Revolt of 1857

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Revolt of 1857

  • 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
Satara1848
Jaitpur1849
Sambhalpur1849
Punjab1849
Sikkim1850
Bharatpur1850
Udaipur1852
Pegu (Burma)1852
Jhansi1853
Nagpur1845
Awadh1856
  • 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.
Illustration: Causes

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
DelhiBahadur Shah II
Jawan Bakht
Prince Mirza
Mirza Khan
Bakht Khan
KanpurNana Saheb
Rao Shaib
Azimullah Khan
Tantia Tope
LucknowBegum Hazrat
Mahal
Ahmadullah
JhansiRani Lakshmi Bai
Tantia Tope
BareillyKhan BahadurKhan
ArrahKunwar Singh
FaizabadMaulvi
Ahmadulla
FarrukhabadTufzal Hasan Khan
BijnaurMohammad 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

  1. Disraeli: National Revolt
  2. Ellenborough: Legitimate War;
  3. Justin McCarthy: a combination of military grievances, national hatred and religious fanaticism;
  4. Charles Ball: the rebellion of whole people.
  5. Fonvielle: all class rebellion;
  6. Major Harriott: a conspiracy but had its ramifications through­out the palace and city; (7) Vincent Smith: discontent manifested through sepoys;
  7. Canning: rebellion by Brahmans on religious pre­tences;
  8. PC Joshi: The source spring of the national movement;
  9. Ashok Mehta: “the rebellion of 1857 was more than a mere sepoy mutiny nd eruption.”

Important Books

  1. History of the Indian Mutiny: T R Holmes
  2. A History of the Sepoy in India: J W Kaye
  3. Indian Mutiny of 1857: G B Malleson.
  4. 1857: S N Sen
  5. The Sepoy Revolt -its causes and consequences: H Mead.
  6. Indian first war of inde-pendence: Vir Savarkar