1761), also known as Krishna Rao, was a Maratha ruler of the dominion of Banda in northern India. He was the son of Bajirao I and Mastani.

Shamsher Bahadur was the son of Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I and his second wife Mastani, whose mother was a Persian Muslim. Bajirao wanted Shamsher Bahadur to be accepted as a Hindu Brahmin, but because of his mother's Muslim heritage, the priests refused to conduct the Hindu upanayana ceremony for him. His education and military training was conducted in line with other sons of the Peshwa royal family, even though Maratha nobles and chiefs didn't recognize Mastani as a legitimate wife of the Peshwa. After the death of both Bajirao and Mastani in 1740, Shamsher was taken into the household of Kashibai, Bajirao's widow, and raised as one of her own.

Shamsher Bahadur was bestowed upon a portion of his father's dominion of Banda and Kalpi. He alongside with Raghunathrao, Malharrao Holkar, Dattaji Shinde, Jankoji Shinde and other Sardars Went to Punjab in 1757–1758 against Durrani Empire and Won Attock, Peshawar, Multan In 1758. He was the part of Maratha Conquest of North India. In 1761, he and his army contingent fought alongside his cousins from the Peshwa family in the Third Battle of Panipat between the Marathas and Afghans. He was wounded in that battle and died a few days later at Deeg. Shamsher's successor Ali Bahadur (Krishna Singh) established his authority over large parts of Bundelkhand and became the Nawab of Banda. The descendant of Shamsher Bahadur continued their allegiance to the Maratha polity and his grandson, Shamsher Bahadur II, fought the English in the Anglo-Maratha War of 1803. His descendant, Ali Bahadur fought alongside with Rani Lakshmibai in First War of Indian Independence of 1857. His descendants were known as Nawabs of Banda. But after the defeat of Ali Bahadur, the British abolished the Banda state. His present descendants lead a simple life in Banda.