Religious causes:

evangelical Christianity and utilitarianism:

o the clash of civilisations had begun, according to Ferguson
o Supporters of this religious revival got key posts in government
o No more White Mughals
Changing attitude towards Hinduism>
o Suttee (widow burning) was forbidden
Was the Indian mutiny an Islamic revolt?
o Wahhabi ghazis warriors of the faith; converged on Delhi, to support
Bahadur Shah II
o Holy war across northern India; in Lucknow green flags standard of
the Prophet Muhammed
o Chaman Lal, Indian convert to Christianity Hindu doctor, immediately
massacred
o Abdullah Beg, former EIC soldier, British converted to Islam, against
British rule
The spark
o Colonel Wheeler in Barrackpore openly preaching the gospel and many
high caste sepoys misinterpreted the presence of missionaries in India
official attempts at a conversion policy
o the cartridges controversy; new rifle was issues to sepoys, supposably
greased with tallow or lard
o First attempts of mutiny Mangal Pande

Religious events:

Events in Delhi
o Europeans, Eurasians and Christian converts who did not manage to
flee to Meerut, were massacred when the British lost control of Delhi

Other causes:

The idea of Anglicisation;

o Michael Woods puts it from now on British dominion in India, was not
only to be about making money, but about changing India
Britains military weakness in the mid 19th century
o Saul David: attitude of many British officers appallingly disrespectful
o Decline in the number of White Mughals
The policies of governor general Dalhousie
o right of lapse
o King of Delhi, his image removed from the coinage
o the British created a situation where no one in the imperial family had
anything to lose Dalrymple
o Annexation of Oudh; according to Keay since the days of Clive, its
rulers had been the Companys allies, graciously accepting a
succession of territorial and financial demands and provding much of

the manpower for the Companys Bengal Army ; 1/3 of Bengal Army
from Oudh
Economic discontent in the countryside
o Reduced income
o C A Bayly talks of a revolt of the backwoods
o Metcalf argues the land revenue system generated an enduring
discontent
o Nana Sahib, Cawnpore
o Bahadur Shah, Mughal power was still capable of conferring political
legitamacy
Terms of service
o Poorly paid
o Expected to serve outside of EIC territories, even overseas

Other events:

2 massacres in Cawnpore