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India was under British rule for 200 years. The fight for independence was not easy and certainly not won in a day. Many revolts were won & lost which led to the moment of independence for India. One of the major revolts was the Sepoy Mutiny aka the Revolt of 1857. In this blog, you will learn about the revolt of 1857, its causes & failures and how it became the harbinger of other Indian National Movements. The revolt was started on May 10, 1857, by sepoys in Meerut. The revolt lasted for a year but was unsuccessful. India needed certain peaceful changes and this revolution brought her that. A major highlight of this revolt was that it abolished the East India company’s rule in India. Central and northern parts of India took part in the revolt of 1857 and there were various reasons that bundled up the Indians.

What was the Revolt of 1857 also known as?

The Revolt of 1857, the initial stage of our independence struggle, had a lot of names given by historians worldwide. The Revolt of 1857 was also known as:-

• Indian Mutiny
• Sepoy Mutiny
• Sepoy Rebellion
• Sepoy Revolt 
• First War of Independence

Also Read: Interesting Facts About the Battle of Plassey

Timeline of the Revolt of 1857

Causes of the Indian Revolt of 1857

• Political Causes – In the late 1840s, Lord Dalhousie imposed the Doctrine of Lapse. Under this, no ruler was allowed to adopt any child & only the natural heir has the right to rule. The political cause was the extension of British policies like the Doctrine of Lapse. The state would be annexed if the ruler dies without any male heir and was under the East India Company.
• Economic Causes – The peasants & farmers were affected by the various British reforms and were forced to pay heavy taxes. So, the ones that were unable to pay the taxes or loans had to surrender their lands to the Britishers. Constantly Indians have to compete with the British industry machine manufactured goods with Indian handicraft goods. 
• Military causes – The Indian sepoys were paid less than European sepoys. Indians were considered menial & European sepoys were given much importance in terms of salary, pension & promotion. 
• Social Causes – East India Company abolished Sati pratha, child marriage & encouraged widow remarriage, at that time it was considered a threat to Indian traditions. Britishers wanted Hindus & the Muslim religion to be converted to Christianity. 

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Immediate Cause for Revolt of 1857

With all the causes the immediate cause that infuriated soldiers was when the ‘Enfield’ rifle was introduced. Before this soldiers had to carry gunpowder & bullets along with their rifles. The process of using a gun was time-consuming, Britishers introduced the Enfield rifle gun & cartridge. The cartridge was in a cylindrical shape with a knot on top & filled with the perfect amount of gunpowder & bullet in the end. Soldiers just had to tear the cartridge & then be ready to use a rifle, this saved a lot of time. There was a rumour that aroused that the cartridge was greased with pig & cow fat. The pig is taboo among Muslims & the cow is sacred in the Hindu religion. Indian soldiers refused to use the cartridge & soldiers were also sentenced.

What Were the Effects of the Revolt of 1857 on India?

The revolt of 1857 was not a success but created a huge impact on India. The major impact was the abolishment of the East India Company, India was under the direct control of British authority, The Indian administration was directly controlled by queen victoria. The second impact that the revolt of 1857 created was to develop unity & patriotism in the nation. Press was restricted since the Revolt of 1857 involved the Peasants as well. The press played an important role in the freedom struggle. It helped to educate Indians, influence them & aware of government policies. 

Centres of the Revolt of 1857

The revolt spread over the entire area from the neighbourhood of Patna to the borders of Rajasthan. The main centres of revolt, commonly known as the sepoy mutiny in these regions namely Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Jhansi, Gwalior, and Arrah in Bihar. 

• Lucknow – It was the capital of Awadh. Begum Hazrat Mahal, one of the begums of the ex-king of Awadh, took up the leadership of the revolt. 
• Kanpur – The revolt was led by Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
• Jhansi – The twenty-year-old Rani Lakshmi Bai led the rebels when the British refused to accept the claim of her adopted son to the throne of Jhansi. 
• Bihar – The revolt was led by Kunwar Singh who belonged to the royal house of Jagdispur, Bihar. 

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Historical Movements of the Revolt of 1857

 There were many historical movements during the Revolt of 1857 which are still the centres of conversations when we talk about our Independence struggle.

• Mangal Pandey– Mangal Pandey did not just refuse to use cartridges greased with cow or pig fat, he created an uproar within his Infantry which led to injuring the British generals. His bravery is unmatched to date though he was hanged by the East India Company.
• Cawnpore Massacre– Cawnpore or Kanpur was the highlight of the Revolt of 1857. When Cawnpore was sieged by the sepoys, they allowed the British rescue party to travel to Allahabad through Cawnpore. But the British soldiers and civilians (including 120 women and children) were killed by the sepoys. This enraged the East India Company who tortured, looted the Indian civilians and executed a large number of sepoys in Cawpore and recaptured the city. 
• Rani of Jhansi’s historic win– Rani Laxmibai refused the East India Company to annex Jhansi. The British forces then slowly marched towards Jhansi. It was in the darkness of the night that the rebels attacked the fort where the British leaders and their servants were resting and killed all of them.

