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The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in India in 1857–58
against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf
of the British CrownThe rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the
Company's army in the garrison town of Meerut, 40 mi (64 km) northeast of Delhi (now Old Delhi).
REVOLT OF 1857
Political Causes
The revolt was outcome of the widespread
resentment that had been boiling against the
British for a long time. The sepoys were
dissatisfied with their treatment. The policy of
annexation of Dalhousie especially Doctrine of
Lapse, created fear and resentment among Indian
rulers. The British signed many treaties with the
kings and nawabs but violated them. Indians lot
all trust in British. Awadh had been an ally of the
East India Company but it was annexed on the
plea that the govt. was not functioning properly.
This shocked the nawabs.
Causes of the Revolt
Economic Causes
The policy of economic exploitation and the
destruction of the traditional India economic
structure by the British caused widespread
resentment among Indians. Whenever the
princely states were annexed, the British got rent
free land and huge amount of money. The
common people faced unemployment and
poverty. When awadh was occupied by the
British, Nawab’s officials were dismissed and his
army was disbanded. About 60,000 professional
soldiers lost their livelihood.
Causes of the Revolt
Military Causes
The sepoys helped the Britishers to establish
their empire in India. But instead of receiving
awards or promotions they were humiliated
by the British. Their was a discrimination
between the Indian and the British soldiers.
The highest pay given to an Indian sepoy
(subedar) was less than the minimum pay of
a European recruit. The act of 1856 made it
compulsory for new recruit to serve overseas.
Causes of the Revolt
Immediate Causes
The cartridges of the new Enfield rifle had a
greased paper cover which had to be bitten
off before the cartridge was loaded into the
rifle. It was said that the greased paper was
made up of beef and pig fat. Both the Hindus
and the Muslims refused to use them as cow
is sacred to Hindus and the pig is detestable
to the Muslim community.
HEROS OF THE REVOLT
On March 29, 1857 near kolkata , a young
boy Mangal Pandey refused to use the
enfield rifle and shot down his sergeant.
He was arrested, tried and executed.
When this news spread, many sepoys
started the revolt
Indian queen of the Maratha
princely state of Jhansi in North
India currently present in Jhansi
district in Uttar Pradesh, India.
She was one of the leading
figures of the Indian Rebellion
of 1857 and became a symbol of
resistance to the British Raj for
Indian nationalists.
More heroes of this revolution