Revolt of 1857 notes History notes for competitive examination

 

Revolt of 1857

THE REVOLT OF 1857 – (CAUSES)
 POLITICAL CAUSES
 Nana Sahib Alias Dhondu Pant was refused pension, as he was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
 The policy of Doctrine of Lapse.
 ECONOMIC CAUSES
 Heavy taxation, evictions, discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products and destruction of
traditional handicrafts that hit peasants, artisans and small zamindars.
 MILITARY DISCRIMINATION
 Indian soldiers were paid low salaries, they could not rise above the rank of Subedar and ere racially insulted
 They were also grieved because of the refusal of British to pay Foreign Service allowance (bhatta) while fighting in remote regions such as Punjab and Sindh.
 RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
 British social reforms (widow remarriage, abolition of Sati, education for girls, Christian missionaries).
 The introduction of Enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was greased with animal fat, provided the spark.
 NOTE –  Inventions like railway and telegraphs spread of Western education also promoted the cause.
 OUTBREAK
 On March 29, 1857, a soldier named Mangal Pandey attacked and fired at his senior at Barrackpur in Bengal (in 34th Bengal Native Infantry).
 On May 10, there was a mutiny of sepoys at Meerut (3rd native cavalry).
 Mutiny spread throughout UP along with some other parts of the country.
 ‘March to Delhi’ became the battle cry of the rebels. At Delhi, the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II was proclaimed the Emperor of India.
 Where the rulers were loyal to the British the soldiers revolted as in Gwalior and Indore. In some places, the people revolted before the sepoys did.
 In the beginning, the rebels were successful. Europeans were killed, law courts and police stations were attacked and revenue records were destroyed. But reverses soon began to occur 

IMPORTANT PERSONS
 Bakht Khan (captured Delhi, was from the Barreily unit of the army). Was called sahab-i-Alam Bahadur Shah II
 Nana Sahib (from Kanpur), along with Tantia Tope (real name Ramachandra Panduranga) and Azimullah.
 Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh (first wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She declared her son Birjis Qadir as the Nawab of Awadh).
 Rani Laksmibai, the widowed queen of Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi (Tantia Tope joined her and they defeated the Scindia of Gwalior, but both were defeated by Sir Hugh Rose. She died on June 17, 1858, while Tantia Tope was later captured and executed).

Kunwar Singh and Amar Singh (Bihar)
 Maulavi Ahmedullah (first Awadh and then Rohilkhand). He was also called Danka Shah or Maulvi with a drum. He fought in the Battle of Chinhat.
 Devi Singh of Mathura.
 Kadam Singh of Meerut.
 Hamid Ali Khan of Delhi.
 Maniram Dewan of Assam.
SUPPRESSION
Delhi – By John Nicholson and Hudson.
Kanpur – By Campbell, Havelock
Lucknow - By Havelock, Outram, James Neill and Campbell.
Jhansi – Hugh Rose
Banaras – James Neill.
 The revolt was completely suppressed by the end of 1858

FATE OF THE LEADERS
 Bahadur Shah II. Deported to Rangoon, where he died in 1862. His sons were shot dead.

 Nana Sahib and Begum Hazrat Mahal: Escaped to Nepal.

 Rani Jhansi: Died in the battle field.

 Tantia Tope: Was captured after betrayal by a friend and executed in 1859.

 CAUSES OF FAILURE

 Scindia of Gwalior, the Holkar of Indore, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Raja of Jodhpur, the Nawab of Bhopal, the rulers of Patiala, Sindh and Kashmir and the Rana of Nepal provided active support to the British.

 The military equipment of the rebels was inferior.

 Comparative lack of efficient leadership
 The modern intelligent Indians also didn’t support the cause.
 IMPACT OF THE REVOLT

 The revolt was mainly feudal in character carrying with it some nationalist elements.

 The control of Indian administration was passed on to the British crown by the Government of India Act, 1858 (Declared by Queen Victoria on Nov.1, 1858). The army was carefully reorganized to prevent the recurrence of such an event.

 Doctrine of Lapse was withdrawn.