Revolt of 1857 - Sepoy Mutiny

Introduction

For 200 years, India was ruled by Britishers. The war for independence was not simple, and it was not achieved in a single day. Many revolts were won and lost, leading to India's independence. The Sepoy Mutiny, also known as the 1857 Revolt, was a massive insurrection.

Overview

On May 10th, 1857, sepoys of East India Company (EIC) from Meerut started a rebellion against the rule of the company. In history, this rebellion is addressed by various other names - The Sepoy Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, the Indian Insurgency, etc. The revolt of 1857 was the first organized expression of resistance against (EIC). It began as EIC's sepoys mutiny, but it rapidly acquired public backing. The revolt arose as a result of several perspectives, including intrusive British-style social reforms and high land taxes, which fueled the Indian uprising. Many Indians revolted against the British, while others fought for them. The rebels used violence against British personnel and civilians, including children and women, while British retribution targeted the rebels and their sympathisers, and occasionally the entire villages.

Causes of the Revolt

The arrival of the breech-loading Enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was purportedly covered with pig and beef fat, was the direct cause of the insurrection. When Muslim and Hindu troops found that the Enfield cartridge's tip had to be bitten off before fire, a few people refused to take the ammunition for religious reasons. Although, Lord Canning attempted the withdrawal of the problematic cartridges, but the harm was already done. There was rioting in a number of locations.

Mangal Pandey, a sepoy at Barrackpore, declined to use the cartridges and confronted his superior officers in March 1857. On April 8, he was hanged, and one month later, 85 troops at Meerut were sentenced to ten years in prison for refusing to use the new rifle.

Apart from it, there were a number of other factors that contributed to the revolt. These factors were as follows −

• Under the Doctrine of lapse, the British forbade a Hindu monarch without a direct heir from adopting a successor. And the territory would later be annexed by the British when the ruler dies or abdicates his territory. Jhansi, Satara, Nagpur, Jaitpur, Sambalpur, and Udaipur were all annexed in accordance with the Doctrine of lapse.

• Nana Sahib was denied pension stating that he was Peshwa Baji Rao II's adoptive son.

• Introducing western teaching methods directly challenged Hindu and Muslim orthodoxy.

• An act passed in 1850 changed Hindu inheritance law, enabling a Hindu who converted to Christianity to inherit his family's properties. As a result, many people believed the government planned to convert Indians to Christianity.

• The Company's high land taxes and severe revenue collection methods irritated zamindars and peasants in rural areas.

• There was an inflow of British manufactured products into India, which devastated businesses, notably India's textile sector because Indian handcraft industries failed to compete with inexpensive machine-made goods from Britain.

• Despite the fact that Indian sepoys constituted over 87 percent of British soldiers in India, they were seen as inferior to British soldiers and were paid less than a European sepoy of the same rank. And they were obliged to serve in areas far from their homes, even in British territory across the sea.

Why did Revolt fail?

Despite the fact that the revolution was widespread, a large chunk of the country was untouched and remained to do so. The Doab region was largely spared from the revolt. The big princely realms of Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, Kashmir, and Southern provinces, as well as Rajputana's minor republics, did not join the uprising.

In addition, the insurgents lacked a strong commander, manpower, and funds. Although Nana Saheb, Tantia Tope, and Rani Lakshmi Bai spearheaded the revolt, they were unable to offer effective leadership to the movement as a whole.

Indians Who Stood with The British

For the first time, during the 1857 revolt, practically all Indians, regardless of religion, caste, creed, or profession, stood up against the British, and the nation was unified. But some Indians resisted the revolt as well because they thought that the British by incorporating the British culture and education were truly improving India. They believed the elimination of traditions such as sati and female infanticide, as well as legislation allowing widow remarriage, introducing western educational systems, and railways and telegraphs were all improving the life of Indians.

The Scindias of Gwalior, the Nizams of Hyderabad, the prosperous merchants, traders, and zamindars of Bengal and Awadh, as well as the English-educated middle class, were among those who actively fought the Revolt and helped the British destroy it.

Before and after 1857

East India Company under the umbrella of the British crown ruled India for around a century, from 1757, until 1857. However, with the 1857 uprising, the East India Company's dominion in India came to an end.

On November 1, 1858, under the name of queen Victoria, the British parliament took over the Indian administration and the office of India was formed in British territory to manage the country's administration and governance.

The new administration made the following changes −

• Indian emperors' rights were recognized

• The Doctrine of Lapse was repealed, and

• The legal right to adopt a legal heir was recognized.

FAQs

Qns 1. Where did the 1857 Indian rebellion begin?

Ans. The Mutiny officially began on May 10, 1857, in Meerut.

Qns 2. What did the British do to safeguard the interests of people who became Christians?

Ans. The British created a new legislation in 1850 to make it simpler for people to convert to Christianity. This legislation permitted an Indian who converted to Christianity to inherit his ancestors' property

Qns 3. What were the sepoys' concerns about the new cartridges they were required to use?

Ans. Cow and pig fats were used to lubricate the cartridges. These items were used in violation of Hindu and Muslim religious beliefs. As a result, the sepoys of various religions objected.

Qns 4. In what ways did the british policies alter as a result of the 1857 rebellion?

Ans. The East India Company's powers were passed to the British Crown, all of the country's governing kings were guaranteed that their land would never be annexed again and were permitted to pass on their territories to their successors, which included an adopted son, and the British resolved to respect the people of India's traditional faiths and social norms.

Conclusion Though the revolt did not accomplish its intended purpose, it did sow the seeds of nationalism amongst Indians. It brought together, albeit in a limited fashion, numerous segments of Indian society for a single purpose.