Shahaji Bhosale (Pronunciation: [ʃəɦad͡ʒiː]; c. 1594 – 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle clan, Shahaji inherited the Pune and Supe jagirs (fiefs) from his father Maloji, who previously served the Ahmadnagar. During the Mughal invasion of Deccan, Shahaji joined the Mughal forces and served under Emperor Shah Jahan for a short period. After being deprived of his jagirs, he defected to the Bijapur Sultanate in 1632 and regained control over Pune and Supe. In 1638, he received the jagir of Bangalore after the Bijapur's invasion of Kempe Gowda III's territories. Afterwards, he became the chief general of Bijapur and oversaw its expansion. Shahaji brought the house of Bhosale into prominence and was the father of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the princely states of Tanjore, Kolhapur, and Satara were ruled by Shahaji's descendants. Early life Shahaji was the son of Maloji Bhosale, a career soldier who was awarded the jagirs of Pune and Supe districts by the court of the Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar. According to Shivabharata, a history composed by Shivaji's court poet Paramananda, Maloji's wife Umabai prayed to the Sufi Pir Shah Sharif of Ahmadnagar to bless her with a son, while according to other sources, Shahaji was the one who prayed to the Shah Sharif. Umabai eventually gave birth to two sons, who were named Shahaji and Sharifji after the Pir. Shahaji was betrothed to Jijabai, the daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav, another Maratha general in the service of Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar, when both of them were children. Early career Like his father Maloji, Shahaji served in the army of Malik Ambar, the prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate. At the time of Maloji's death in 1622, 26-year old Shahaji was a minor commander in Malik Ambar's army. By 1625, he held the high military position of Sar Lashkar, as suggested by a letter sent from Pune on 28 July. Ahmadnagar was involved in conflicts against the northern Mughal Empire and other Deccan Sultanates, and Shahaji kept switching his loyalty between these states. For example, sometime before the Battle of Bhatvadi in 1624, Shahaji and some other Maratha leaders defected to the Mughals, but shortly before the battle they returned to Ahmadnagar. Malik Ambar's