Revolt of 1857 #
The Revolt of 1857 was the first major anti-British uprising in India. It began as a sepoy revolt but soon involved rulers, taluqdars, peasants, zamindars, artisans, and religious leaders in north and central India.
Quick Facts #
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Started at | Meerut |
| Date | 10 May 1857 (Sunday) |
| Immediate cause | Greased cartridges of the Enfield rifle |
| First major spark | Mangal Pandey (34th Native Infantry) at Barrackpore, 29 March 1857 |
| Symbolic leader | Bahadur Shah II |
| Symbols | Lotus and Chapati |
| Governor-General | Lord Canning |
| Emergency HQ in 1857 | Allahabad / Prayagraj |
| British PM in 1857 | Viscount Palmerston |
| Major Act | Government of India Act, 1858 |
| Important proclamation | Queen Victoria’s Proclamation, 1 November 1858 |
Location-Wise Leaders #
| Location / Centre | Leader(s) | Important Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah II, Bakht Khan | Bahadur Shah II was declared emperor; Bakht Khan received the title Saheb-e-Alam Bahadur. |
| Meerut | Indian sepoys | Revolt began here on 10 May 1857; rebels marched to Delhi. |
| Barrackpore | Mangal Pandey | Sepoy of 34th Bengal Native Infantry; action on 29 March 1857; executed on 8 April 1857. |
| Kanpur | Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope, Azimullah Khan | Nana Sahib was declared Peshwa; Tatya Tope was commander-in-chief; Azimullah Khan was his adviser. |
| Lucknow / Awadh | Begum Hazrat Mahal, Birjis Qadr, Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah | Awadh was annexed in 1856; Birjis Qadr was declared ruler. |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai | Revolt began here on 4 June 1857; fought against annexation under Doctrine of Lapse. |
| Kalpi | Rani Lakshmibai, Tantia Tope | Important rebel base after Jhansi. |
| Gwalior | Rani Lakshmibai, Tantia Tope | Rebels captured Gwalior briefly; Rani Lakshmibai died near Gwalior in June 1858. |
| Bareilly / Rohilkhand | Khan Bahadur Khan | Declared himself ruler of Rohilkhand. |
| Bihar / Jagdishpur | Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh | Kunwar Singh was a zamindar of Jagdishpur; Amar Singh continued the struggle after him. |
| Arrah / Shahabad | Kunwar Singh | Took command after Danapur sepoys revolted; Arrah became a major Bihar centre. |
| Faizabad | Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah | Important religious and political leader in Awadh. |
| Farrukhabad | Tufzal Hasan Khan | Local leadership against British authority. |
| Allahabad / Prayagraj | Maulvi Liyaqat Ali | Captured Khusro Bagh and used it as a rebel headquarters. |
| Mathura | Devi Singh | Local rebel leadership. |
| Assam | Maniram Dewan | Tried to organize anti-British resistance; executed. |
| Rajasthan | Thakur Kushal Singh | Led resistance in Auwa (Pali). |
| Indore | Saadat Khan | Associated with anti-British struggle in 1857. |
| Bhopal | Fazil Mohammad Khan | Led the main local movement and was executed. |
| Sambalpur / Orissa | Surendra Sai | Escaped from Hazaribagh jail; resistance continued until 1862. |
| Ganjam | Radhakrishna Dandsena | Associated with local resistance. |
| Haryana / Rewari | Rao Tularam | Important leader in the Ahirwal region. |
| Baghpat | Shah Mal | Mobilized the villagers of Barout; killed in action. |
British Commanders and Suppression #
| Area | British Commander / Officer | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | John Nicholson, William Hodson | Delhi was recaptured in September 1857; Hodson captured Bahadur Shah II. |
| Lucknow | Henry Lawrence, Colin Campbell | Henry Lawrence died during the siege; Campbell helped recapture Lucknow. |
| Jhansi / Central India | Hugh Rose | Defeated forces of Rani Lakshmibai. |
| Kanpur | Colin Campbell, Henry Havelock | British regained Kanpur after intense fighting. |
| Bihar | William Taylor, Vincent Eyre | Suppressed Kunwar Singh’s movement. |
| Sambalpur | Captain Leigh | Led the initial suppression of Surendra Sai’s forces. |
| Barrackpore | John Bennet Hearsey | Commanding officer at Barrackpore. |
| Allahabad | General Neil | Suppressed Maulvi Liyaqat Ali’s revolt. |
Main Causes #
| Type | Facts |
|---|---|
| Political | Doctrine of Lapse; annexation of Awadh in 1856; pension and title disputes; disrespect to Indian rulers. |
| Economic | Heavy revenue demand; decline of handicrafts; peasant indebtedness; loss of privileges of taluqdars and zamindars. |
| Military | Low salary; poor promotion; overseas service fear; stoppage/reduction of batta; racial discrimination; Enfield rifle cartridges. |
