THE FIRST WAR OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

CAUSES:

POLITICAL CAUSES:

1) Doctrine of Lapse/ policy of annexation: It was introduced by Lord Dalhousie.

 It states that if an Indian ruler (native king) died without an heir, his kingdom would
come under the English East India Company’s rule. Rulers/ Kings were not allowed to
adopt without the consent of the English East India Company.
2) Disrepect/ discourtesy shown to Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal Emperor:
 Lord Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah, his successors cannot
continue to reside at the imperial palace.( Red Fort)
 Lord canning announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, his successors
would not be allowed to use the imperial titles.
3) Disrespect/ treatment meted out to Nana Saheb:
 Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Baji Rao II , ex peshwa was refused pension by
theEnglish East India Company.
4) Rani Lakshmi Bai was denied adoption right:
 Rani Lakshmi Bai became the enemy if the company because after the death of her
husband her adopted son was not recognized as the lawful successor to the throne by
the company
5) The Annexation of Oudh/ Awadh:
 Awadh was annexed by Lord Dalhousie on the pretext of mis- government of Nawab.
 This hurt the feelings of Muslims.
 This action of the company caused uneasiness and suspicion among the ruling classes.
 It left many nobles, officers and soldiers of Awadh unemployed.
 The Company also confiscated the land of the Zamindar’s and Taluqdars.
6) Disbanding the Armies of the Annexed States:
 The English East Company not only annexed the States but also disbanded their armies.
 The soldiers of such disbanded armies lost their jobs and means of livelihood.

SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CAUSES:

1) Fears regarding mas conversion to Christianity:

 The activities of the Christian missionaries created a sense of alarm among the Indians.
 The teaching of Christianity doctrines was made compulsory in the schools set up by the
Christian missionaries.
2) Laws that interfered with the religion and customs of the people:
 The Act of 1850 changed the Hindu Law of property. It enabled the concert from
Hinduism to inherit the property of his father.
 Taxes were imposed on the properties of temples and mosques, which earlier had been
free from all taxes.
 The Widow Remarriage Act of 1856, the Sati act and the female infanticide made the
Indians fear that their religion was in danger.
3) Introduction of the Railways and Telegraph’s:
  The Railways and Telegraph’s were looked down upon as means to break social order
and caste rules.
 There was also a rumour that the telepraph poles would be used for hanging people
who were against Company’s rule in India.
4) Indignities hurled at Indians:
 The Englishmen in India could insult, humiliate and even kill the Indians at their will.
 The British followed a policy of racial discrimination.
5) Fears regarding Western Education:
 Shifting of emphasis from Oriental learning to Western Education was not well received by
the people, especially the pandits and maulvis.
 Western Education put the pandits and maulvis out of job.
 They saw it as an attempt to discourage Islamic and Hindu studies.
 The teachings of Bible in English schools also offended the Indians.

MILITARY CAUSES:

1) Low salary and poor prospects of promotion:

 The Indian soldiers were unhappy because of their low salary and no scope for
promotion.
 An Indian soldier could not be promoted above the rank of Subedar.
 All the high ranks in the army were reserved for the British soldiers.
2) Faulty distribution of troops:
 The troops were not properly distributed .
 The key places like Delhi and Allahabad had no British armies.
3) Disproportion between Indian and British troops:
 The Indian sepoys outnumbered the British soldiers by a huge number.
 This gave courage to Indian soldiers to take up arms against the British force.
4) Social distance between British officers and Indian soldiers:
 The officers treated their soldiers like menial servants.
6) Loss of British prestige in Afghan War:
 The British troops were defeated in Afghan War which exposed their weakness.
 This increased the self- confidence of the Indian soldiers who felt they could
challenge the British in India too.
7) The General Service Enlistment Act (1856):
 The Act made it compulsory for the all recruits to the Bengal Army should be ready to serve
everywhere, whether within or outside India.
 This was against the religious custom of the Bengal Brahmins for whom crossing the seas was a
taboo.
8) IMMEDIATE CAUSE:
 Introduction of the Enfield Rifles:
The cartridges to be used for the Enfield Rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs.
 The cow was considered sacred by the Hindus and the pig was considered unclean by the
Muslims.
  Both the Hindus and the Muslims refused to use the cartridges and staged an uprising when
they were forced to use it.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE UPRISING- 1857:

1) End of the Company’s Rule:

The Revolt brought an end to the Company’s rule in India. Now India came under the British Crown who
was given the title of Empress of India. This was done by the Government of India Act of 1858.

2) Changes in the administration set-up after the war:

a. The war ended the English East India Company’s rule in India.
b. The Act of 1858 transferred the government of India from the Company to the Crown.(
The British Government)
c. Company’s Board of Control and the Court of Directors were abolished.
d. All their powers were transferred to the Secretary of State of India.
e. The Secretary of State was to be assisted by the Indian Council consisting of 15members.
f. Appointments to the Civil Service were to be made by open competition.
g. The Governor General received the title of ' Viceroy'.

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Why the Revolt of 1857 is called as the First War of Independence?

• Because the movement had assumed the character of a national revolt.

• It was a first mass uprising in which included all sections of the society against a common
enemy.[English East India Company]