When people rebel 1857 and after

Concept map

The Revolt of 1857

Causes of Spread of Supression of Impact of

Revolt Revolt Revolt
Revolt

Political Meerut

Social and Delhi

religious

Economic Kanpur

Military Jhansi

Bareilly
GLOSSARY
1) sepoys 2) reforms 3) remarriage 4) inherit 5) mutiny 6)resistance
7)regiment 8) firangis 9) ammunition 10) confederacy

short answer
1. How did the company take over Awadh ?

ANS.- Awadh was one of the last territories to be annexed. In 1801 , a

subsidiary alliance was imposed on Awadh. Governor general Dalhousie
declared that the territory was being misgoverned and British rule was needed
to ensure proper administration.

2. What reforms were introduced by the Indian society?

Ans – 1. They passed a law to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the
remarriage of widows .
2 They promoted english language education

3.In 1850 the company passed a new law that made the conversion to
Christianity easier

Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their
religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life

3. What steps were taken bt the British to end the Mughal dynasty?
Ans- a) In 1849, the governor general Dalhousie announced that after the
death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the family of the king would be shifted out of
the red fort and given another place in Delhi to live in.
 b) In 1856 , governor general canning decided that Bahadur shah zafar
would be the last mughal king and after his death his descendants would be
known as princes.
4. What was the demand of Rani laxmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the
British ?
Ans- Rani laxmibai of Jhansi wanted the company to recognise her adopted
son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband , which was
refused by the British.
4. How did the British protect the interest of those who converted to
Christianity ?
Ans- In 1850 a new law was passed to make conversion to christanity
easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to christanity to
inherit the property of his ancestors.
5. What objection did the sepoys have to the new cartridges ?
Ans- The sepoys raised the objection that the new cartridges they had been
asked to use were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. It was great insult
to the religions of Indian sepoys the hindus as well as muslims.
6. Name various leaders of revolt with their areas.
Ans- Birjis Qadir- Lucknow, Rani laxmibai- Jhansi , Kunwar singh – Bihar ,
Bakht khan – Bareilly , Ahmadullah shah - Faizabad

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1.How did British policies affect the rulling families ?

Ans- 1) In mid-18th century, nawab and rajas had gradually lost their authority and
honour, their freedom reduced armies disbanded and their revenues and
territories taken away.

2) Some ruling families like the peshwa Nana sahib and Rani laxmibai tired to
negotiate with the company to protect their interest, but were unsuccessful
3) Awadh was first imposed with a subsidiary alliance in 1801 and then taken
over by the company.
4) The company removed the name of mughal king from the coin minted by it,
Lord Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur shah zafar
would be the last mughal king ,his discendants would be just called princes.

2. What impact did Bahadur shah zafar’s support to the rebellion have on
the people and the ruling families?
Ans- a) Bahadur shah zafar’s support to the rebellion boosted the morale of
the people and the ruling families. They became united to fight the british
authority with double spirit.
b) people of the towns and villages rose up in rebellion and rallied around
local leaders ,zamindars and chiefs.
c) different leaders led the revolt from different places like Nana sahib from
Kanpur, Rani laxmibai from Jhasi, Kunwar singh from Bihar,Birjis quadir
from lucknow.
3. How did the soldier react to Mangal Pandey’s hanging ?
Ans-a) On 10th May , the soldiers marched to jail in Merrut and released
the imprisoned sepoys. They attacked and killed British officers.
b) They captured guns and ammunition and set fire to the buildings and
properties of the British and declared war on the firangis.
c)The soldiers were determined to bring an end to their rule in the country.
4. How did the rebellion spread ?
Ans-The soldiers who mutinied in Merrut rushed to Delhi and forced the
Mughal king to give his backing to the revolt. His writing a letter to all the
chiefs to revolt was significant.
The people of the towns and villages revolted and rallied around local
leaders. Zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their
authority and flight the British.
These leaders included Nana sahib(Kanpur), Rani laxmi bai (Jhansi), Begum
Hazrat Mahal and Birjis qadr (Lucknow),Bakht khan ( Bareilly), Kunwar
singh (Bihar) among others.
5. How did the company fought back the rebellion ?
Ans – The company started suppressing the revolt by bringing
reinforcement from England , passing new laws to convict the rebels easily
and moving to the important centres of the revolt, initially recapturing
Delhi in September, 1857.
The last mughal king was tried in court , sentenced to life imprisonment
and exiled to Rangoon, where he died in November.
Lucknow was retaken from the rebels in March 1858 and Rani laxmibai was
defeated and killed in June.
Simultaneously, the British tried their best to win back the loyalty of the
people by announcing rewards for loyal landholders.
6.What were the important changes introduced by the British after the
revolt?
Ans- The British crown took the British parliament passing an act in 1858
under which the powers of the East india company were transferred to the
British crown.
They provided a sense of security to the local rulers by assuring them that
their territories would never be annexed by the British in future.
They abolished the doctrine of lapse.
They reorganised the army by reducing the proportion of Indian soldiers
and increasing the proportion of European soldiers.