Balaji Vishwanath

Shrimant Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath
बाळाजी विश्वनाथ
Portrait of Balaji Vishwanath at the Peshwa Memorial in Parvati Hill, Pune
6th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy
In office November 16, 1713 – April 12, 1720
Monarch	Shahu I
Preceded by	Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi
Succeeded by	Baji Rao I
Personal details
Born	Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1662-01-01)1 January 1662 Shrivardhan, Bijapur Sultanate (modern day Maharashtra, India)
Died	12 April 1720(1720-04-12) (aged 58) Saswad, Maratha Empire (modern day Maharashtra, India)
Spouse(s)	Radhabai
Children	Bajirao I Chimaji Appa Bhiubai Joshi Anubai Ghorpade [1] Bhikaji Ranoji
Parents	Vishwanath Pant Bhat (Visaji) (father) Unknown (mother)

Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State.^[2] He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji II. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.