Yes, it is quite strange to think of a company having its own army and it is even stranger to consider a company ruling a nation. The mutiny soon escalated into an uprising of sepoys and indian civilians throughout northern india. Tapti roy uses the expression as well in her 1991 book. The 1857 uprising, migration and the south asian diaspora. Beginning in meerut on 10 may 1857, the rebellion spread throughout north and central india to such cities as delhi, agra, cawnpore, gwalior, and lucknow. How can we explain why so many indian people decided to fight. We provide videos for competitive exam aspirants from basics to extreme level. The sepoy rebellion 1857 1859 sepoys were indian soldiers hired to serve in the british east india companys armies. The sepoy mutiny and the muslim community of bengal by professor dr muinuddin ahmad khan in its failure, the sepoy mutiny of 1857 58, proved a devastating holocaust, which raged in full fury throughout northern india with its epicentre at delhi, lucknow and patna. Delhi mutiny papers press list a descriptive british index of the mutiny papers now held in the national archives of india, new delhi.
Telegrams sent by the signallers at delhi warning of the rebellion were crucial to. Indian mutiny was war of religion pakistan defence. It started from meerut and eventually started spreading in delhi, agra, kanpur and lucknow. Its name is contested, and it is variously described as the sepoy mutiny, the indian mutiny, the great rebellion, the revolt of 1857, the indian insurrection, and the first war of independence. Jun 25, 2019 the sepoy mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against british rule in india in 1857. Publication date 1891 topics india history sepoy rebellion, 1857 1858 publisher london. Chakravarty, the indian mutiny and the british imagination 2005 and. Heres what you need to know about the great sepoy when we celebrate the 161th anniversary of the great rebellion of 1857. Historians like sir john seeley called the revolt a mere sepoy mutiny with no popular support and native leadership. The sepoy rebellion stanford history education group. It began when indian troops sepoys in the service of britains east india company refused to use purportedly tainted weaponry. They were joined by native rulers and thousands of ordinary people in a struggle that threatened to destroy british colonial power on the indian subcontinent. Revolt of 1857 is considered as a watershed movement in history. Some call it a sepoy mutiny since the initial thrust of the revolt in the form of the cartridge episode was given by the soldiers.
Javed iqbal abstract many of the landmark events in the history of indopakistan subcontinent during the british rule have remained subject to grave disagreements and dissents. Causes of 1857 revolt punjab and the indian revolt of 1857 download punjab and the indian revolt of 1857 or read online books in pdf. During 1857 there was a lot of discontentment among the indian soldiers. It began on 10 may 1857 at meerut, as a mutiny of sepoys of the british east india companys army. During the 1857 mutiny, the bundelkhand thakurs landlords also rebelled against the english. In 1857, indian soldiers rose up against their british commanders. Sepoys in the presidency of bengal revolted against their british officers. Sepoy mutiny that started long before march of 1857 in kolkata is known as the first war for independence against british. The immediate cause of military disaffection was the deployment of the new breechloading enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was purportedly greased with pork and beef fat.
The british perspective on the sepoy rebellion of 1857. The rebellion began on 10 may 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the companys army in the garrison town of meerut, 40 mi 64 km northeast of delhi now old delhi. Nature of revolt there is a great controversy amongst the scholars over the nature of the revolt of 1857. Ganda singh 8 the indian mutiny of 1857 and the sikhs part i undeserved praise the mutiny at meerut on may 10, 1857, which later became widespread and developed into a revolt in some parts of the u. Guide to sources on the sepoy mutiny of 1857 in colonial india. The 34th native infantrys young sepoy, mangal pandey, fired at his units sergeant major at barrackpore.
It was initiated by sepoys in the bengal presidency against the british. The revolt of 1857 in india study notes history discussion. What were the consequences of the 1857 sepoy mutiny. The great rebellion of 1857 in india was much more than a sepoy mutiny. On may 10, 1857, indian soldiers of the british indian army, drawn mostly from muslim units from bengal, mutinied in meerut, a cantonment eighty kilometers northeast of delhi. It was much more than mutiny, as a large number of civilians, peasants, rulers, etc. After the sepoy mutiny rebellion in 1858, the british government took direct control of india. Indian mutiny, also called sepoy mutiny, widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against british rule in india in 1857. Increased dislocation along with a collapsing of the subsistence economy produced a period of social unrest. Prologue the electric telegraph has saved us the east india company carlo canning professional grievances go to hell dont bother me. The revolt of 1857 was the conscious beginning of the independence struggle against the britishers. Indian mutiny, also called sepoy mutiny or first war of independence, widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against british rule in india in 1857 59. The indian rebellion of 1857 is also called the indian mutiny, the sepoy mutiny, north indias first war of independence or north indias first struggle for independence.
The highest pay attainable by a sepoy as subedar of the infantry was less than the minimum pay of a raw european recruit. In 1857, they decided to merge with the british empire. The sepoy rebellion in may 1857, a group of indian soldiers in the british east india companys army led a mutiny in the state of uttar pradesh. Book from the archaeological survey of indiacentral archaeological library, new delhibook number. Determining the true nature of the uprising of 1857 dr. The mutiny was a prolonged period of armed uprisings against british occupation. Get an answer for what caused the sepoy rebellion in india. An informative animation to explain the sepoy rebellion of 1857, produced for macat animated and designed by toby mortimer and chris whalley. The military causes of sepoy mutiny primarily led to the outbreak of the 1857 revolt. Apr 16, 20 i feel both the titles for this revolt of 1857 are apt and can be used so as to describe this revolt.
Very often there was no promotion for an indian soldier. The sepoy mutiny of 1857 as with any conflict or controversy there are always two sides to the debate, and the events in india during 1857 are certainly no exception. British historian have only considered it as a sepoy mutiny, they consider its immediate cause the greased cartridges only. The soldiers were discriminated on the basis of racism and were paid low salary. Beginning in the early 19 th century, rebellions occurred in various areas of the subcontinent, culminating in the 1857 sepoy mutiny. Almost exactly one hundred and fifty years ago in may 1857, the conflict which came to be known as the indian mutiny also as the indian revolt, the first war of indian independence and the sepoy mutiny erupted.
How can we explain why so many indian people decided to. It was a major event in south asian and british colonial history that significantly challenged imperialism in india. Begun in meerut by indian troops sepoys in the service of the british east india company, it spread to delhi, agra, kanpur, and lucknow. British reactions to the sepoy mutiny, 18571858 unt. It is also called the sepoy revolt because indian troops in the britishcontrolled army were called sepoys. At least 80 years prior to the so called sepoy s mutiny or the first war of indian independence, discontent had been brewing in india over the lack of respect shown by the british to the indians in. Stating that the revolt of 1857 was not the result of a conspiracy, he debunked four leaders of the revolt as they were alienated from the british for private reasons. Some historians have taken the middle path like thomas r. You all must be very familiar with modern day power player mergers like exxon mobil etc.
The rebellion is also known as indias first war of independence, the great. Revolt of 1857complete history reasons, effects and. Positives of imperialism in india negatives of imperialism in india 7. The mutiny, which was confined to the north, was the most serious threat to british rule in india in the 19th century. The sepoy mutiny 1857 1859, also commonly known as the indian mutiny, indian rebellion, or, amongst an older generation of nationalist historians, the first war of independence, was an armed uprising that began in locally raised units of the east india companys bengal army the other two armies of the east india company were the madras army and the bombay army. An antibritish revolution soon spread across india. The sepoy mutiny 18571859, also commonly known as the indian mutiny, indian rebellion, or, amongst an older generation of nationalist historians, the first war of independence, was an armed uprising that began in locally raised units of the east india companys bengal army the other two armies of the east india company were the madras army and the bombay army. Indian rebellion of 1857 simple english wikipedia, the. The major goal of the uprising was to prevent the assimilation of. The revolt began on may 10, 1857, at meerut as sepoy mutiny. It was named sepoy mutiny by the british as they wanted to downplay the nature of the revolt of 1857. The sepoy mutiny was a widespread and ultimately ineffective uprising against british imperial rule in india led by members of the bengal army. Some say that the revolt of 1857 was just a mutiny initiated by the indian sepoys and hence the name sepoy mutiny. Metcalf who concluded that the revolt was something more than a sepoy mutiny but something less than a national.
Sepoy mutiny discontent with british administration in india led to numerous mutinies in 1857 and 1858. Sepoy mutiny definition of sepoy mutiny by the free dictionary. Indian subcontinent the way the happenings of 1857 did. Landow, professor of english and art history, brown university victorian web home victorian political history the british empire the british empire the 1857 mutiny.
Within a few weeks of the outbreak of the mutiny, in mid 1857, british indian. These landlords operated independently from the actions of the sepoy mutineers and the local rebelling potentates. The mutiny, that is, rebellion was an unsuccessful revolt. Nature of the revolt of 1857 free study notes for mba. India the mutiny and great revolt of 185759 britannica.
Full text of the indian mutiny of 1857 and the sikhs dr. Sepoy mutiny 18571859 the encyclopedia of war peers. Contents causes of sepoy mutiny leaders of sepoy mutiny repression by the british what were the causes of sepoy mutiny or revolt of 1857. The rebellion was a revolt by the indian sepoys indian soldiers against the. Sepoy mutiny 1857 58, revolt that began with indian soldiers sepoys in the bengal army of the british east india company but developed into a widespread uprising against british rule in india. These scholars also contend that the revolt was not related to the general people so much as the sepoys and they formed the bulk of the rebels. The activities i have designed have been built around the enquiry question, how can we explain why so many indian people decided to fight against the british in 1857 i deliberately included the how. The indian mutiny of 1857 was a rebellion against british rule by a large part of the bengal army in india. Although the story was interesting and unique, it put forth numerous historical inaccuracies. Indian mutiny was war of religion dalrymple found original documents photo. It constantly threatened to engulf the whole of bengal at any moment, yet like. Mangal pandey was the man who sparked off the great rebellion of 1857. There are books which use the term sepoy mutiny, for instance ramesh chandra majumdars the sepoy mutiny and the revolt of 1857 calcutta 1957, or edward vibart the sepoy mutiny as seen by a subaltern.
The sepoy chooses mughal emperor bahadur shah as their leader. The story of the sepoy war of 1857, an attempt at a compromise between two more controversial titles, the sepoy mutiny of 1857. The sepoy mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against british rule in india in 1857. Indian mutiny, widespread but unsuccessful rebellion begun in 1857 against british rule in india. In 1857, there occurred a series of events which were referred to as sepoy mutiny by the british and the first war of independence by indians. The first part of the this paper on the indian mutiny of 1857 and the sikhs was written for the indian freedom struggle centenary 1857 1957 souvenir committee, new delhi, and was published in the tribune,ambala, on august 15, 1957.
Sepoy mutiny and the revolt of 1857 internet archive. In india it is often called the first war of independence and other similar names. The 1857 indian mutiny also known as the sepoy rebellion, the great mutiny, and the revolt of 1857 george p. Military causes of sepoy mutiny, causes of sepoy mutiny. This book was about alexander shierdan and his role in being a sort of mediator in the rising conflict between the 34th sepoy regiment and the british east india company. The indian rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in india in 1857 58 against the rule of the british east india company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the british crown. Pdf the indian uprising of 185759, during which thousands of indian.
Historical works and proclamations nupur chaudhuri and rajat kanta ray there has never been any agreement among the historians as to how to characterize the mutiny, and by what name to call it. The sepoys revolted in may 1857, beginning the sepoy mutiny 1857 1859. Britain was simultaneously waging three military campaigns and ineptly merging military units from one campaign to another, which resulted in a. The sepoy mutiny indian rebellion of 1857 was essentially the birth of indian nationalism and the protest of indian rule. The 1857 revolt lecture in hindi anuj garg coaching. Major professor mor frotessar of history dean ot the graduagraduat e schoot british reaction to the sepoy mutiny, 1857 185s thesis presented to the graduate council of the north texas state university in. Nana sahib alias dhondu pant was refused pension, as he was the. Historians have described the nature of the rebellion of 1857 variously. The indian rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the east india companys army on 10 may. K datta considers the revolt as a military outbreak, taken a. Subsequently, joined by the peasants, artisans, marginalized farmers, common men became the first national revolt against britishers.
Sepoy mutiny 1857 58 by the year 1857 the british had established complete political control of india. The historiography of the indian mutiny 18578 suggests that livelihood. It has been observed that in the last year papers of competitive exams, there are 12 questions asked from revolt of 1857, its causes and leaders. All important general knowledge quiz questions about first war of indian independence indian rebellion of 1857 or the sepoy mutiny indian mutiny 1. The indian rebellion of 1857 the indian rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the east india companys army on 10 may 1857, in the cantonment of the town of meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper gangetic plain and central india, with the major hostilities confined to. Revolt of 1857 important points sepoy mutiny started on 10th may 1857 in the cantonment of meerut. The indian sepoy mutiny of 1857 is also known as the great revolt, indian rebellion, the great uprising and the great rebellion of 1857. Causes of the mutiny in the years just prior to the mutiny many factors combined to create a climate of social and political unrest in india. The indian rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in india in. In indian mutiny meerut by indian troops sepoys in the service of the british east india company, it spread to delhi, agra, kanpur, and lucknow. Aug 08, 2017 revolt of 1857 important points sepoy mutiny started on 10th may 1857 in the cantonment of meerut. It is considered as the countrys first war of independence which was against the rule of the british this war is regarded as the most remarkable one which took place after the british came to india and began to establish their rule.
Given the situation in india during the nineteenth century it is hardly surprising that such a polarisation of opinion exists regarding the context of the rebellious events during. Raghu raimagnum india celebrates the 150th anniversary next year of the indian mutiny or first war of independence, when indian soldiers of the british army rebelled against their colonial masters. Some other foreign historian holds it to be a muslim conspiracy against the british and its aim. English and indian historians have devoted considerable research and analysis to the genesis of the sepoy mutiny of 1857 but have ignored contemporary british reaction to it, a neglect which this study attempts to satisfy. This story was about the sepoy mutiny of 1857 in colonial india. What were the causes and consequences of the revolt of. Sepoy revolt students britannica kids homework help.
Sepoy mutiny synonyms, sepoy mutiny pronunciation, sepoy mutiny translation, english dictionary definition of sepoy mutiny. The indian rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in india in 185758 against the rule of the british east india company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the british crown. One consequence of the mutiny was the establishment of direct british governance of india. Also, it was the first step to independence of india or the first struggle for india. What were the goals of the indian rebellion of 1857. A history of the sepoy war in india, 18571858 internet archive. Pdf on jan 1, 2014, crispin bates and others published an uneasy. There are various names for the revolt of 1857 indias first war of independence, mutiny of sepoy, etc. Cockney rifleman joseph dando series story of the sepoy mutiny, in india. The rebellion began on 10 may 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys. Sepoy mutiny though was a widespread movement, but was ultimately unsuccessful and ended its course in 1858. The papers, in urdu and persian describe activities in the city and the. The vellore mutiny on 10 july 1806 was the first instance of a largescale and violent mutiny by indian sepoys against the east india company, predating the indian rebellion of 1857 by half a century. Feb 25, 2007 the consequences of the indian sepoy s wereithe revolt started due to the indiscriminate policies of the british government which affected the economic life of the people.
When soldiers of the bengal army mutinied in meerut on may 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. The indian mutiny of 1857 100 years of sikhs in the usa. As western education was introduced and missionaries eroded hindu society resentment among indian people grew and it was joined by unease among the old governing class when the british decided to formally abolish the mughal empire. Mangal pandey was the man who sparked off the sepoy mutiny of 1857. The 1857 indian mutiny also known as the sepoy rebellion.
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