What were the main events of the revolt 1857?

Answer 1

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT

POLITICAL CAUSES

1. Lord Dalhousie caused widespread resentment among the Indian rulers and their subjects by aggressively expanding his state and annexing native Indian states

2. He annexed states of satara nagpur and jhansi by applying the doctrine of lapse

3. NANA SAHEB was denied a pension after his father's death. He was the son of Peshwa Baji rao II

4. Bahadur Shah's successor was denied the right to live at the red fort

5. He annexed Awadh, accusing the government of maladministration and shocking the nawab who was a faithful ally and the people of India

6. The British did not obey the treaties sometimes and they were broken according to the need of the British and the nawabs at that time could not trust any treaty at all.

ECONOMIC CAUSES

The policy of economic exploitation by the British and widespread destruction of the traditional economic structure caused widespread resentment among Indian society.

1. The zamindari(land lord) system was introduced by the British and the peasants were exploited by them. They were often tortured or jailed when the peasants failed to pay the taxes

2. The landlords also were insecured and jagirs(lands) were confiscated when the taxes did not match the assigned goals. 3. The interests of India were not the first priority of the government. They came in India for economic profit, which was the main priority. The traditional industries collapsed under the pressure of industrialized fields. No measures were taken to improve the conditions of the peasants and the artisans. 4. The annexation of Indian states was followed by large scale unemployment and economic distress as a large number of court officials and other lost their means of earning. All the poets, artisans etc working under these rulers lost their jobs.

SOCIAL CAUSES

1. Social reforms by the Britishers were hated by the Indians who took it as a mark of British interference in the political affairs of India. 2. The efforts of missionaries t convert people to Christianity also angered the Indians. 3. The introduction of western education undermined the position of the traditional teachers and teaching methods in India. 4. The introduction of railways, telegraphs and posts, though good for he society, gave birth to doubts and fear among the poorer and illiterate section of the society. 5. The British judicial system introduced the principal of equality which undermined the presence of Caste System in India. 6. The British looked down upon Indians and followed a policy of racial discrimination and separated themselves as 'superiors' from the Indian society. Lord Wellesley described Indians as vulgar, ignorant, rude, familiar and stupid.

Military causes

1. The Sepoys had helped the British to establish their empire in India but were not awarded or promoted at all. On the contrary, they were treated with contempt. 2. There was a discrimination between the Indian and the British soldiers. 3. An Indian soldier got much less salary as compared to a Western soldier. 4. The senior British officers did not pay any respect to the Indian soldiers at all. 5. The act passed in 1856 that made it compulsory for all troops to serve overseas hurted the feelings of the soldiers as hindus believed that overseas travel would lead to a loss of caste. 6. After Awadh's annexation, the army was disbanded and a lot of soldiers lost their livelihood which led to general anger against the British 7. The Indian soldiers were much more in number as compared to the British soldiers. In 1856 the number of Indian troops was up to 5 times as compared to the British troops. This also encouraged the Sepoys to rise against the British.

Answer 2

Political Causes : The annexation policy of British was one of the major causes. The terms of the Subsidiary treaties signed by Wellesley with different rulers were never honoured unless it suited the British interests. The Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Dalhousie led to the outright annexation of eight states. Nana Saheb lost his pension. Rani of Jhansi was not permitted to adopt a son. They turned against the British. They were the most able leaders of the revolt. The annexation of Oudh and deposition of its ruler Wazid Ali Shah, made Oudh the most prominent centre of the revolt. Bahadur Shah II, the Mughal Emperor and his successors were humiliated by the British. They were prohibited from using their ancestral palace, the Red Fort, in future. Besides, the Muslims were in general dissatisfied with the British. They felt that they had lost their political power.

Answer 3

The impact of the Revolt :

1. 1. End of the rule of the Company

   2. Alteration in the British Policy towards the Indian States

   3. Conclusion of Peshwaship

   4. End of the Mughal Rule

   5. The Army was reorganized

   6. India was economically exploited

   7. Nationalism began to rise

   8. Introduction of Policy of Divide and RuleThe impact of the Revolt :

   9. End of the rule of the Company

   10. Alteration in the British Policy towards the Indian States

   11. Conclusion of Peshwaship

   12. End of the Mughal Rule

   13. The Army was reorganized

   14. India was economically exploited

   15. Nationalism began to rise

   16. Introduction of Policy of Divide and Rule

Answer 4

the discontentment among the Indians had grown to such an extent that it needed just a spark to blow into an conflagration. in 1856 the British introduced a new riffle -infield rifle, which had a greased paper wrapped around a cartridge. the Sepoy had to bite of the paper to load it into the rifle. the Sepoy was convinced that the grease was made of beef or pork fat both of which were taboo for Hindus and Muslims alike story spread like fire and the Sepoy's were angered by the time the British woke up to this the Sepoy had mutinied

