At other times however, the Company directly or indirectly conceded the legitimacy of the sepoy's demands, such as when troops of the Bengal and Madras armies refused to serve in Sindh without batta after its conquest. The officers continued to be British, but they were more closely linked with their men. Map: Wikicommons. The Revolt of 1857 in India eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. ThoughtCo. [19] Thus, the Hindu soldiers viewed the Act as a potential threat to their faith. A number of Indians began to suspect that the British intended to convert the Indian population to Christianity. To save content items to your account, Host of Midian: the chapati circulation and the Indian Revolt of 1857-58. Studies in History 16 (2000);Christopher Hibbert. 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. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Britain, of course, would rule India well into the 20th century. Western inventions such as the telegraph and railways aroused the prejudice of a conservative society (though Indians crowded the trains when they had them). There is no doubt that conflict over the new rifle cartridges sparked the uprising in 1857, but the reality is that social, political, and even technological reforms had set the stage for what happened. The greased cartridge - what was it all about? Q. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. And where had the chowkidar got them? Sepoys were forced to watch such displays as it was believed it set an example of the horrific death that awaited mutineers. Along with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India. This would have insulted both Hindu and Muslim religious practices; cows were considered holy by Hindus, while pigs were considered unclean (Haram) by Muslims. From Delhi the revolt spread in June to Kanpur (Cawnpore) and Lucknow. But the back of the rebellion had been broken and time gained for reinforcements to restore British superiority. 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 general factors that turned a military mutiny into a popular revolt can be comprehensively described under the heading of political, economic, social, and cultural Westernization. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service. It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers. Kanpur 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. The Bengal army of some 130,000 Indian troops may have contained as many as 40,000 Brahmans as well as many Rajputs. The rifling inside the musket barrel ensured accuracy at much greater distances than was possible with old muskets. The movement that Hadow was describing was a remarkable example of rumor gone wild. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 291-292 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. 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. In Britain and in the West, it was almost always portrayed as a series of unreasonable and bloodthirsty uprisings spurred by falsehoods about religious insensitivity. Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. But something important was required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a military uprising to stage a war of independence. Sympathetic rulers, such as Lord William Bentinck were replaced by arrogant aristocrats, such as Lord Dalhousie, who despised the troops and the populace. And yet its just as possible to see the bloody results of the mutual incomprehension between the British and native communities in India as a potent reminder that mistrust and panic can have serious consequences. In another, however, the appalling atrocities visited by the Companys armies on the people of northern India were far from justified, since the British proved to be just as prone to rumors and panics as their Indian subjects. . It came as a greater shock than the loss of the American colonies, and prompted reprisals far more hysterical and vicious than those visited on rebellious subjects elsewhere in the Empire. But the spark was interestingly not so much of religious clashes, but the grease used in the new Enfield rifle. Before the rebellion, there were reports that "holy men" were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys. In most accounts of the revolt, the greased cartridge has been referred to as the spark and tinder that lit the flames of rebellion. There is reason to believe that this was originated by some intriguers of the old Court of Lucknow. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine This book is essentially about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana. The Revolt of 1857, also known as the First War of Indian Independence, was a significant uprising against British colonial rule in India. Although the armies of many Rajas or states which rebelled contained large numbers of guns, the British superiority in artillery was to be decisive in the siege of Delhi after the arrival of a siege train of thirty-two howitzers and mortars. 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. Some currents simply ran cold, while others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing. 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). The revolt is known by several names. Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. Pandey, it should be noted, is considered a hero in India, and has been portrayed as a freedom fighter in films and even on an Indian postage stamp. [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. Thus, long after the chapattis reached their northern-most point of Meerut, there was another northwards distribution from Cawnpore to Fattehgarh, which was widely reported in the newspapers The circulation took place along well-established routes of transmission, which followed the main trade and pilgrimage routes between the bigger cities. Mason, Philip (1974), page 226 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The Revolt of 1857, an anti-colonial movement which fought against the imperialist policies of the British East India Company, is an important event that took place in Indian history. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. 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. Singhs coalitionits brief rise and fall, Congress government of P.V. The Indian Mutiny of 1857-59 was a widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against the rule of British East India Company in India which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British crown. 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.. What are the major holidays and festivals of India? 