the indian mutiny: 1857

The British increasingly used a variety of tactics to usurp control of the Hindu princely states that were under what were called subsidiary alliances with the British. The Cawnpore Massacre 1857. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. This punishment incensed their comrades, who rose on May 10, shot their British officers, and marched to Delhi, where there were no European troops. In some cases, they used an execution method of lashing a mutineer to the mouth of a cannon, and then firing the cannon and literally blasting the man to pieces. Dalhousie as Governor-General A popular American illustrated magazine, "Ballou's Pictorial", published a full-page woodcut illustration showing the preparations for such an execution in its issue of October 3, 1857. In India it is often called the First War of Independence and other similar names. And when the Indian independence movement gained momentum in the 20th century, events of the Revolt of 1857 were viewed as having been an early battle for independence, while individuals such as Mangal Pandey were hailed as early national heroes. The 1857 rebellion, which began with the mutiny of Indian troops stationed near Delhi, had several chief results: a year-long insurrection that changed attitudes -- both British and Indian — towards British rule of India. 28, No. The United Kingdom started ruling India directly through its representative called the Governor General. joined by native rulers and thousands of ordinary people in Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. 'A fine achievement by a huge new talent' William Dalrymple, Sunday Times. Converts to Christianity were to share with their Hindu relatives in the property of the family estate. There was a widespread belief that the British aimed at breaking down the caste system. Corrections? 3 Reviews. In 1857 the native troops of the Bengal army rose against their colonial masters. But in the 1830s and 1840s, tensions began to emerge. In the end the reprisals far outweighed the original excesses. Indian Mutiny (1857–58) Large-scale uprising against British rule. The Indian Mutiny 1857 From 'A History of the British Nation' by AD Innes, 1912. The East India Company had been active in India for nearly 250 years, but the violence of the 1857 uprising led to the British government dissolving the company and taking direct control of India. ThoughtCo, Nov. 7, 2020, thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. From the time of the mutineers’ seizure of Delhi, the British operations to suppress the mutiny were divided into three parts. The Indian Mutiny was an uprising against British rule in India which began in 1857. He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. Indian uprisings against British rule, however, were unsuccessful due to the superior technology and organization of the British army. Books and articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers and men were published for decades in London. 28, No. https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Mutiny-1857-George-Malleson/dp/1539979814 Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Representations of the Indian Mutiny in Victorian Higher Journalism; The texts of eighteen British articles about the Mutiny The immediate cause was the introduction of cartridges lubricated with the fat of cows and pigs, a practice offensive to Hindus and Muslims. The cartridges were wrapped in paper, which had been coated in grease which made the cartridges easier to load in rifle barrels. During his tenure as governor-general of India (1848–56), Lord Dalhousie made efforts toward emancipating women and had introduced a bill to remove all legal obstacles to the remarriage of Hindu widows. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. He was arrested and then executed by the British in early April. Later in April sepoy troopers at Meerut refused the Enfield cartridges, and, as punishment, they were given long prison terms, fettered, and put in jail. The Sepoy Mutiny was a turning point and a watershed moment in Indian history. a violent and very bloody uprising against British rule in India Through various political reforms, the governance of the East India Company completely changed the construct of the Indian society and increased tensions between the Indian population and the British government, which would eventually lead to the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny in 1857. It is also known by other names: the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Indian Revolt of 1857. Indian Mutiny, 1857 - 58 What's in a name? The Sepoy Mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against British rule in India in 1857. There is no doubt that conflict over the new rifle cartridges sparked the uprising in 1857, but the reality is that social, political, and even technological reforms had set the stage for what happened. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Mutiny, University of Edinburgh - Centre for South Asian Studies - Indian Uprising of 1857. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Britain, of course, would rule India well into the 20th century. Outraged by events such as the massacre of women and children at Cawnpore, some British officers believed that hanging mutineers was too humane. In The Indian Mutiny: 1857 Saul David explores one of Britain's most harrowing colonial battles. Any British plans to reform Indian society, which had been one of the underlying causes of the revolt, were essentially set aside, and religious conversion of the Indian population was no longer viewed as a practical goal. Pandey, it should be noted, is considered a hero in India, and has been portrayed as a freedom fighter in films and even on an Indian postage stamp. In the mid-19th century, British officers in northern India began to notice signs of disaffection, even intimations of rebellion, among the sepoys of the East India Company’s Bengal Army. Biography of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, Industry and Agriculture History in Europe, independence movement against British rule. In 1857 the native troops of the Bengal army rose against their colonial masters. To load it, the sepoys had to bite off the ends of lubricated cartridges. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The pretext for revolt was the introduction of the new Enfield rifle. The uprising was put down, but the methods employed by the British were so harsh that many in the western world were offended. Omissions? "The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857." In late March 1857 a sepoy named Mangal Pandey attacked British officers at the military garrison in Barrackpore. Missionaries were challenging the religious beliefs of the Hindus. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... You may have heard of D-Day, the Battle of Hastings, and Waterloo, but do you know their historical significance? The uprising was officially declared over on July 8, 1859. On March 29, 1857, on the parade ground at Barrackpore, a sepoy named Mangal Pandey fired the first shot of the uprising. Get this from a library! beginning of the British Raj, the period during which the U. K. directly ruled the Indian subcontinent. Throughout May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the British. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Sepoys in the Presidency of Bengal revolted against their British officers. Embark upon a historical journey of warfare in this quiz. In 1857, with the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny, India witnessed its first war of independence against the British. Regiments began here and there to mutiny; then on May 10, 1857, the whole of the regiments at Mirat, a great military station in the north-west provinces, mutinied, killed every European they could lay hands on, marched upon Delhi, and proclaimed the restoration of the Mogul. However, the perception that the cartridges were tainted added to the larger suspicion that the British were trying to undermine Indian traditional society. The immediate cause was the introduction of cartridges lubricated with the fat of cows and pigs, a practice offensive to Hindus and Muslims. The Indian Mutiny of 1857 Colonel G.B. Queen Victoria, at the prompting of Benjamin Disraeli, announced to Parliament that her Indian subjects were "happy under My rule and loyal to My throne.". It began (May 10, 1857) at Meerut as a mutiny among 35,000 Indian troops (sepoys) in the Bengal army. In May 1857 soldiers of the Bengal army shot their British officers, and marched on Delhi. 2 (1994), pp. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Indian Mutiny Medal 1857-58 at the best online prices at eBay! One hundred and fifty years after the events of 1857, there is still great debate in what they should actually be called. The events of 1857 have been considered the first outbreak of an independence movement against British rule. The Indian Mutiny of 1857. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. Increasing numbers of Christian missionaries began arriving in India, and their presence gave credence to rumors of impending conversions. Their mutiny encouraged rebellion by considerable numbers of Indian … https://www.thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014 (accessed April 17, 2021). The traditional story of the Sepoy Mutiny is that the introduction of a new cartridge for the Enfield rifle provoked much of the trouble. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The 1857 Indian Mutiny (also known as the Sepoy Rebellion, the Great Mutiny, and the Revolt of 1857) The Epic of Race: The Indian Mutiny, 1857; Blind Terror: The 1857 Rebellion in Pakistan; British Interpretations. Which Asian Nations Were Never Colonized by Europe? To regard the rebellion merely as a sepoy mutiny is to underestimate the root causes leading to it. In 1857 the native troops of the Bengal army rose against their colonial masters. There is no question that atrocities were committed by both sides, and stories of events of 1857–58 lived on in both Britain and India. His unit in the Bengal Army, which had refused to use the new rifle cartridges, was about to be disarmed and punished. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. And the uprising became extremely violent. By the 1850s the East India Company controlled much of India. One common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon, completely obliterating the victim. There is no conclusive evidence that either of these materials was actually used on any of the cartridges in question. National Army Museum - Why did the Indian Mutiny happen? Under a British policy called the "doctrine of lapse," the East India Company would take control of Indian states in which a local ruler had died without an heir. It began (May 10, 1857) at Meerut as a mutiny among 35,000 Indian troops (sepoys) in the Bengal army. For their part, the British did not pay enough attention to the growing level of sepoy discontent. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, sepoys tended to take great pride in their military prowess, and they exhibited enormous loyalty to their British officers. https://www.britannica.com/place/India/The-mutiny-and-great-revolt-of-1857-59 Image of Mangal Pandey on a postage stamp issued by the government of India in 1984. The Indian Mutiny – 1857 The 14th King Georges own Ferozepore Sikhs. India -- History Sepoy Rebellion, 1857-1858 Publisher London : Seeley and co. Collection cdl; americana Digitizing sponsor MSN Contributor University of California Libraries Language English That “Indian Mutiny” and its cognate “Sepoy Mutiny” were the terms used by Britons as events were unfolding is not surprising: the instability began when Indian soldiers—known by the Anglicized version of the Urdu word for soldier, sepoy or sipahi—in Meerut mutinied against their British officers, on 10 May 1857. The British authorities firmly regarded the event as a mutiny by large sections of the Bengal army. Along with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India. Malleson’s definitive history of the mutiny against British rule in India is more than just a narrative of the dreadful events of 1857 and the insanity of colonialism, but also provides now-suppressed insights into race, racial psychology and the true causes of interracial conflict. Rumors began to spread that the grease used to make the cartridges was derived from pigs and cows, which would be highly offensive to Muslims and Hindus. 136-153 Published by: Harrassowitz Verlag Stable URL: JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. The Parliament of the United Kingdom withdrew the right of the British East India Company to rule India in November 1858. (2020, November 7). A grim feature of the mutiny was the ferocity that accompanied it. Everywhere the old Indian aristocracy was being replaced by British officials. Following the fighting of 1857–58, India was legally considered a colony of Britain, ruled by a viceroy. To those problems may be added the growing discontent of the Brahmans, many of whom had been dispossessed of their revenues or had lost lucrative positions. THE INDIAN MUTINY OF 1857: WHY BRITAIN SUCCEEDED AND THE REBELS FAILED Author(s): SANJAY YADAV Source: Journal of Asian History, 1994, Vol. Free delivery for many products! Indian Mutiny of 1857: Siege of Delhi. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, A New Type of Rifle Cartridge Caused Problems, The Indian Revolt of 1857 Brought the End of the East India Company. In The Indian Mutiny: 1857 Saul David explores one of Britain's most harrowing colonial battles. It involved the British prohibiting a Hindu ruler without a natural heir from adopting a successor and, after the ruler died or abdicated, annexing his land. Hundreds of sepoys were bayoneted or fired from cannons in a frenzy of British vengeance (though some British officers did protest the bloodshed). The Indian Mutiny : 1857. In the illustration, a mutineer was depicted chained to the front of a British cannon, awaiting his imminent execution, as others were gathered to watch the grisly spectacle. Indian Mutiny (1857–58) Large-scale uprising against British rule. In the years after 1857 the Indian Rebellion was portrayed in Britain as a mutiny among the sepoys bravely defeated by the British. In 1877, outside Delhi, essentially in the spot where bloody fighting had taken place 20 years earlier, an event called the Imperial Assemblage was held. In India, it has been viewed quite differently. 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