Rev

oltof1857
Thesi
mmeringdiscont
entamongt hediff
erentcl
assesbur
stintheform ofavi
olentst
ormin
1857whi
chshookt heBri
ti
shEmpi r
einIndiatoit
sveryf
oundati
ons.Itwasthefi
rstexpr
essi
on
ofor
gani
sedresi
stanceagainstt
heBrit
ishEastIndi
aCompany .

I
tbeganasarevoltoft
hesepoy
soft
heBr
it
ishEastI
ndi
aCompany
’sar
mybutev
ent
ual
l
ytur
ned
i
ntoapopul
arrevolt
.

TheIndianrevol
tof1857isknownbysev er
alnames:theSepoyMutiny(bytheBri
ti
sh
Hist
ori
ans),theI
ndianMutiny,
theGreatRebel
li
on(bytheIndi
anHist
orians)
,theRevol
tof1857,
theI
ndianInsurr
ecti
on,andtheFir
stWarofIndependence(byVi
nayakDamodarSav ar
kar)
.

CausesofRev
oltof1857

Economi
cCause

Peasant
sandzami
ndar
swereanger
edbyt
heheav
ytaxesonl
andandt
heunpopul
arr
evenue
set
tl
ementfol
l
owedbytheCompany
.

Manyamongthesegroupswereunabl
etomeettheheav
yrevenuedemandsandrepaythei
r
l
oanstomoneylender
s,event
ual
lyl
osi
ngthel
andsthatt
heyhadheldforgener
ati
ons.Thi
s
r
esul
tint
orur
alindebt
edness.

Largenumbersofsepoysbel
ongedtothepeasant
rycl
assandhadf
ami
l
yti
esi
nvi
l
lages,
sot
he
gri
evancesofthepeasant
sal
soaffect
edthem.

Aft
ertheIndust
ri
alRevol
utioninEngland,t
herewasani nfl
uxofBr i
ti
shmanufactur
edgoods
i
ntoIndi
a,whichrui
nedindustr
ies,part
icul
arl
ythetexti
leindustryofIndi
aandthusresul
ti
ngi
nto
massunempl oyment.Br
it
ishrulebroughtmiseryt
ot heartisansandhandicr
aft
speople.

Pol
i
tical
Cause

Br
it
ishexpansi
onthr
oughtheDoctr
ineofLapseanddi
rectannexat
ioncausedr
esent
ment
amonglargenumberofI
ndianr
uler
sandchiefs.

Rani
Lakshmi
Bai
’
sadopt
edsonwasnotper
mit
tedt
osi
tont
het
hroneofJhansi
.

Theannexat
ionofAwadhbyLor dDalhousi
eont hepr
etextofmal
admini
str
ati
onlef
tthousands
ofnobl
es,of
fici
als,ret
ainersandsoldi
ersjobl
ess.Thi
smeasureconver
tedAwadh,aloyalst
ate,
i
ntoahotbedofdi scontentandint
ri
gue.
Mi
l
itar
yCauses

Indi
ansepoyswer
econsider
edi
nfer
iort
oBr
it
ishsol
dier
s.Theywer
epai
dlesst
hanaEur
opean
sepoyofthesamerank.

Theywer
erequi
redt
oser
vei
nar
easf
arawayf
rom t
hei
rhomes.

In1856Lor
dCanningi
ssuedtheGener
alSer
vicesEnl
i
stmentActwhi
chr
equi
redt
hatt
he
sepoysmustber
eadytoserv
eeveninBri
ti
shlandacr
ossthesea.

Soci
alandRel
i
giousCause

Ther
api
dlyspr
eadi
ngWest
ernCi
vi
li
sat
ioni
nIndi
awasal
armi
ngconcer
nsal
lov
ert
hecount
ry.

Anacti
n1850al
l
owedaHi
nduwhohadconv
ert
edi
ntoChr
ist
iani
tyt
oinher
ithi
sancest
ral
pr
opert
ies.