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). The next phase was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose. [9], Until the 1840s there had been a widespread belief amongst the Bengal sepoys in the Iqbal or continued good fortune of the East India Company. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. 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." In 1877, outside Delhi, essentially in the spot where bloody fighting had taken place 20 years earlier, an event called the Imperial Assemblage was held. The ratio of British to Indian troops was fixed at roughly 1:2 instead of 1:5one British and two Indian battalions were formed into brigades so that no sizable station should be without British troops. The mysterious appearance of chapatisloaves of an Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion 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. [8], Unlike the Madras and Bombay Armies of the BEIC, which were far more diverse, the Bengal Army recruited its regular soldiers almost exclusively amongst the landowning Bhumihars and Rajputs of the Ganges Valley. It began on a point of caste pollution; its leaders were traditionalists who looked to reviving the past, while the small new Westernized class actively supported the British. 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. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. Then enter the name part He is on the expert panel on weapons for several museums of Rajasthan. "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." Numerous explanations were considered. Richard Barter. By the time of the chupatty movement, no more than a handful of aged India hands could remember such long-ago events as the Vellore Mutiny. 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. The moment at which the sepoys' grievances led them openly to defy British authority also happened to be the most favorable opportunity to do so.[24]. @kindle.com emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. [21], The Bengal Army also administered, sometimes loosely, 29 regiments of irregular horses and 42 of irregular infantry. A. What was the main cause of revolt of 1857? Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. One of the first officials to encounter it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura, near Agra. Mason, Philip (1974), page 264 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. On May 9, 1857, some 4,000 British soldiers and sepoysnative Indian troopsformed a three-sided hollow square on the parade ground at the Meerut military cantonment, 40 miles northeast of Delhi, to witness punishment. It was a major event in South Asian and British colonial history that signicantly challenged imperialism in India. In the illustration, a mutineer was depicted chained to the front of a British cannon, awaiting his imminent execution, as others were gathered to watch the grisly spectacle. 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. Lands were confiscated from the landlords and auctioned. He ordered his fellow-official to make ten more, and give two to each of the five nearest village Chowkeydars with the same instructions. [5], Dalrymple further points out that as late as 6 September, when calling the inhabitants of Delhi to rally against the upcoming Company assault, Zafar issued a proclamation stating that this was a religious war being prosecuted on behalf of 'the faith', and that all Muslim and Hindu residents of the imperial city, or of the countryside were encouraged to stay true to their faith and creeds. [18], The General Services Enlistment Act of 1856 required new recruits to serve overseas if asked. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 203-204 A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Such measures were considered a valid negotiating tactic by the sepoys, likely to be repeated every time such issues arose. These recalcitrant troops were placed in irons, but their comrades soon came to their rescue. This took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the raj. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 226-228 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. This made them more accurate and gave them a longer range. Fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but the British were ultimately able to establish control. 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). 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. This movement became much more than a military mutiny. Match the following: Answer: With the British recovery of Gwalior (June 20, 1858), the revolt was virtually over. When soldiers of the Bengal army mutinied in Meerut on May 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. All of the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the infantry units rebelled at some point. The mutiny and great revolt of 1857-59. Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them. 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. A small British army was improvised, which held the ridge before Delhi against greatly superior forces until Sir John Lawrence was able to send a siege train under John Nicholson. 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. Mason, Philip (1974), page 236 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. This is what led to the revolt of 1857 in many localized areas. From the confidential physician to the King of Delhi: Nobody can tell what was the object of the distribution of the chupatties. [20], In 1857, the Bengal Army contained 10 regular regiments of Indian cavalry and 74 of infantry. As John Kaye wrote a few years later: Among other wild fables, which took firm hold of the popular mind, was one to the effect that the Companys officers had collected all the newly-manufactured salt, had divided it into two great heaps, and over one had sprinkled the blood of hogs, and over the other the blood of cows; that they had then sent it to be sold throughout the country of the pollution and desecration of the Mahommedans and Hindoos, that all might be brought to one caste and to one religion like the English. Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi. One common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon, completely obliterating the victim. A rumour spread that the cartridges of the new enfield rifles . Partly owing to this, Bengal sepoys were not subject to the penalty of flogging as were the European soldiers. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun.
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