Who Opposed the Revolt of 1857?

You will be surprised to know that a lot of the Indian communities didn’t support the Revolt of 1857. While more than a quarter of the native soldiers were Muslims, the Ulemas of the community did not support or believe that military violence is required against the East India Company. 

A lot of important Sikhs and Pathan leaders in the Punjab province sided and conspired with the East India Company as they feared that if the Revolt drove out the British, the Mughals would come to power. 

Gwalior was one of the centres of rebellion by the sepoys and civilians yet the state’s ruler, Jayaji Rao Scindia supported the British.

Failure of Revolt of 1857

The revolt was an extraordinary event in Indian history, but the result of the revolt was unsuccessful due to some major drawbacks. Here are all the reasons for the failure of the revolt of 1857:

• One of the reasons for the failure of the sepoy mutiny was that there was no leader. The need at that moment was a leader that could lead & execute the plan.
• In some places, only sepoys were revolting & there was no support from the commoners. There was a lack of support from people in the revolt of 1857.
• Rulers of Indian states did not support the Indians & suppressed the revolt.
• There was no unity, the northern region was active in the revolt of 1857 while the southern states didn’t take any part.
• At that time the Indians involved in the revolt had limited resources in terms of financial aid, equipment & guns. On the other hand, Britishers didn’t face any issues like this.

Leaders of the Revolt of 1857

Many leaders took part in the revolt of 1857, here are all the leaders.

Place	Leaders of the Revolt of 1857
Lucknow	Begum Hazrat Mahal, Birjis Qadir, Ahmadullah
Delhi	Bahadur Shah II, General Bakht Khan
Barrackpore	Mangal Pandey
Bihar	Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh
Faizabad	Maulvi Ahmadullah
Jhansi	Rani Laxmibai
Bijnaur	Mohammad Khan
Allahabad & Banaras	Maulvi Liyakat Ali
Farrukhabad	Tufzal Hasan Khan
Muradabad	Abdul Ali Khan
Kanpur	Tantia Tope
Mandsor	Firoz Shah
Rajasthan	Jaidayal Singh and Hardayal Singh
Kullu	Raja Pratap Singh
Assam	Kandapareshwar Singh, Manorama Datta
Orissa	Surendra Shahi, Ujjwal Shahi
Gorakhpur	Rajadhar Singh

List of British Officials

• General John Nicholson
• Major Hudson
• Sir Hugh Wheeler
• General Neil
• Sir Colin Campbell
• Henry Lawrence
• Major General Havelock
• William Taylor and Eye
• Hugh Rose
• Colonel Oncell

The Aftermath of the Revolt of 1857

• End of Company Rule: The revolt marked the end of the East India Company’s rule in India
• The direct rule of the British Crown: India came under the direct rule of the British Crown. This was announced by Lord Canning at a Durbar in Allahabad in a proclamation issued on November 1, 1858, in the name of the queen. 
• Religious Tolerance: The British Crown promised religious tolerance and the customs and traditions of India were given more attention.
• Administrative Change: The governor general’s office was replaced by that of the Viceroy. 
• Military Reorganisation: The ratio of British officers to Indian soldiers increased but the armoury remained in the hands of the English to end the dominance of the Bengal army. 

Best Books

Here are some books you can dig into for more details on the Revolt of 1857. 

Short Note on Revolt of 1857

The Revolt of 1857 was first started on May 10, 1857, by sepoy mutiny in Meerut. The revolt lasted for a year and was unsuccessful yet it brought the changes that India needed for years. A major highlight of this revolt was that it abolished the East India company in India. Central & northern parts of India took part in the revolt of 1857. There were various reasons that bundled up the Indians. It was also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny and the Great Rebellion. The main outcome of the revolt in 1857 was the end of company rule in India and the establishment of direct rule of the British Crown. 

The revolt of 1857 was an unprecedented event in the history of British rule in India. It united, though in a limited way, many sections of Indian society for a common cause. Though the revolt failed to achieve the desired goal, it sowed the seeds of Indian nationalism. 

Important Questions

Why were the powers of the East India Company transferred to the British Crown?

Post the sepoy mutiny, the powers of East India Company were transferred because the company rule was ended in India after the revolt. 

How did the position of governor-general change after the revolt of 1857?

The governor-general was given the title of a viceroy who became a personal representative of the crown.

How was the revolt suppressed by the British?

The company decided to regain control over its lost territories and suppressed the revolt in complete retaliation. 

What was the role of Mangal Panday in the revolt of 1857?

Mangal Panday was a young soldier stationed in the British army at Barrackpore refused to use the rifle and attacked his British officers.

FAQs

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