Revolt of 1857
National Movement · 1857 का विद्रोह
📋Quick Overview
The Revolt of 1857, beginning on May 10 at Meerut, was the first major armed uprising against British East India Company rule. Sepoys who bit the new Enfield rifle cartridges (greased with pig and cow fat) mutinied and seized Delhi, proclaiming Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader. The revolt spread across north and central India, with remarkable leaders at every centre. Though suppressed by June 1858, it ended the Company's rule and transferred power to the British Crown.
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V.D. Savarkar in his book '1857: The First War of Indian Independence' (1909) called it the First War of Independence. British historians called it merely a 'Sepoy Mutiny'.
📖Causes of the Revolt
| Type of Cause | Details |
|---|---|
| Immediate / Military | Enfield rifle cartridges greased with pig + cow fat — sepoys had to bite cartridge before loading; introduced 1857 |
| Political | Doctrine of Lapse (Lord Dalhousie) — annexed Satara, Nagpur, Jhansi, Awadh; no adopted successor recognized |
| Economic | Destruction of Indian industries; heavy land taxation; drain of wealth to Britain |
| Social/Religious | Social reforms (widow remarriage act, sati abolition); fear of forcible conversion; general service enlistment act |
| Military Grievances | Low pay, discrimination in promotions, overseas service (broke caste), rough treatment by British officers |
📖Centres & Leaders of the Revolt
| Centre | Leader(s) | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Meerut | Mangal Pandey (Barrackpore) → Meerut sepoys | May 10, 1857 — first mutiny; sepoys marched to Delhi |
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah Zafar (symbolic leader), General Bakht Khan (military leader) | |
| Kanpur (Cawnpore) | Nana Sahib (Dhondu Pant), Tantia Tope (Ramchandra Panduranga) | Nana Sahib was adopted son of last Peshwa Baji Rao II; Tantia Tope became guerrilla commander |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal (wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah) | Held Lucknow Residency under siege; later fled to Nepal |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai — 'Mardani' of Jhansi | Joined revolt after annexation of Jhansi; died June 18, 1858 at Gwalior fighting British |
| Bareilly | Khan Bahadur Khan | Declared himself Nawab of Rohilkhand |
| Bihar (Arrah) | Kunwar Singh (80-year-old zamindar) | Despite old age, fought brilliantly; died April 26, 1858 |
📖End of Revolt & Aftermath
- •Mangal Pandey fired at British officer at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857 — hanged April 8, 1857 (precursor to revolt)
- •Delhi recaptured by British: September 1857; Bahadur Shah Zafar exiled to Rangoon (Burma)
- •Tantia Tope caught and hanged April 18, 1859
- •Government of India Act 1858: East India Company dissolved; Crown took over administration
- •Queen Victoria's Proclamation (November 1, 1858): equal treatment of Indians, non-interference in religion, absorption of Indian rulers
- •Post-1857: British adopted 'Divide and Rule' more vigorously; increased British officers in army; ratio of British to Indian soldiers changed