| Religious-Social | Fear of conversion; missionary activity; interference anxiety; General Service Enlistment Act, 1856. |
| Immediate | Greased cartridges believed to contain cow and pig fat. The new Enfield rifle was introduced in December 1856. |
Short Chronology #
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 29 March 1857 | Mangal Pandey’s action at Barrackpore. |
| 8 April 1857 | Mangal Pandey executed. |
| 9 May 1857 | 85 sepoys at Meerut punished for refusing cartridges. |
| 10 May 1857 | Revolt began at Meerut. |
| 11 May 1857 | Rebels reached Delhi; Bahadur Shah II accepted as leader. |
| 30 May / 4 June 1857 | Lucknow revolt began under Begum Hazrat Mahal. |
| 4 June 1857 | Revolt began at Jhansi under Rani Lakshmibai. |
| 5 June 1857 | Nana Sahib was declared Peshwa at Kanpur. |
| June 1857 | Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Bareilly, and Bihar became active centres. |
| 25 July 1857 | Danapur sepoys revolted; Kunwar Singh led the Bihar uprising. |
| September 1857 | British recaptured Delhi. |
| March 1858 | British recaptured Lucknow. |
| June 1858 | Rani Lakshmibai died near Gwalior. |
| 18 April 1859 | Tatya Tope was executed at Shivpuri. |
| 1 November 1858 | Queen Victoria’s Proclamation issued. |
Why the Revolt Failed #
| Reason | Fact |
|---|---|
| Limited spread | South India, Punjab, Bengal, Bombay, and Madras were mostly quiet or loyal. |
| No central plan | Different centres fought separately. |
| Weak leadership unity | Bahadur Shah II was symbolic, not a strong military commander. |
| British military advantage | Better weapons, discipline, transport, and communication. |
| Loyal groups | Sikhs, Gurkhas, many princes, and some zamindars supported the British. |
| No modern nationalism | Rebels had different local aims and no common national program. |
| Neutral / hostile groups | Educated middle class, merchants, and moneylenders largely stayed away or opposed the revolt. |
Consequences #
| Consequence | Fact |
|---|---|
| End of Company rule | East India Company’s rule ended. |
| Crown rule began | India came under the British Crown through the Government of India Act, 1858. |
| First Viceroy | Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of India. |
| Queen’s Proclamation | Promised non-interference in religion and respect for princely states. |
| Army reorganization | European soldiers increased; artillery kept mainly under European control. |
| Doctrine of Lapse ended | British stopped aggressive annexation of princely states. |
| Divide and rule | British policy became more cautious and divisive after 1857. |
| Recruitment policy changed | More recruitment from groups considered loyal by the British, especially Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Punjabis. |
Historians’ Views #
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Sir John Lawrence & Seeley | A purely “Sepoy Mutiny” with no popular support. |
| V.D. Savarkar | The “First War of Indian Independence” (as per his 1909 book). |
| S.N. Sen | Official Historian of the revolt; wrote Eighteen Fifty-Seven. |
| R.C. Majumdar | Claimed it was “Neither first, nor national, nor a war of independence.” |
| S.B. Chaudhuri | Emphasized the “Civil Rebellion” element. |
| Benjamin Disraeli | Called it a “National Rising” in the British Parliament. |
| James Outram and W. Taylor | Termed the Revolt of 1857 as a result of a conspiracy of Hindu and Muslim |
Famous Books on the Revolt #
| Book Title | Author |
|---|---|
| Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind | Sir Syed Ahmed Khan |
| The Indian War of Independence 1857 | V.D. Savarkar |
| Eighteen Fifty-Seven | S.N. Sen |
| The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857 | R.C. Majumdar |
| Civil Rebellions in the Indian Mutinies | S.B. Chaudhuri |
| Great Mutiny | Christopher Hibbert |
Extra Exam Facts from Ghatna Chakra #
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Symbol of the revolt | Lotus and Chapati |
| Bakht Khan’s title | Saheb-e-Alam Bahadur |
| Tatya Tope’s real name | Ramchandra Pandurang |
| Azimullah Khan | Adviser/secretary of Nana Sahib; also called Krantidoot |
| Nana Sahib and Begum Hazrat Mahal | Escaped to Nepal |
| Rani Lakshmibai’s birthplace | Varanasi |
| Rani Lakshmibai’s samadhi | Gwalior |
| Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah | Associated with Faizabad; British announced a reward of Rs. 50,000 for him |
| Mirza Ghalib | Witnessed the revolt of 1857 |
| Strong British supporters | Scindias of Gwalior, Holkars of Indore, Nizam of Hyderabad, Patiala, Nabha, Jind |