Soyarabai

Soyarabai Bhonsle (née Mohite) (died 1681) was one of the wives of Shivaji, the founder of Maratha Kingdom in western India. She was the younger sister of Maratha army chief Hambirrao Mohite.

Early life
She was married to Shivaji at a very young age in 1642. The marriage took place when Shivaji visited his father Shahaji at Bangalore with his mother Jijabai.  After the death of Jijabai in 1674, Soyarabai became more important in Shivaji's family. This was also true for Maratha court politics. Soyarabai had two children with Shivaji, daughter Balibai and son Rajaram.
Imprisonment
Shivaji died in 1680 at his capital without naming any successor. In order to continue the empire, Soyarabai got her ten-year-old son, Rajaram as the only legal successor to the throne. But her stepson and heir presumptive Sambhaji, was able to stop this. They got help from Soyrabai's brother, army chief Hambirrao Mohite and put Soyarabai and Rajaram in prison. They took the full power and Sambhaji became the Chhatrapati on 20 July 1680. 

 Death 
After that, she tried all ways to de-throne him. Soyarabai's followers tried to poison Sambhaji in August 1681, but he survived. Later in the years she died due to illness.

References

Category:1681 deaths
Category:Indian murder victims
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:Marathi people