Answer 5

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was Indiaâ??s first war of independence. The rebellion began as a mutiny of the East India Companyâ??s army then escalated into other hostilities mainly in the central India region. The revolt is believed to have originated as a protest against the Bengal Army's refusal to employ anyone except higher caste candidates. The rebellion ended the East India Company rule in India.

Answer 6

effects Though the revolt was started by the Indian soldiers in the service of the East India Company, it soon proliferated all over the country.Millions of peasants, artisans and soldiers fought heroically for over ayear and sacrificed their life so that others might live. Hindus andMuslims kept their religious differences aside and fought together inorder to free themselves from foreign subjugation. The British tried to dismiss this Revolt by merely calling it a "SepoyMutiny", but this Revolt clearly shows the suppressed hatred that theIndians had for the foreigners. The Revolt did not take place overnight. There were many economic causes : the British were exploiting theIndian economy and thus leaving many people jobless, helpless andhomeless. Many social and religious causes: the British startedimposing their religion on the Indians by building churches and byforcing people to convert to Christianity. Further more, the Doctrine of Lapse, whereby adopted children were refused recognition anddeprived of pension, instigated the political causes of the Revolt. The British did not even spare the Indian soldiers. Rough treatmentwas meted out to the soldiers and they lived in squalor. The British leftno stone unturned to create an eternal wall between Hindus andMuslims. The introduction of the greased cartridges took the situationto its highest point and thus in addition to economic, social andpolitical causes there were military causes added to the Revolt of 1857. The Revolt of 1857 was clearly not a success but it is unfair to dismissit as a mere mutiny. This was the first time when Indians got togetherto fight against an invincible power. The Revolt failed due to lack of

Though the revolt was started by the Indian soldiers in the service of the East India Company, it soon proliferated all over the country.Millions of peasants, artisans and soldiers fought heroically for over ayear and sacrificed their life so that others might live. Hindus andMuslims kept their religious differences aside and fought together inorder to free themselves from foreign subjugation. The British tried to dismiss this Revolt by merely calling it a "SepoyMutiny", but this Revolt clearly shows the suppressed hatred that theIndians had for the foreigners. The Revolt did not take place overnight. There were many economic causes : the British were exploiting theIndian economy and thus leaving many people jobless, helpless andhomeless. Many social and religious causes: the British startedimposing their religion on the Indians by building churches and byforcing people to convert to Christianity. Further more, the Doctrine of Lapse, whereby adopted children were refused recognition anddeprived of pension, instigated the political causes of the Revolt. The British did not even spare the Indian soldiers. Rough treatmentwas meted out to the soldiers and they lived in squalor. The British leftno stone unturned to create an eternal wall between Hindus andMuslims. The introduction of the greased cartridges took the situationto its highest point and thus in addition to economic, social andpolitical causes there were military causes added to the Revolt of 1857. The Revolt of 1857 was clearly not a success but it is unfair to dismissit as a mere mutiny. This was the first time when Indians got togetherto fight against an invincible power. The Revolt failed due to lack of

planning, organization and leadership. The unfortunate part howeverwas that there were some Indians who helped the British suppress theRevolt. Had they cooperated, the Revolt might have been a success.Even though the Revolt was a failure, the consequences of the Revoltwere very important in the Indian history. The Revolt brought the endof Company's rule, along with changes in the British policy towardsIndian States. With the escape of Nana Sahib and the death of BahadurShah Zafar came the end of Peshwaship and the Mughal Rule. The endof the Revolt also led to the reorganization of the army and India wascompletely ruined from economic point of view. One of the mostimportant outcomes of the Revolt was that it gave rise to Nationalism.Indian people became more aware of the heroes, who sacrificed theirlives so that others might live. The Revolt however, scarred therelationship between Hindus and Muslims with the Divide and RulePolicy.

Answer 7

Causes for the RevoltThere were many causes that ultimately lead to this revolt. For the sake of convenience they can divided into the following categories.

