GREAT
REVOLT OF 1857
The 1857 Revolt
showed the seeds of Indian nationalism, which lay dormant in the subconscious
of the Indian people. The Vellore mutiny of 1806 is a precursor to the Great
Revolt of 1857.
Causes of the Revolt:-
|
Political Causes
|
àThe
discontent and disaffection manifested in the form of revolts against the
British Government were not confined to the ruling chiefs and royal families
alone.
àAnti-English
feelings were particularly strong in the regions of India.
àThe
Doctrine of Lapse, (Lord Dalhousie) produced grave discontent and alarm among
the native princes, who were directly affected.
|
|
Economic Causes
|
àHuge
drain wealth, destruction of its industry and increasing land revenue
àThe
British damaged the Indian trade and manufacture by imposing a high tariff in
Britain against Indian goods
|
|
Social Causes
|
àThe
British showed an arrogant attitude towards the Indians.
àA
general alarm was raised among the Hindus and Muslims by the activities of
the Christian missionaries.
|
|
Military Causes
|
àThe
Indian sepoys in the British Indian army nursed a sense of strong resentment
at their low salary.
àAbolish
of batta when they served in foreign territories
|
Beginning
of the revolt:-
Greased cartridges
paved the immediate cause for the revolt. The new Enfield rifle had been
introduced for the first time in the Indian army. Its cartridges had a greased
paper cover whose end had to be bitten off before the cartridge was loaded into
the rifle. The grease was composed of fat taken from beef and pig. The
religious feelings of the Hindu and Muslim sepoys were terribly wounded. The
sepoys believed that the government was deliberately trying to destroy their
religious and cultural identity.
The events that led
to the Revolt began on 29-March, 1857 at Barrackpore. Mangal Pandey (a sepoy)
refused to use the greased cartridges and single-handedly attacked and killed
his officer. Mangal Pandey was hanged. The regiment which he belonged was
disbanded and sepoys guilty of rebellion punished.
At Meerut in May
1857, some 80 sepoys of the 3rd Cavalry regiment were sentenced to serious
punishment for refusing to use the cartridges. On May 10, 1857 the sepoys broke
out in open rebellion, shot their officers, released their fellow sepoys from
prisons and headed towards Delhi. General Hewitt. The officer commanding at
Meerut was helpless to prevent the army’s march.
The City of Delhi
fell into the hands of soldiers on May 12, 1857. Lieutenant Willtashby, the
officer in charge of Delhi could not prevent the mutineers. Soon, the mutineers
proclaimed the aged nominal king, Bahaadur Shah II of the Mughal dynasty as the
Emperor of India. Very soon the rebellion spread throughout northern and
central India.
|
Places
|
Lead By
|
Suppressed By
|
|
Delhi
|
Bahadur Shah II
(General Bakht Khan)
|
Combined effort of Nicholson,
Wolson, Baird Smirth and Neville Chamberlain
|
|
Lucknow
|
Begum of Oudh
|
Henry Lawerence*, Sir Colin Campbell
|
|
Kanpur
|
Nana Saheb
|
Sir Hugh Wheeler#, Sir Colin
Campbell
|
|
Jhansi
|
Lakshmi Bai
(joined by Tantia Tope)
|
Sir Hugh Rose
|
|
Bihar
|
Kunwar Singh
|
|
|
Faziabad
|
Malauvi Ahmadullah
|
|
|
* à killed in
battle; # à
surrendered
|
||
Fate
of the leaders:-
|
Leaders
|
Fate
|
|
Bahadur Shah II
|
Imprisoned and deported to Rangoon
where he died naturally in 1862
|
|
Begum of Oudh
|
Fled to Nepal
|
|
Nana Saheb
|
Fled to Nepal
|
|
Lakshmi Bai
|
Died in battle
|
|
Kunwar Singh
|
Died in battle
|
|
Malauvi Ahmadullah
|
Died in battle
|
|
Tantia Tope
|
Treacherously murdered in the forest
of Central India
|
The revolt came to
an end with the victory of the British. Viceroy Canning proclaimed peace
throughout India.
Reasons
for failure:-
·
Revolt failed top embrace the whole of
India, it just confined to northern and central India
·
Different sections of Indians (Modern
Educated Indians, moneylenders) were against the revolt
·
No concrete general plan
·
The British were aided by the new
scientific inventions of the telegraph and postal systems (thankful to Lord
Dalhousie)
Significance
of the Mutiny:-
·
Hindu-Muslim unity
·
Common people rose up against the
British
Effect
of Mutiny:-
·
The Indian Administration was
transferred to Queen from the East Indian Company
·
Viceroy came into existence instead of
Governor –General. (Lord Canning had the unique opportunity to become the
Governor General as well as the first viceroy according to the Act of 1858)
·
Lord Canning proclaimed the new
Government at Allahabad on 01 November, 1858 (Queen’s Proclamation / Magna
Carta of the Indian people)
·
Disclaimed any extension of territory
·
Promised religious toleration
·
Guaranteed the rights of Indian
princes
·
Pledged equal treatments to Indians
and Europeans
·
Secretary of State for India in UK.
·
“India Council” in UK consists of 15
members + Secretary of State for India
·
Viceroy was directly responsible to
Secretary of State and Secretary of State is responsible to the British
Parliament (Secretary of State got salary from India)
What
historians say about the revolt:-
“The Revolt of 1857 is a planned war
of National Independence”
- V. D. Savarkar
“The Revolt of 1857 is neither a first
nor National war of Independence”
- R. C. Majumudar
“The Revolt of 1857 is just a mutiny
outbreak, nothing more than that”
- Sir John Lawerence
“The Revolt of 1857 was part of the
struggle of Indian Independence”
- S. N. Sen
“Civil Rebellions in the Indian
Mutinies”
- S. B. Chaudhry
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