Indian Rebellion of 1857

Indian Rebellion of 1857

A 1912 map of 'Northern India: the Revolt of 1857-59' showing the entres of re!ellion in l"ding the prin ipal ones: #eer"t$%elhi$ &awnpore '(anp"r)$ *" +now$ ,hansi$ and -walior

Date Location Result

Territorial changes

1. #a/ 1857 0 1859 India ' f1 1857)213 Re!ellion stopped$ 4nd of the #"ghal 4mpire5 end of&ompan/ r"le in India &ontrol ta+en !/ the 6ritish &rown 6ritish Indian 4mpire reated o"t of former4ast India &ompan/ territor/$ some land ret"rned to native r"lers$ other land onfis ated !/ the &rown1

The Indian Rebellion of 1857, also called the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Revolt of 1857, the Uprising of 1857 or theSepoy Mutiny, began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company s army on 1! "ay, 1857 re#olted against the army$Sepoys %sipahis& 'ere (indu and "uslim soldiers in the Indian army$

Causes[c ange!
The most important change that began the rebellion 'as anger about the ammunition for the ne' rifles they had to use 'hen they had to fight$ The cartridges that 'ere used in the rifles had to be bit open$ The "uslims 'ere angry because they thought that the paper cartridges had pig fat in them$ This 'as because "uslims belie#e that pigs are unclean$ (indu soldiers 'ere angry because they belie#ed the cartridges had co' fat in them$)*+ ,n -anuary *7, Colonel Richard Birch ordered that no cartridges should ha#e grease on them, and that sepoys could grease them 'ith 'hate#er they 'anted$).+ (o'e#er, this only made the sepoys belie#e that the stories about the cartridge ha#ing pig and co' fat 'ere true$ The British rulers continued to forcibly ta/e some regions ruled by Indians and made these regions %for e0ample1 ,udh, part of the present day Indian state of 2ttar 3radesh& part of the British Ra4$ They did not gi#e any respect to old royal houses of India li/e the "ughals and the 3esh'as$

"vents[c ange!

56ttac/ of the "utineers on the Redan Battery at 7uc/no', -uly .!, 18575

Capture of Bahadur 8hah II and his sons by 9illiam (odson at (umayun s tomb on *! 8eptember 1857

5Tantia Topee s 8oldiery5

The necropolis of the Rani of -hansi

Rebellion bro/e out 'hen a soldier called "angal 3andey attac/ed a British sergeant and 'ounded an ad4utant$ :eneral (earsey ordered another Indian soldier to arrest "angal 3andey but he refused$ 7ater the British arrested "angal 3andey and the other Indian soldier$ The British /illed both by hanging them$ 6ll other soldiers of that regiment lost their 4ob$ ,n "ay 1!th 1857, ca#alry troops 'hile doing parade at "eerut bro/e ran/s$ They freed the soldiers of the .rd regiment, and they mo#ed to'ards ;elhi$ 8oon many Indians of north India 4oined these soldiers$ They entered the ;elhi <ort$ They as/ed Bahadur 8hah II, the "ughal Emperor, to become leader of the rebellion$ (e agreed un'illingly$ =ery soon the re#olt spread throughout north

India$ Important Indian leaders of royal families 4oined the rebellion, and started fighting the British at se#eral places$ They included1 6hmed 2llah, an ad#isor of the e0>?ing of ,udh@ Aana 8aheb, his nephe' Rao 8aheb, and his retainers, Tantia Topi and 6Bimullah ?han@ the Rani of -hansi@ ?un'ar 8ingh@ the Ra4put chief of -agadishpur in Bihar@ and <iruB 8aha, a relati#e of the "ughal Emperor, Bahadur 8hah$ 6t the beginning the British 'ere slo' to respond$ Then they too/ #ery Cuic/ action 'ith hea#y forces$ They brought their regiments from the Crimean 9ar to India$ They also redirected many regiments that 'ere going to China to India$ The British forces reached ;elhi, and they surrounded the city from 1st -uly 1857 until .1st 6ugust 1857$ 8treet>to>street fights bro/e out bet'een the British troops and the Indians$ 2ltimately, they too/ control of ;elhi$ The massacre at ?anpur %-uly 1857& and the siege of 7uc/no' %-une to Ao#ember 1857& 'ere also important$ The last important battle 'as at:'alior in -une 1858 in 'hich the Rani of -hansi 'as /illed$ 9ith this, the British had practically suppressed the rebellion$ (o'e#er, some guerrilla fighting in many places continued until early in 185D and Tantia Tope 'as not captured and e0ecuted until 6pril 185D$

Results[c ange!
The rebellion 'as a most ma4or e#ent in the history of modern India$ The 3arliament of the 2nited ?ingdom 'ithdre' the right of the British East India Company to rule India in Ao#ember 1858$ The 2nited ?ingdom started ruling India directly through its representati#e called the =iceroy of India$ It made India a part of the British Empire$ It promised the 5the 3rinces, Chiefs, and 3eoples of India,5 eCual treatment under the British la'$)E+ In 1877, Fueen =ictoria too/ the title of Empress of India$ The British sent Bahadur 8hah II, the last "ughal Emperor, out of India, and /ept him in Gangon %then called Rangoon&, Burma 'here he died in 18H*$ The "ughal dynasty, 'hich had ruled India for about four hundred years, ended 'ith his death$ The British also too/ many steps to employ members of Indian higher castes and rulers into the go#ernment$ They stopped ta/ing the lands of the remaining princes and rulers of India$ They stopped interference in religious matters$ They started employing Indians in the ci#il ser#ices but at lo'er le#els$ They increased the number of British soldiers, and allo'ed only British soldiers to handle artillery$