1.Social and Religious Causes

2.Political Causes

3.Military Causes 1. Social and Religious CausesA. Change in pattern of trade and commerce

During the first two hundred years of its rule , the British East India Company confined its activities to trade and commerce. But in the 18th century the pattern of trade underwent a drastic change. With the onset of the the industrial revolution in England, many new industries came up and the dependance on Indian textiles came to an end. India became a raw material producing country and raw material which was purchased from India at very low costs was processed into finished goods in the factories in England and then exported back to India. British traders made enormous profits in this two way trade.

B. Ruination of Artisans and Craftsmen

C. Disgruntled Zamindars and Taluqdars

The estates of many landlords were taken over by the East India Company when the native provinces came under the company's dominion. The estates of 21,000 Taluqdars were confiscated when Oudh was annexed. The dispossesed landlords found themselves without a source on income, ashamed to beg,unable to work and thus condemned to penury.

D. Disbanded soldiers were seething with anger and were determined to revenge.

E. Activities Of Missionaries

The Indians had a lurking suspicion in their minds that they would be converted to Christianity under the new regime. CHurches and chaplains were established at Govt. expenses , even civil and military officers propogated the Christian gospel.

F. New Laws

The introduction of certain laws unsettled the mind of the Indians. Some of them were :

Sati Ban Act

Widow Remarriage Act

They even looked upon the reforming zeal of British officials with suspicion. They were against introduction of railways as all the castes would have to travel in the same compartment. They were shocked when a law was passed allowing Hindu converts to Christianity to inherit their ancestral property. 2. Political CausesA. Lord Dalhousies Policy Of Annexation (Doctrine of Lapse)

According to this policy the rulers of native princes could not install their adopted son on the throne. This was opposed to Nana Sahib - the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II as he was refused the pension his father had been getting. Rani Laxmi Bai was also not allowed to install her adopted son on the throne. The house of the Mughals was humbled when it was announced that the successors of Bahadur Shah Zafar would not be allowed to use the title of King and would not be allowed to use the Historc Red Fort as their palace and had to move to a place near the Qutb Minar.

B. British disregard of treaties and pledges

C. Exposure of myth of British Invincibilty

The British had suffered very heavy losses in the 1st Afghan War , the rebellion of the Santhal tribes of Bihar and Orissa and the Crimean War. Moreover the people believed that the British rule had started after the battle of Plassey in 1757 and would end after the completion of a century. 3. Military CausesA. Ill-Treatment of Indian Soldiers in The East India Company

B. Deprivation of foreign service allowance (Bhatta)

C. General Services Enlistment Act

According to this act the Indian soldiers in the EI Company had the obligation to serve wherever required. The extension of British frontiers involved their presence in strange, different lands. They dreaded sea voyage and considered it against their customs.

D. Enfield Rifles

This was perhaps the immediate cause of the revolt. The British introduced new rifles which had cartridges greased with the fat of cows and pigs. The cover had to be plucked out by the teet before using. The Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused tot ouch these cartridges.

Events Of The Revolt ViolenceThe violence started on May 10, 1857 in Meerut, when Pandey, a soldier in the Army shot his commander for forcing the Indian troops to use the controversial rifles. Indians constituted 96% of the 300,000 British Army and the violence against British quickly spread (Hence the name Sepoy Mutiny). The local chiefs encouraged scattered revolts in hopes of regaining their lost privileges. Siege of DelhiBahadur Shah II, pensioned descendant of the Mogul dynasty, was popularly acclaimed emperor. On June 8 a British relief force defeated an army of mutineers at Badli Sari and took up a position on the famous ridge, overlooking the city of Delhi. Nominally the besieging force, they were themselves besieged by the mutineers, who made a daring attempt to intercept their train. The arrival of more British reinforcements finally led to the defeat of the mutineers by John Nicholson, commander of the relief force. After six days of street fighting, Delhi was recaptured. This action was the turning point in the campaign and is known as Siege of Delhi. Bahadur Shah was captured and was exiled to Burma. British Take ControlIn spite of the loyalty of the Sikh troops, conquered only eight years before, and of the Gurkhas, the British commander, Sir Colin Campbell, had a difficult task. In addition to quelling the disturbance, he also had to protect the Ganges Valley and all of Hindustan against possible attacks from central India, to the south. Forces were dispatched from Madras and Bombay. However, the revolt had quickly spread to Kanpur and Lucknow. Kanpur, on the Ganges 250 miles southeast of Delhi, surrendered to the mutineers on June 28, 1857, and was the scene of a massacre before it was recaptured by the British on July 16. Lucknow, 45 miles to the northeast, had been immediately besieged by the mutineers and was relieved by Henry Havelock's troops on September 25, five days after the final reoccupation of Delhi, the other chief center of the mutiny. However, Havelock's forces, even when joined by those of James Outram, were not strong enough to disarm and remove the enemy garrison, and they had to be relieved on November 16 by troops under Colin Campbell. The civilians of Lucknow were evacuated, but not until the siege of Mar. 9-16, 1858, had enough British troops massed to defeat the rebel army.

The final stage of the mutiny took place in central India, which was aroused by a roving band of rebels under the Maratha General Tatya Tope. After his capture and execution in April 1859, the leaderless mutineers were soon pacified. Why It Failed?* Native Indian states, influenced by the example of powerful Hyderabad, did not join the rebels

* Sikh soldiers of the Punjab area remained loyal to the British throughout. The Sikhs were a strong, well trained army, who the British had conquered using Indian soldiers.

* The aging Bahadur Shah was neither a brave general, nor an astute leader of the people EpilogueIn England, the mutiny proved the last straw on the heavy load of criticism and opposition which the East India Company had carried for some time. In August 1858, by the Act for the Better Government of India, its political authority was entrusted to a secretary of state. In August 1858 the British crown assumed control of India from the East India Company and in 1877 Queen Victoria was crowned empress of India. The mutiny played a pivotal role in Anglo-Indian history. The British afterward became cautious and defensive about their empire, while many Indians remained bitter and would never trust their rulers again. It was not until the emergence of Indian National Congress and Mahatma Gandhi that Indians re-gathered their momentum for home rule

Answer 8

A new rifle called enfield was introduced.A rumour spread that these cartridges were greased with fats of pigs and cows.the covering of these cartridges has to be bitten off with the teeth before loading it to the gun.the hindus regard the cows as holy and the muslims regard pigs as unclean.this reason also made the soldiers to sentiments.

Answer 9

Main Events of the 1857 Revoltby Kishore on February 4, 2010

The Sepoys of Dum Dum in Calcutta were the first to express their resentment at the use of greased cartridges on January 23, 1857. The news spread to the cantonment at Barrackpore where an Indian sepoy killed two British officers, when he was forced to use greased cartridges. He was arrested and hanged to death on April 8, 1857. The regiment posted at Barrackpore was disbanded. The news then travelled to Meerut cantonment.

Events at Meerut

On 6th May, 1857 A.D. when the new cartridges were issued to 90 Indian soldiers in Meerut, 85 of them refused to bite them with their teeth. These 85 soldiers were court-martialled and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. They were stripped of their uniforms in the presence of the entire Indian garrison. It was too much of a disgrace to be put up with and this incident sent a wave of indignation. On 10th May 1857, the Indian soldiers at Meerut broke into open revolt. They released their companions and murdered a few European officers. The sky was rent with deafening shouts of "Maro Firangee Ko". On the night of 10th May the mutineers marched to Delhi and thousands of able-bodied civilians also joined them.

Events at Delhi

The revolutionaries from Meerut reached Delhi on 11th May, 1857 and the small British garrison at Delhi could not resist and consequently fell into their hands within 2 days. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, joined the revolutionaries after initial vacillation and was proclaimed Emperor of India. The loss of Delhi lowered the prestige of the British in India. To retrieve their prestige they put everything at stake and Sir John Lawrence sent a strong British contingent commanded by John Nicholson. After a long siege of four months, the British were able to recover Delhi in September 1857 A.D. The Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II was captured by the British from the tomb of Humayun. Two of his sons and a grandson were shot in cold blood before his eyes. The emperor was deported to Rangoon where he died in the year 1862 A. D.

Events at Kanpur

At Kanpur the struggle for independence was led by Nana Sahib Dondu Pant, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II. The British Commander, Hugh Wheeler finding the odds heavy against him surrendered on June 20, 1857 A.D. A large number of Englishmen, women and children fell into the hands of Nana Sahib and he promised them a safe passage to Allahabad. But the news about the inhuman massacre of the Indians at the hands of General O'Neil at Allahabad and Benares infuriated the crowd which in vengeance killed all the Englishmen in their custody. However, later researches reveal that Nana Sahib had no hand in these killings. General Havelock captured Kanpur after defeating Nana Sahib in a hotly contested battle on June 17, 1857 A.D. In the meantime, Tantya Tope, the able General of Nana Sahib, was successful in winning over the troops at Shivajinagar and Morar by appealing to their sense of patriotism. With the concerted strength of these troops Nana Sahib and Tantya Tope recaptured Kanpur in November 1857 A.D. But they could not keep Kanpur under their charge for long because the English General Campbell appeared there with a large force. The British won a decisive victory against the forces of Nana Sahib in the battle which was fought from December 1 to 6, 1857. Nana Sahib fled towards Nepal, where he probably died, while Tantya Tope migrated to Kalpi.

Events at Lucknow

The tide of revolution touched its highest mark in Oudh. Not only the Hindu and Muslim Taluqdars but even the common people went all out to help the dispossessed Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. As soon as the revolt broke out the people carried out a complete massacre of the Englishmen. The Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and 700 Indian soldiers inside the Residency. The revolutionaries besieged the Residency and killed most of the Englishmen, including Sir Henry Lawrence and the notorious English General O'Neil. At last, the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in India, General Collin Campbell, himself marched towards Lucknow, at the head of English and Gurkha soldiers. Lucknow fell into the hands of the British after a fierce battle in March 1858.

Events at Jhansi and Gwalior

The leader of the revolutionaries in Central India was Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. General Sir Huge Rose attacked Jhansi in March 1858 but the brave Rani Laxmi Bai kept the British General unnerved for quite sometime. Her appeal to Tantya Tope for help brought Tantya Tope rushing to Jhansi, but not before her troops were severely defeated on the banks of the river Betwa. Laxmi Bai had to hold on to her fortress alone. The British resorted to deceit and treachery and bribed the guards to open the gates of the fortress. But the Britishers could not capture Rani Laxmi Bai who slipped out of the fort and reached Kalpi where she was joined by Tantya Tope, the brave General of Nana Sahib. Both fought many successful battles against the British. At last they had to leave Kalpi as well and they fell upon Gwalior with lightning speed and captured the fort of Jayaji Rao Scindia, a dependent ruler of the British company. A fierce battle was fought between the British and the revolutionaries under Rani Laxmi Bai and Tantya Tope from June 11 to June 1 8, 1 858 A. D. But the personal valour of Rani and Tantya Tope could not match the resources at the command of the British. The Rani fell fighting the British. Sir Huge Rose paid a tribute to the valour of Rani Laxmi Bai when he said "Laxmi Bai was the bravest and the best of military leaders of the rebels." Tantya Tope was betrayed by the Gwalior Chief Man Singh and fell into the hands of the British. He was subsequently hanged on April 18, 1859.

Events in Bihar

In Bihar, the Revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, a zamindar of Jagdishpur. Though he was eighty years old, he played a prominent part in the revolt. He fought the British in Bihar and then joined Nana Sahib's forces and took part in various encounters with the English in Oudh and Central India. He died on April 27, 1858, leaving behind a glorious record of valour and bravery.

Events at Faizabad

The Revolt at Faizabad was led by Maulvi Ahmadullah, a native of Madras. He aroused the Muslim community against the British rule and took part in various battles in Oudh and Rohilkhand. He was, however, treacherously killed.

Nature of the Revolt

Most of the European historians have dubbed the Revolt in 1 857 as a mere 'Sepoy Mutiny'. They point out that it was a revolt of Indian soldiers who were offended at the use of greased cartridges. In their opinion, the discontented sepoys were incited by the landlords and the deposed native princes and the people of India were not directly involved in this rebellion. They further assert that it was not a national war of independence, in as much as the revolt was confined to a particular region and not to the whole of India; large areas like the Punjab, Sind and Rajputana remained unaffected. The nationalists in India, prominent amongst whom are Subhash Chandra Bose and Vir Savarkar, have hailed it as the First War of Indian Independence. It was admittedly a great and courageous effort by patriotic Indians to get rid of the foreign domination. It was a glorious landmark in our history in as much as Hindus and Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder to win back their lost independence. At places even women took swords and fought the aliens. One cannot but admire the patriotic spirit of boatmen of Lucknow who refused to carry British soldiers across the river. The sepoys and the people fought gallantly upto the very end. Though the revolt was unsuccessful, the spirit of the people remained unshaken. The revolt left an indelible impression on the minds of the Indian people and thus paved the way for the rise of a strong national movement. In the words of Dr. Majumdar, "it has been said that Julius Caesar when dead was more powerful than when he was alive. The same thing may be said about the Mutiny of 1857. Whatever might have been its original character, it soon became a symbol of challenge to the mighty British power in India. It remained a shining example before the nascent nationalism in India in its struggle for freedom from the British yoke."