The course of Maratha history in its last phase is marked by contingencies, some of greater import than others. Against the shadowy figure of Peshwa Bajirao II, and the emasculated Shinde, Holkar and Bhonsle, stands the mighty figure of the Marquess of Hastings. Fall of the Maratha Empire, 1807–1818 (Volume II) documents the history of the Marathas and their subsequent decline during the period 1807–18, when the Peshwa was reduced to spending his days at Bithur near Kanpur as a pensioner of the British. The Pindari hordes that deluged the major part of India were exterminated by Lord Hastings followed by the consolidation of British hegemony over the Marathas, spearheaded by Elphinstone