HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH

THE REVOLT OF 1857

BEGINNING OF REVOLT
March 29th 1857: A section of the 19th and 34th Native infantry posted at
Barrackpore near Calcutta mutinied and a Brahmin soldier, Mangal Pandey, killed
two British officers

May 10th 1857: The soldiers of the 3rd cavalry regiment at Merrut refused to touch
the greased Cartridges and broke out in open rebellion

May 11th 1857: The rebellious soldiers of Merrut marched to Delhi and proclaimed
the old Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II as the king of Hindustan

Rebellion broke out in Awadh, Ruhelkhand, West Bihar and many other towns and
cities of North Western provinces
HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857
 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

SEPOY MUTINIES BEFORE 1857

Vellore Mutiny. (1806)

Mutiny of 47th Native Infantry Unit (1824)

Revolt of Grenadier Company (1825)

Assam Mutiny in Sholapur (1833)

Mutiny of 34th Native Infantry (1844)

22nd Native Infantry (1849)

66th Native Infantry (1850)

37th Native Infantry (1852)

 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

CAUSES OF REVOLT
SOCIO-RELIGIOUS CAUSES POLITICO ADMINISTRATIVE CAUSES
ECONOMIC CAUSES
British laws intro. Social Annexation of Native
Land Revenue policy changes States

Trade Monopoly and free Activities of Christian Alien nature of Rulers

trade policy of E I C Missionaries
Corruption in Co’s
Annexations of Native Racial discrimination of
administration
States British

MILITARY CAUSES IMMEDIATE CAUSE:

Introduction of Greased Cartridges
Sepoys attachment
with Peasants

Service condition of
Sepoys
Religious sentiments of
Sepoys hurt
 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

Delhi - Lieutenant Willoughby, John Nicholson, Lieutenant Hudson

Kanpur - Sir Hugh Wheeler, Sir Colin Campbell

Lucknow - Henry Lawrence, Brigadier Inglis , Henry Havelock, James Outram and
Sir Colin Campbell

Jhansi - Sir Hugh Rose


Benaras - Colonel James Neill

 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

VIEWS ON REVOLT

R.C. Majumdar and S.N. Sen - "Not an organised 'national' revolt”

Charles Raikes and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan - Revolt was a mere Sepoy mutiny
R.C. Majumdar -"Neither first, nor National War of Independence”
P. E. Roberts and R Coupland - Revolt was a Muslim conspiracy
V.D. Savarkar - "War of independence”
J.W.Kaye - Revolt was the battle of blacks against the whites
Eric Stokes - "Elitist in character”
Lawrence and Seeley -"Mere sepoy mutiny”
T.R. Holmes-A conflict between civilisation and barbarism”
L.E.R Rees Revolt was a war of orthodoxy against the Christianity
James Outram - "A Mohammedan conspiracy making capital of Hindu grievances”
Percival Spear - Three phases of the revolt Conclusion: Not quite the first war of
independence but sowed the seeds of nationalism and quest for freedom from
alien rule.
 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857
NATURE AND CHARACTER OF REVOLT

A reaction or response on the part of Indian against

Colonial Rule

Anti British in character

Culmination of long series of Revolts and Rebellions
Outcome of accumulated discontent and dissatisfaction
over a long period of time
Began as a Sepoy Mutiny in immediate terms but
subsequently emerged as a popular Civil Rebellion
Revolt as a war of independence with local and regional
aspirations
Represents traditional ideas and values. Restorative in
nature. The aim was not to create a new India but to Was Revolt a National Revolt?
recreate the India of Past

Was not of Pan India character

 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

PROVISIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT 1858

The Company lost all its administrative powers and its Indian possessions and armed
forces were taken over by the Crown. Indian territories of Britain were to be governed
in the name of the British Queen. Board of Control was scrapped. This act made India
a direct British colony.

Rule of the country shifted from the directors of the Company to a Secretary of State
for India advised by a council, whose members were appointed by the Crown. This
Secretary of State was to be a British MP and a member of the Prime Minister’s
cabinet. He was to be assisted by a council of 15 members.

He was also the channel of communication between the British government in Britain
and the Indian administration. He also had the power to send secret despatches to
India without consulting his council. Via the Secretary of State, the British parliament
could ask questions regarding Indian affairs.

The representative of the British government in India was the Governor-General and
Viceroy (both the same person to avoid conflict). The Crown directly appointed the
governor-general, or viceroy, and provincial governors in India.
 HISTORY BY PARAMPREET SINGH
THE REVOLT OF 1857

The East India Company itself was formally dissolved by Act of Parliament in 1874.
The Royal Titles Act 1876 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which
officially recognized Queen Victoria (and subsequent monarchs) as “Empress of India”.
It was repealed by the Indian Independence Act 1947.

The Viceroy was to be assisted with an Executive Council. This act abolished the dual
government of the Pitt’s India Act. This act also ended the doctrine of lapse. It was
decided that the remaining Indian princes and chiefs (more than 560 in number) would
have their independent status provided they accept British suzerainty.

First Secretary of State for India: Lord Stanley. First Governor-General and Viceroy of
India: Lord Canning