On Sunday, 29 March, it was reported to Lieutenant Baugh, Adjutant of the 34th N. L that a sepoy, named Mangal Pandey, had turned out.
The first to rise was a detachment of sepoys at Aligarhon May 20, if 57 This was followed by mutinies in the Punjab, at Naushera, on May 21, and Hoti Marden during the next two or three days. .
Causes
Lord Dalhousie՚s Doctrine of Lapse.
Under this Dalhousie annexed:
Dlhousie Annexed CitiesCities Annexed by Dalhousie and the Corresponding Year
Satara
1848
Jaitpur
1849
Sambhalpur
1849
Punjab
1849
Sikkim
1850
Bharatpur
1850
Udaipur
1852
Pegu (Burma)
1852
Jhansi
1853
Nagpur
1845
Awadh
1856
Abolition of titles and pensions
Discrimination in payment and promotions with Indian sepoys
Religious objections by sepoys.
According to Hindu customs and traditions crossing the sea meant losing caste.
Activities of christian missionories led to the resentment of the conservative section of society.
British intervention in Hindu customs and laws also invited protest as in case of AMlition of gati (1829) , widow remarriage act (1856) , etc.
British economic policies which led to the deindus-trialisation of traditional industries in India were a factor of discontent among village artisans and craftsmen.
Harsh revenue settlements made peasants deprived of basic ammenitues and left, them with no other choice but to stand against the oppressors.
However, introduction of the new Enfield rifle with greased cartridges (had to be bitten before loading it into rifle) caused disstisfaction among sepoys, as they thought that the Britishers conspire to pollute them and to make them lose their religion.
On March 29,1857, the Indian sepoys of 34th N. I Stationed at Barrackpur, Bengal refused to use the new cartridges, Mangal Pandey “of sepoys attacked and” killed the British adjutant.
The sepoys of 3rd Cavalry at Meerut, on 10th May 1857 refused to use the greased cartridges and revolted.
They marched to Delhi, and were accompanied by 11th and 20th Native Infantries and declared Bahadur Shah Zafar as the Emperor of India on May 11,1857.
Spread
Mutinies also took place at:
Mathura
Lucknow
Bareilly
Shajahanpur
Kanpur
Benaras
Jhansi
Allahabad
Centers and Leadership
Centers of Power and LeadershipCenters of Power and Corresponding Leaders During 1857 Revolt
Delhi
Bahadur Shah II
Jawan Bakht
Prince Mirza
Mirza Khan
Bakht Khan
Kanpur
Nana Saheb
Rao Shaib
Azimullah Khan
Tantia Tope
Lucknow
Begum Hazrat
Mahal
Ahmadullah
Jhansi
Rani Lakshmi Bai
Tantia Tope
Bareilly
Khan BahadurKhan
Arrah
Kunwar Singh
Faizabad
Maulvi
Ahmadulla
Farrukhabad
Tufzal Hasan Khan
Bijnaur
Mohammad Khan
Muradabad Abdul Ali Khan Allahabad & Benaras Liaqat Ali
Suppression
Delhi- Nicholson, Hudson
Kanpur- Campbell
Lucknow- Campbell
Jhansi - Hugh Rose
Allahabad & Neil
Benaras Col.
Arrah William Taylor Vincent Eyre
Who Did Not Participate?
Gulab Singh of Kashmir
Salar Jung of Hyderabad
Jung Bahadur of Nepal
Begum of Bhopal
Sikhs
Dipankar Rao (Scindia՚s Minister)
Indian intellegentia class.
Nature
Disraeli: National Revolt
Ellenborough: Legitimate War;
Justin McCarthy: a combination of military grievances, national hatred and religious fanaticism;
Charles Ball: the rebellion of whole people.
Fonvielle: all class rebellion;
Major Harriott: a conspiracy but had its ramifications throughout the palace and city; (7) Vincent Smith: discontent manifested through sepoys;
Canning: rebellion by Brahmans on religious pretences;
PC Joshi: The source spring of the national movement;
Ashok Mehta: “the rebellion of 1857 was more than a mere sepoy mutiny nd eruption.”
Important Books
History of the Indian Mutiny: T R Holmes
A History of the Sepoy in India: J W Kaye
Indian Mutiny of 1857: G B Malleson.
1857: S N Sen
The Sepoy Revolt -its causes and consequences: H Mead.