Revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 marked the formal start of the fight for independence from the British colonial dictatorship. A variety knows the revolt of 1857 of names, including India’s First War of Independence, the Sepoy Mutiny, and others.

The revolt began as a sepoy mutiny on May 10, 1857, in Meerut. It was started by sepoys who belonged to the Bengal Presidency as a protest against British authorities.

The British East India Company’s rule ended with this war of independence. Following this, India was ruled by the direct British government via Governors-General.

Revolt of 1857:

The revolt of 1857 began from 1857 to 1859, was a widely spread yet ultimately futile rebellion against the British East India Company regime. The British East India Company acted as the supreme authority of the British throne in India. It was the first organized form of opposition to the British East India Company. It started as a revolt of the British East India Company’s army’s sepoys, but it started gaining the support and participation of the general public.

A couple of names has called the revolt:

· The Sepoy Mutiny by British historians

· The Indian Mutiny,

· The Great Rebellion by Indian historians,

· Revolt of 1857,

· The Indian Insurrection,

· The First War of Independence and so on

Immediate Cause of the Revolt of 1857:

The emergence of the ‘Enfield’ rifle was the immediate determinant of the Revolt of 1857. Before loading the cartridge into the gun, it had to be bitten off. The cartridge was coated either with pig fat or cow fat. This was claimed by the Indian sepoys. This was in violation of Hindu beliefs & Muslim customs. As a result, they were hesitant to use the ‘Enfield’ rifle. This was a tipping point to incite soldiers’ hostility toward the British. This was thought to be the proximate cause of the Revolt of 1857.

Causes of the Revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 stood sparked by several factors, which are listed below:

Religious and social causes – Racial prejudice or racial discrimination became to be a key cause of the Revolt of 1857. The exploitation of Indians was dominating and they were also barred from trying to mix with Whites. The whites began conflicting in Indian social and spiritual affairs. The Indians were also subject to being tortured by the Whites.

Political Causes – British advancement had resulted in the spreading of unfair policy initiatives, which resulted in Nawabs and Maharajas residing throughout India losing their authority.

Some of the unjustified policy initiatives introduced were:

· The regulation related to trade and business

· The governance of indirect changes in levels on the Rank Scale

· The strategy of war and relinquishment

· The policy of direct changes in levels on the Rank Scale

· The elements of misgovernance on how the Awadh was invaded and conquered

All these factors hampered the desires of the monarchs of the respective state, and they turned out to be the fatalities of British territorial expansion one after the other. Consequently, those monarchs had ended up losing their provinces to the Whites. This made the monarchs become anti-British and clashed against the British throughout the Revolt of 1857.

Economic Factors – Various amendments and alterations in the taxes, import duties, and revenue framework significantly impacted peasants. The British government enforced and implemented a range of administrative policy initiatives to enlarge their region.

Influential Leaders of the revolt of 1857:

The Important influential Leaders of the revolt of 1857 are as follows:

1. Emperor Bahadur Shah II and General Bakht Khan were commanders of high authority of the Indian independent powers in the Delhi region.
2. Throughout the revolt of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal was the famous Lucknow leader who challenged the British. She decided on behalf of her 11-year-old son Birjis Qadar.
3. The Rani of Jhansi was a crucial figure in the revolt of 1857 and became a symbol of rebellion to the British government.
4. Nana Sahib, Rao Sahib, Tantia Tope, Azimullah Khan were notable leaders in the revolt of 1857 in Kanpur.
5. Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh revolted in Bihar against the British.
6. Jaidayal Singh and Hardayal Singh were revolutionary freedom fighters from Rajasthan.
7. Tufzal Hasan Khan was a Key army personnel revolting in Farrukhabad.
8.  Kandapareshwar Singh, Maniram Dutta Baruah revolted against the British from Assam.

Conclusion

We discussed the Revolt of 1857, the causes of the revolt of 1857, leaders of the revolt of 1857, and other related topics through the study material notes on the Revolt of 1857. We also discussed the  Immediate Cause of the Revolt of 1857 to give you proper knowledge.

The revolt of 1857 rattled the cornerstones of the British East India Company and disclosed their incompetency in managing Indian governance. The initiation of the Government of India Act, 1858, eliminated the ruling capacity of the British East India Company and laid the foundations of the British for imparting powers for ruling India directly through representatives.