The Revolt of 1857

Indian Mutiny also called Sepoy Mutiny or the First War of Independence was a widespread but unfortunately unsuccessful rebellion against the British in India in 1857-1859. It started in Meerut and extended to Agra, Lucknow, and Delhi. This is known as the First War of Independence.

Background

The British were trying to interrupt the Indian economic, political, and cultural life. They were constantly using tactics to bring princely states under their control. British men in the Indian court replaced all the aristocratic men.

An annexation policy known as the Doctrine of Lapse, was introduced by Lord Dalhousie in the late 1840s.It was as per the doctrine, if an Indian emperor is without a male heir, the throne would be passed to the East India Company. Another problem arose when Lord Dalhousie introduced the women’s bill (The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act 1856,  was passed on July, 1856, and made widow remarriage possible in all Indian jurisdictions under East India Company rule.) and introduced a bill to remove all legal obstacles to the remarriage of Hindu widows. They were given an option to convert to Christianity and share their property with their Hindu relatives.

The mutiny broke out in the West Bengal military area, where new Enfield guns were introduced. To load the gun, the soldiers had to tear the cartridge with their mouths.A rumour spread that the gun cartridge was made of a mixture of pig and cow fat, which was an insult for the Hindus and the Muslims. However, there was no proof of the cartridge being made of cow and pig fat, but this added fuel to the rumour and larger suspicion grew towards the British. Britishers never realized the hatred for them was growing stronger day by day.

Causes of the Revolt 1857

• Religious and social causes:  Racism was the main cause of the revolt of 1857. Indians were exploited and asked to stay away from the British army. British leaders started interfering in Hindu and Muslim religious aspects and hurting their sentiments
• Political cause: The expansion of Britishers had led to unjust rule of the land which was a great loss to nawabs and zamindars. The unfair practices of the policies in trade and commerce, the policy of war and annexation, the policy of lapse and the misgovernance where Awadh  annexed hampered the interest of the Indian rulers, who became the victims of British exploitation. Therefore, the rulers who lost their everything to the Britishers came together and participated in the revolt of 1857
• Economic factors: There were various tax policies and reforms introduced by the Britishers, which affected the revenue system and peasants. Various administrative policies were imposed and introduced by the British Government to expand their territory

Effects of Revolt

1. Government act of India 1858: Under this act, the East India Company was abolished and was asked to return to England, and the direct authority went to the British parliament.
2. The role of the Governor: The Governor-General became more prominent and an appointment of a Viceroy was made. The Viceroy was a representative of the queen whereas the secretary of state was the representative of the British Parliament,whose authority was only limited to Indian Britisher states and not to the princely states.
3. The board of control was abolished:  A new ministry was created known as “India House,” headed by the Secretary of State for India, a minister of cabinet rank. Fifteen ministers were running this department who had a wide knowledge to run Indian affairs.

Prominent leaders who lead the revolt of 1857

• Mangal Pandey:  Mangal Pandey was a soldier in the British army who started the revolt. His attack on Britishers on March 29, 1857, marked the starting of the revolt. During his service in Bengal at Barrackpore, the Britishers employed a new gun known as the “Enfield gun,” which was covered with grease paper. Later, rumours were spread that the grease paper was covered with cow and pig fat. This made Mangal Pandey furious and he urged his fellow mates not to use them. Later, he was hanged, which sparked the revolt
• Rani Laxmi Bai: Rani Laxmi Bai was an important figure in the fight for Indian Independence during the revolt of 1857 against the British. After the death of the Maharaja of Jhansi, Jhansi was left with only an infant maharaja. Rani Laxmi Bai started ruling on behalf of the infant prince. Lord Dalhousie ordered the annexure of Jhansi as the infant prince was an adopted son and not the real son of the maharaja of Jhansi

As per the Doctrine of Lapse, the kingdom of Jhansi was to be annexed. During this turmoil, the revolt of 1857 had started in Meerut. Sir Hugh rose along with the British forces and arrived in Jhansi to take over the kingdom. He ordered that the kingdom of Jhansi be handed over to him or it would be destroyed. Rani of Jhansi fought bravely along with the men and women of Jhansi for two weeks against the British army but eventually, she lost the battle. She then escaped to Kalpi along with her son. The rebel soldiers, along with Tatya Tope and Rani of Jhansi, captured the Gwalior fort. She then went to Morar Gwalior to fight the Britishers. She fought bravely and died fighting in a soldier’s attire.

• Tantia Tope: Tantia Tope played a major role in the revolt. He was known as Tantia Tope. He was the son of Pandurang Rao and was a noble in the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II court. He was the friend of Nana Sahib, who fought with him in the revolt of 1857. Tope means the commanding officer. He had no formal training in fighting, but he had learned and mastered the art of guerrilla warfare. Along with Rani Laxmi Bai, he played an active role in Kanpur and Gwalior. The Britishers captured him at the court at Shivpuri and executed him on April 18, 1859. Tantia Tope was an inspiring hero in the revolt of 1857, and his bravery and courage still inspire Indians today
• Nana Sahib: Nana Sahib was born in Bithoor (Kanpur District), Uttar Pradesh, in May 1824. He was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II. The Britishers denied him as the ruler. His role was to deploy his soldiers in Kanpur and capture it. However, in 1857, the Britishers successfully recaptured it. Hence, Nana Sahib ran to Bithoor. The Britishers captured Bithoor but were unable to catch him. He played a prominent role in the revolt of 1857 and was made the Peshwa at Gwalior by Tatya Tope
• Bahadur Shah Zafar: He was the last Mughal ruler. During the first revolt of independence, the Indian population declared Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader and commander of forces. He was given the title of Emperor of Hindustan. Bahadur Shah Zafar was caught and imprisoned by the British forces. This led to the end of the Mughal rule in India in 1857

Conclusion

The spreading British culture to break down the caste system and introduce western education challenged the thoughts of the Hindus and Muslims. Even the Brahmins had lost their prestigious position and wealth to the British. The revolt of 1857 is one of the major events in the history of India’s Independence.

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