What was 1857 revolt

When Dalhousie wanted to apply the Doctrine of Lapse to Karauli Rajputana , he was overruled by the court of Directors. Captured Delhi on 20th September Nicholson died soon due to a mortal wound received during the fighting. Defense against Nana Sahib's forces till 26th June British forces surrendered on 27th on the promised of safe conduct to Allahabad.

Recaptured Banaras and Allahabad in June Died at Lucknow while fighting against the rebels. Final recovery of Kanpur on 6th December, Final reoccupation of Lucknow on 21 st March, Recapture of Bareilly on 5th May, Chief Commissioner of Awadh.

Who died during the seizure of British residency by rebels at Lucknow on 2nd July, ! Suppressed the revolt at Jhansi and recaptured Gwalior on 20th June, The whole of Central India and Bundelkhand was brought under British control by him. The Revolt of was an extremely important event in Indian history.

List of Non tribal, Tribal and peasant movements during British India. Are you worried or stressed? Click here for Expert Advice. Comment 3. Post Comment. Disclaimer: Comments will be moderated by Jagranjosh editorial team. Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant will not be published. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name, to avoid rejection. Comments vijaya Sep 25, Of the , men on the Bengal Army establishment in , 24, were European and , were Indian sepoys infantry and sowars cavalry.

This ratio was especially problematic given that discipline in the Bengal Army had for some time been inferior to that in the Company's other armies. Poor terms of service and pensions, bad pay, lack of promotion, and increased cultural and racial insensitivity from British officers all contributed to the feelings of discontent among the Indian soldiers of the Bengal Army.

Many high caste Hindu sepoys also viewed attempts during the s to extend recruitment to lower caste Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims as a threat to their traditional social status. No single factor was in itself enough to start a rebellion. But the cumulative effect meant all that was needed was a catalyst to turn quiet discontent into a much more serious affair.

Rumours spread that the cartridges for the new rifle were greased with pig and cow fat. This made them offensive to both Muslims and Hindus, and added weight to existing concerns about forced conversion to Christianity. When his comrades were ordered to restrain him they refused, but they stopped short of joining him in open revolt.

Although only a handful of sepoys had been involved, the entire regiment was disbanded in disgrace. Sepoys elsewhere thought this too harsh a punishment. The Mutiny proper began at Meerut on 10 May Eighty-five members of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, who had been jailed for refusing to use cartridges they believed to be at odds with their religion, were broken out of prison by their comrades.

They ransacked the nearby military station and killed any Europeans they could find. Regimental colour centre of the 41st Native Infantry who attacked their officers and other Europeans at Sitapur on 3 June The situation rapidly escalated, and the British reacted slowly. The following day Delhi fell to the mutineers. News of these events spread, encouraging further mutinies elsewhere.

Some units were disarmed before they had the chance to mutiny. In other cases, British officers refused to believe their men would rebel until it was too late. Not everyone who mutinied took up arms against the British.

Many simply went home and refused to assist either side. There were only 35, British soldiers in the whole subcontinent and these were widely scattered. Reinforcements took months to arrive. Fortunately for the British, it was almost exclusively soldiers of the Bengal Army who mutinied. This was partly due to their fear of a return to Mughal rule.

They also had little in common with the high caste Hindu sepoys of the Bengal Army. The Rani of Jhansi lost her lands when her husband died without a male heir; and failed to regain them in the British courts. The Nawab of Furukabad reluctantly joined the revolt after sepoys arrived at his palace in June Most notorious was the deposition of the Nawab of Oudh on the grounds that he was unfit to rule.

Equally unpopular was the policy of lapse, which said that the lands of any ruler who died without a male heir would be forfeit to the Company. Princes and maharajahs, along with their courtiers and soldiers, found themselves unemployed and humiliated.

These marginalised people, seen as having the authority to lead a campaign against the British, were in many cases a natural focal point for mutineers.

And although they may have preferred to deal differently with the British, the arrival of rebel sepoys at their gates often forced them to take up the cause. Thousands of common people joined the revolt. Some for religious reasons, others out of loyalty to their old rulers or simply to engage in looting. Many wanted to destroy the system by which the Company collected taxes.

Peasants, who had been forced to switch from subsistence farming to export crops in order to meet increasing tax demands, needed little encouragement to rebel. It was not a unified revolt. Most of the sepoys hoped to restore Mughal rule under Bahadur Shah.

But the inhabitants of Oudh wanted their Nawab back, and the people of Jhansi wanted their old state restored. The revolt was also divided on religious lines.

Most sepoys were Hindus, but other rebels were Muslims fighting a holy war. Following the outbreak at Meerut, uprisings by soldiers and civilians alike occurred across northern and central India. The future of India would be decided on these battlefields. The rising was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent. A rare tunic from the Indian Mutiny holds a death-defying tale of gruesome gunshots, troublesome timepieces and a remarkable recovery.

Robert Clive's victory at Plassey on 23 June led to the British becoming the greatest economic and military power in India. A courageous, resourceful and ruthless military commander, Major-General Robert Clive helped secure India for Britain. But he was also seen as a greedy speculator who used his political and military influence to amass a fortune.

He later led a relief army with great distinction during the Indian Mutiny of Thoroughly enjoyed it. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers.