Muslim league sub continues in 1847

1. .

2. Table of content
 Background
 Causes of independent war
(A). Political Causes (B). Economic Causes of War
(C). Religious Causes (D). Military Causes
 Events of Independence War
1. Disputed Cartridges 2. Meerut Rebellion
3. Punjab, Frontiers and Sindh 4. Meerut
5. Delhi 6. Kanpur
7. Luck now 8. Jhansi and Gwalior
9. Bihar
 Causes of Failure

3. War of Independence (1857)
Background
 War of Independence 1857, was the last event fought
and served by Indian Muslims and Hindus together.
After it both the nations started thinking on separate
lines due to defeat in this war.
 Hence if they had gained victory in it they might
started living together again. But the history has to
take a new turn.
 War of Independence 1857: The main causes of War of
Independence may be enumerated as follows:

4. Causes of Independence War
 It is now an admitted fact that the mass uprising of the
people of Indo-Pakistan against the British rule in 1857
was not a spontaneous reaction of alien rule but the
emption of the volcano of discontent which had kept
smoldering for about a century. The causes of the War
of Independence were political, economic, religious,
social and military.

5. (A). Political Causes
 The English East India Company got strongly
implanted in the Sub-Continent after its historic
victory over Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Plessey
fought in 1757. Soon after wards in 1764 the British
recorded another important triumph(victory) in the
Battle of Buxar. They annexed many states.

6. .
1. Doctrine of Lapse
Lord Dalhousie applied Doctrine of Lapse for the expansion
of the British Empire. According to this doctrine the rulers of
the states were not allowed to adopt sons. As a result their
states were annexed when they died.
2. Annoyance of Rules of States
Lord Dalhousie left no stone unturned for the expansion of
the English territory. He annexed states on the grounds of
Doctrine of Lapse and misgovernment. As such the rulers of
the affected states like Sindh, Punjab, