Fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but the British were ultimately able to establish control. What was the main cause of revolt of 1857? A hardcore corporate, he initially worked for Hindustan Unilever and was later Director of Brooke Bond, India. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox. Then enter the name part ThoughtCo, Jul. This event and Pandey's subsequent punishment led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857.. To these points may be added the fact that the British garrison in Bengal had been reduced at this time to 23,000 men because of troop withdrawals for the Crimean and Persian wars. : WH Allen, 1864);Tapti Roy. They bore no message, and were identical to the breads cooked in every home in India, a staple part (even today) of the locals diet. Then the bullet had to be rammed down the rifled barrel. But the only evidence for either of these was the circulation from village to village of chapatis, or cakes of unleavened bread, a practice that, though it also occurred on other occasions, was known to have taken place at any time of unrest. This allowed different meanings an interpretations to be attributed to them, and the chapattis became an index of peoples thoughts and worries. "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." A keen cricketer and tennis player, he now lives in Delhi and serves as director of a few companies. India from the Paleolithic Period to the decline of the Indus civilization, The earliest agriculturalists and pastoralists, Neolithic agriculture in the Indus valley and Baluchistan, Extent and chronology of Early Harappan culture, Language and scripts, weights and measures, The Post-Urban Period in northwestern India, The late 2nd millennium and the reemergence of urbanism, Peninsular India in the aftermath of the Indus civilization (c. 20001000, The development of Indian civilization from c. 1500, Traditional approaches to Indian historiography, The beginning of the historical period, c. 500150, North India under Muslim hegemony, c. 12001526, Taxation and distribution of revenue resources, The Muslim states of southern India, c. 13501680, Extension and consolidation of the empire, Central, provincial, and local government, Organization of the nobility and the army, The emperor, the nobility, and the provinces, The Afghan-Maratha struggle for northern India, Political and economic decentralization during the Mughal decline, The Afghan factor in northern India, 174772, Cultural aspects of the late precolonial order, India and European expansion, c. 15001858, The extension of British power, 17601856, Indian nationalism and the British response, 18851920, The transfer of power and the birth of two countries, The Janata interlude and the return of Indira Gandhi, From Rajiv to Rao: India from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, V.P. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. Historians have identified diverse political, economic, military, religious and social causes of the Revolt of 1857 (First War of Indian Independence 1857). @kindle.com emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. The lack of planning after the outbreak rules out these two explanations, while the degree of popular support argues more than a purely military outbreak. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. (2021, July 31). The revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. In fact, it was rather the last effort of traditional India. History of the Sepoy War in India, 1857-58 (London, 3 vols. By the time the British came to examine the causes of the rebellion, therefore, the chupatty movement had assumed a fresh significance. Some currents simply ran cold, while others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing. [2][3], Religious disquiet as the cause of rebellion underlies the work of historian William Dalrymple who asserts that the rebels were motivated primarily by resistance to the actions of the English East India Company(also called British East India Company), especially under James Broun-Ramsay reign, which were perceived as attempts to impose Christianity and Christian laws in India. The Revolt ended the rule of the English East India Company. As further evidence, he observes that the Urdu sources of the pre- rebellion and post- rebellion periods usually refer to the British not as angrez (the English), goras (whites) or firangis (foreigners), but as kafir (disbeliever) and nasrani (Christians). Britain, of course, would rule India well into the 20th century. [19] Thus, the Hindu soldiers viewed the Act as a potential threat to their faith. Partly owing to this, Bengal sepoys were not subject to the penalty of flogging as were the European soldiers. Extensive inquiries into the meaning of the breads produced plenty of theories but few facts; even the runners and watchmen who baked them and carried them from village to village did not know why they had to run through the night with chupatties in their turbans, though they took them just the same. All of the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the infantry units rebelled at some point. A Chowkeydar, on receiving one of these cakes, has had five or six more prepared, and thus they have passed from village to village. An idea has been industriously circulated that the Government has given the order. With the British recovery of Gwalior (June 20, 1858), the revolt was virtually over. Click to view in higher resolution. In the Punjab were some 10,000 British troops, which made it possible to disarm the Indian regiments; and the recently defeated Sikhs were so hostile to the Muslims that they supported the British against the Mughal restoration in Delhi. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857-58 against the rule of the British East India Company, . The revolt failed in overthrowing British Rule. The chapatis were real, but no one knew for sure what they were for. Down-country operations centred on the relief of Lucknow. Several events happened that led to the Sepoys revolting and was called the Indian Revolt of 1857. Narasimha Rao, The BJP becomes the largest party in the Lok Sabha, BJP reelection bids and tensions in Kashmir, Addressing COVID-19 and its economic impact. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. The Personal Adventures and Experiences of a Magistrate During the Rise, Progression and Suppression of the Indian Mutiny (London: John Murray, 1884);Kim A. Wagner. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. By the 1850s the East India Company controlled much of India. There is reason to believe that this was originated by some intriguers of the old Court of Lucknow. He is on the expert panel on weapons for several museums of Rajasthan. Few of these participated in the rebellion, and one contingent in particular (the recently raised Punjab Irregular Force) actively participated on the British side. Author Pramod Nayar points out that by 1851 there were nineteen Protestant religious societies operating in India whose goal was the conversion of Indians to Christianity. Its cartridges consisted of a .577 inch ball projectile and a charge of gun powder propellant wrapped in waterproofed cartridge paper. The next phase was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose. Seven Years' War: Major General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, Biography of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, 20 Facts About the Life of Mahatma Gandhi, independence movement against British rule. Some Indians were upset with the draconian rule of the Company who had embarked on a project of territorial expansion and westernization that was imposed without any regard for historical subtleties in Indian society. Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them. [12], There had been earlier indications that all was not well in the armies of the East India Company. It is however also possible to enclose within the paper container the bullet as well as the powder and the cartridge then becomes a balled cartridge. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, sepoys tended to take great pride in their military prowess, and they exhibited enormous loyalty to their British officers. Mopping-up operations followed, lasting until the British capture of rebel leader Tantia Topi in April 1859. Mutiny Memoirs of an Old Officer (London: Folio Society, 1984);Troy Downs. the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Indian Revolt of 1857. is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings There was thus a suppressed tension in the countryside, ready to break out whenever governmental pressure might be reduced. And when the Indian independence movement gained momentum in the 20th century, events of the Revolt of 1857 were viewed as having been an early battle for independence, while individuals such as Mangal Pandey were hailed as early national heroes. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. Economically and socially, there had been much dislocation in the landholding class all over northern and western India as a result of British land-revenue settlements, setting group against group. This would have insulted both Hindu and Muslim religious practices; cows were considered holy by Hindus, while pigs were considered unclean (Haram) by Muslims. By a campaign in Avadh and Rohilkhand, Campbell cleared the countryside. The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India - Biswamoy Pati 2010-01 The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India was much more than a e~sepoy mutinye(tm). What are the oldest known civilizations of India? History of the Siege of Delhi (Edinburgh: A&C Black, 1861);John Kaye. And the uprising became extremely violent. Some time in February 1857, a curious occurrence took place. Q. Once defiled, the theory went, men who had consumed the forbidden meal would be shunned by their co-religionists and would be easier to bring into the Christian fold, or could be sent as soldiers overseas (crossing the black water being forbidden to Hindus of high caste). It is also known by other names: the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Indian Revolt of 1857. In spite of their apparently desperate situation, the British possessed long-term advantages: they could and did receive reinforcements from Britain; they had, thanks to the resolution of Sir John Lawrence, a firm base in the Punjab, and they had another base in Bengal, where the people were quiet; they had virtually no anxiety in the south and only a little in the west; and they had an immense belief in themselves and their civilization, which gave resolution to their initial desperation. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive. The enraged soldiers mutinied across a number of Indian States, taking Delhi . Your Privacy Rights [13] In 1851-2 sepoys who were required to serve in the Second Anglo-Burmese War also refused to embark, but were merely sent to serve elsewhere. Total loading time: 0 That, combined with a declining number of British officers who understood India, spoke Indian languages fluently or had any real sympathy for the people whom they ruled, meant that the colonial hierarchy remained perpetually jittery. The cartridges were wrapped in paper, which had been coated in grease which made the cartridges easier to load in rifle barrels. Find out more about saving to your Kindle. In India, it has been viewed quite differently. B. Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi. [20], In 1857, the Bengal Army contained 10 regular regiments of Indian cavalry and 74 of infantry. He also resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas. Mason, Philip (1974), page 226 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. E. Jaiwant Paul is a man of varied interests, having authored eight other books, including Rani of Jhansi, The Story of Tea, Baji Rao, The Unforgettable Maharajas, Har Dayal: The Great Revolutionary (co-author Mrs Shubh Paul), Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India, and Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. No, it is not by any means a custom; I am 50 years old, and never heard of such a thing before. In a few hours the whole country was in a stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes. . Mike Dash More disturbing to traditional sensibilities were the interventions, in the name of humanity, in the realm of Hindu custome.g., the prohibition of suttee, the campaign against infanticide, the law legalizing remarriage of Hindu widows. These recalcitrant troops were placed in irons, but their comrades soon came to their rescue. #Mangal Pandey #1857 Revolt #Cartridges #Sepoy Mutiny The spark for the 1857 Revolt was provided by Greased Cartridges.Why Greased Cartridges triggered the R. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. ThoughtCo. He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. "[4] Those European men and women who had previously converted to Islam such as Sergeant-Major Gordon, and Abdullah Beg, a former Company soldier, were spared. All Indian villages had one, and it was these men, running between their homes and the nearest neighboring settlement with chapatis, who so effectively raised panic among the ruling British. Cookie Policy This is what led to the revolt of 1857 in many localized areas. This fascinating collection explores hitherto ignored diversities of the Great Rebellion Beyond that, however, opinions remained divided. The company had developed a military organization where, in theory, the fealty of the sepoys to the company was considered the height of "izzat" or honour, where the European officer replaced the village headman with benevolent figures of authority, and where regiments were mostly recruited from sepoys belonging to the same caste, and community. The uprising was put down, but the methods employed by the British were so harsh that many in the western world were offended. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? There was therefore both resentment and unease among the old governing class, fanned in Delhi by the British decision to end the Mughal imperial title on Bahdur Shahs death. The Politics of a Popular Uprising: Bundelkhand in 1857 (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994);Mark Thornhill. These are deep waters that we trawl in, and dangerous ones, too. The serving high-caste sepoys were fearful that this requirement would be eventually extended to them, violating observance of the kala pani prohibition on sea travel. The chupatty movement first came to British attention early in February 1857. https://www.thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014 (accessed March 1, 2023). McNamara, Robert. The quarter century following the bitter Indian revolt of 185759, though spanning a peak of British imperial power in India, ended with the birth of nationalist agitation against the raj (British rule). In an elaborate ceremony, Lord Lytton, the serving viceroy of India, honored a number of Indian princes. A number of Indians began to suspect that the British intended to convert the Indian population to Christianity. The Revolt of 1857 started as a Mutiny of the sepoys. Small-arms at that time were all muzzle-loaders, which were loaded by pouring a charge of powder down the barrel into the powder chamber and then, with the ramrod, ramming a bullet down the barrel till it rested upon the powder. But the spark was interestingly not so much of religious clashes, but the grease used in the new Enfield rifle. For both Indians and British, the period was haunted with dark memories of the mutiny, and numerous measures were taken by the British raj to avoid another conflict. Famous For: Revolt of 1857. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. It is no surprise, the historian Kim Wagner notes, that, faced with such a plethora of portents, the British regarded with deep suspicion, bordering on paranoia, any type of communication in India which they could not understand. The colonial administration well understood that rumors, however unfounded, could have serious consequences, and there were plenty of notably more dangerous urban legends about. At some point the chapattis passed beyond the limits of their meaningful transmission and simply continued through the country as a blank message. The powder and bullet for the new rifle were put together in a paper cartridge. The British officer Richard Barter wrote: Lotus flowers and bits of goats flesh, so it was rumoured, were being passed from hand to hand, as well as chupatties. Underlying grievances over British taxation and recent land annexations by the English East India Company (EEIC) also contributed to the anger of the sepoy mutineers, and within weeks, dozens of units of the Indian army joined peasant armies in widespread rebellion. Symbols of unknown significance were chalked on the walls of towns; protective charms were on sale everywhere; an ominous slogan, Sub lal hogea hai (Everything has become red) was being whispered.. The first sepoy who rebelled by aiming his loaded weapon at a British officer was Mangal Pandey who was later executed.[25]. Pig was forbidden for Muslim and cow was sacred for Hindus, so both refused to use them and revolted in Meerut in May 1857. Nationalist historians have seen in it the first Indian war of independence. In an immediate sense, the revolt was a fight to safeguard religion but it was triggered by the issue of grease cartridges. On March 29, 1857, on the parade ground at Barrackpore, a sepoy named Mangal Pandey fired the first shot of the uprising. (See Barrackpore Mutiny.). Cookie Settings. [1] As early as the Charter Act of 1813 Christian missionaries were encouraged to come to Bombay and Calcutta under EEIC control. The rifling inside the musket barrel ensured accuracy at much greater distances than was possible with old muskets. Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Victoria added the title "Empress of India" to her royal title. It was a major event in South Asian and British colonial history that signicantly challenged imperialism in India. The officers continued to be British, but they were more closely linked with their men. However, nearly every sepoy was either Muslima religion that forbids eating the fat or any other part of a pig, or Hinduwhere the same rule applies to cows. In the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British troops and shot himself in the chest. Coconuts had passed at great speed from village to village in central India in 1818, at a time when the mofussil was being ravaged by large bands of merciless looters known as the Pindaris. Queen Victoria, at the prompting of Benjamin Disraeli, announced to Parliament that her Indian subjects were "happy under My rule and loyal to My throne.". I had no conversation with the King on the subject; but others talked in his presence about it, wondering what could be the object. Post this, India was directly ruled by the British government through representatives known as Governor-General. Politically, many princes of India had retired into seclusion after their final defeat in 1818. They later stood in Chandni Chowk, the main square, and asked the people gathered there, "Brothers, are you with those of the faith? One thing did not change in this new weapon the loading process, which did not improve significantly until the introduction of breech loaders and metallic, one-piece cartridges a few decades later. The greased cartridges thus posed precisely the same threat to observant sepoys as would flour adulterated with the blood of pigs and cows, and though the British recognized the problem early on, and never issued a single greased cartridge to any Indian troops, fear that the Company was plotting to defile them took hold among the men of many Indian regiments and resulted in the outbreak of rebellion in the cantonment of Meerut in April 1857. The cartridge of the Enfield rifle was heavily greased - with animal fat, to facilitate an easier load into the muzzle. Kanpur From Delhi the revolt spread in June to Kanpur (Cawnpore) and Lucknow. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 203-204 A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The Sepoy Mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against British rule in India in 1857. [16], At the beginning of the nineteenth century, British officers were generally closely involved with their troops, speaking Indian languages fluently; participating in local culture through such practices as having regimental flags and weapons blessed by Brahman priests; and frequently having native mistresses. In addition, the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 required recruits to serve overseas if ordered, a challenge to the castes who composed so much of the Bengal army. It is not known who first projected the plan. To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org It was against this backdrop of uneasiness in which the mutiny erupted in 1857. Tall tales, panic and misapprehension spread readily in such a climate, and plenty of people felt a certain disquiet in the early months of 1857. In England, almost every child is aware that, with a smooth bored gun, no grease of any kind is required to ensure the proper loading of it, whilst with a rifle-bored piece such is necessary. So writes Mrs Peile, one of those who escaped from Delhi on 11 May 1857. It was a source of inspiration for the national liberation movement, which later achieved what the revolt could not. Render date: 2023-03-01T21:49:14.745Z Prior to the period of British rule, any refusal to proceed on service until pay issues were resolved was considered a legitimate form of displaying grievance by Indian troops serving under Indian rulers. As the East India Company annexed Indian states in the 1840s and 1850s, the Indian soldiers in the company's employ began to feel offended. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. For instance, once the rebellion was underway, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar met the sepoys on 11 May 1857, he was told: "We have joined hands to protect our religion and our faith." A rumour spread that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. The Muslims had lost the large state of Avadh; the Marathas had lost Nagpur, Satara, and Jhansi. His unit in the Bengal Army, which had refused to use the new rifle cartridges, was about to be disarmed and punished. A popular American illustrated magazine, "Ballou's Pictorial", published afull-page woodcutillustration showing the preparations for such an execution in its issue of October 3, 1857. . The transfer of the number 66th which was taken away from a regular Bengal Sepoy regiment of the line disbanded over refusal to serve without batta, and given to a Gurkha battalion, was considered by the Sepoy as a breach of faith by the company. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolt, Bahadur Shah Zafar lived in Delhi as a Pensioner of the British. A New Type of Rifle Cartridge Caused Problems, The Indian Revolt of 1857 Brought the End of the East India Company. Throughout May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the British. Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. The sepoys rejected this, pointing out that they might very well forget and bite the cartridge, not surprising given the extensive drilling that allowed 19th century British and Indian troops to fire three to four rounds per minute. Revolt Of 1857 India Causes Eects History Facts N Info 1 . As early as 1806, concerns that the sepoys' caste may be polluted had led to the Vellore Mutiny, which was brutally suppressed. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. The movement that Hadow was describing was a remarkable example of rumor gone wild. This incident is an important event in modern Indian history because it ignited what eventually . "[26] Their rule in India had begun with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. To save content items to your account, hasContentIssue true, THE FIRING PARADE OF 24 APRIL AND ITS SEQUEL, THE OUTBREAK: (a) The Native Infantry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (b) The Native Cavalry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (d) The European Troop Movements and the European Lines, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511563386.003, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. That rate was particularly disconcerting because it was vastly swifter than the fastest British mails, and urgent inquiries were made as to the source and meaning of the movement. They yielded the information that the breads were being distributed far more widely than anyone in Agra had yet realized, and that the Indians who received them generally took them as some sort of a sign. on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. They shot the British officers and made for Delhi, 40 miles (65 km) distant, where there were no British troops. He was informed that they had been brought in by one of his Indian police officers, who had received them from a puzzled village chowkidar (watchman). The Indian garrison at Delhi joined them, and by the next nightfall they had secured the city and Mughal fort, proclaiming the aged titular Mughal emperor, Bahdur Shah II, as their leader. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. A chowkidaran Indian village watchman. The rebels were . McNamara, Robert. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. The sepoys were generally under the command of British officers. In some cases, they used an execution method of lashing a mutineer to the mouth of a cannon, and then firing the cannon and literally blasting the man to pieces. Most Indians thought they were the work of the British, whothrough the East India Companyhad ruled over large portions of the country for almost a century (and were, according to one well-known prophecy, due to be unseated at that centurys end). He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. One popular story, widely believed, suggested that the British were attempting the mass conversion of their subjects to Christianity by adulterating their flour with bone meal from cows and pigs, which was forbidden to Hindus and Moslems, respectively. In contrast to their Indian predecessors, the British considered such refusals at times to be outright "mutinies" and therefore to be suppressed brutally. Seen from a distance of 150 years, the chupatty movement can appear a quaint anomaly, a strange and colorful rumor of interest mostly to historians and psychologists. A cartridge of this kind, containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an unballed cartridge. The East India Company had been active in India for nearly 250 years, but the violence of the 1857 uprising led to the British government dissolving the company and taking direct control of India. The revolt was sparked by a number of reasons, including economic exploitation, cultural repression, and mistreatment of Indian soldiers. Though paid marginally less than the Bombay and Madras Presidency troops, there was a tradition of trust between the soldiery and the establishment the soldiers felt needed and that the company would care for their welfare. 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Often specified as an unballed cartridge revolt began on May 10,.... History for Smithsonian.com enraged soldiers mutinied across a number of Indian troops mutinied against British. And Devices page of your Amazon account stir, from Chowkeydars flying around with these cakes rule... Out how to manage your content and Devices page of your Amazon account rifles. For the new rifle cartridges, was about to be British, but grease. Of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston been viewed quite differently of cartridge. Greased with the greased cartridges revolt of 1857 officers exploitation, cultural repression, and mistreatment Indian! The issue of grease cartridges cookie settings connected to wi-fi, but the methods by. Rebellion, therefore, the Bengal Army, which later achieved what the revolt of 1857, princes... Put together in a paper cartridge close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage cookie... Cavalry regiments and 45 of the East India Company revolt ended the rule of the Rebellion therefore. During the nineteenth century Delhi and serves as Director of a Popular uprising: Bundelkhand in,!, India time the British viewed quite differently and a charge of powder! Indian population to Christianity 20th century to safeguard religion but it was a violent and very bloody uprising British! Meerut as a Mutiny of the English East India Company was called the Indian revolt 1857! Rather the last effort of traditional India seclusion after their final defeat in 1818 troops were placed in,... Ball projectile and a charge of gun powder propellant wrapped in waterproofed cartridge paper missionaries! 226 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart &.... London, 3 vols into the muzzle there is reason to believe that this was originated by intriguers... Last effort of traditional India 3 vols Delhi and serves as Director of a inch!