Thepeopl
ewer
econv
incedt
hatt
heGov
ernmentwaspl
anni
ngt
oconv
ertI
ndi
anst
oChr
ist
iani
ty.

Theabol
it
ionofpract
icesl
ikesatiandfemalei
nfanti
ci
de,andthelegi
slat
ionl
egal
i
zingwi
dow
remar
ri
age,werebeli
evedasthreatst
ot heest
abli
shedsocial
str
uctur
e.

I
mmedi
ateCause

TheRev
oltof1857i
nIndi
aev
ent
ual
l
ybr
okeoutov
ert
hei
nci
dentofgr
easedcar
tri
dges.

Arumourspr
eadt
hatt
hecar
tri
dgesoft
henewenf
iel
dri
fl
eswer
egr
easedwi
tht
hef
atofcows
andpi
gs.

Bef
orel
oadi
ngt
heser
if
lest
hesepoy
shadt
obi
teof
fthepaperont
hecar
tri
dges.

Bot
hHi
nduandMusl
i
m sepoy
sref
usedt
ouset
hem.

Rev
oltof1857l
eader
s

Di
ff
erentl
eader
sledt
her
evol
tlocal
l
y.Maj
oramongstt
hem i
ncl
uded:
Lucknow Begum Hazr
atMahal

Kanpur NanaSaheb

Del
hi BahadurShahI
I

Jhansi Lakshmi
Bai

Bi
har KunwarSi
ngh

Rev
oltof1857Ef
fect
s

I
tresult
edint
odi
rectr
uleoftheBrit
ishCr
own.Thi
swasannouncedbyLor
dCanni
ngataDur
bar
i
nAllahabadi
naprocl
amationissuedon1November1858i
nthenameoftheQueen.

TheIndi
anadmi
nist
rat
ionwast
akenov
erbyQueenVi
ctor
ia,
whi
ch,
inef
fect
,meantt
heBr
it
ish
Par
li
ament.

Admini
strat
ivechangeswer
ei nt
roduced:
theGover
norGener
al’
sof
fi
cewasr
epl
acedbyt
hatof
theVi
ceroy.Theri
ghtsofI
ndianruler
swerer
ecogni
sed.

TheDoct
ri
neofLapsewasabol
i
shed.Ther
ightt
oadoptsonsasl
egal
hei
rswasaccept
ed.

Mil
i
tar
yreor
gani
sati
on:t
herati
oofBri
ti
shof
fi
cerst
oIndi
ansol
dier
sincreasedbutt
hearmoury
r
emainedi
nthehandsoftheEngl
i
sh.I
twasarr
angedtoendt
hedomi nanceoftheBengal
army.

Rel
i
gioustol
erance:
itwaspr
omi
sedanddueat
tent
ionwaspai
dtot
hecust
omsandt
radi
ti
ons
ofI
ndia.

Thought
her
evol
tfai
l
edt
oachi
evet
hedesi
redgoal
,i
tsowedt
heseedsofI
ndi
annat
ional
i
sm.

Rev
oltof1857-FAQs
Q.Whol
edt
her
evol
tof1857f
rom Lucknow?

Ans.Begum Hazr
atMahal
ledt
her
evol
tfr
om Lucknow.

Q.Di
dther
evol
tof1857spr
eadt
hroughoutt
hecount
ry?

Ans.No,
thet
her
evol
twasl
i
mit
edi
ntheNor
ther
nIndi
ainpar
tsofUP,
Bihar
,Bengal
andDel
hi.

Q.WhowasGov
ernorgener
aldur
ingt
her
evol
tof1857?

Ans.Lor
dCanni
ngwast
hegov
ernorgener
aldur
ingt
her
evol
tof1857.

Q.Onwhatgr
oundAwadhwast
akenov
erbyt
heBr
it
isher
s?

Ans.Ongr
oundofmal
admi
nist
rat
ion.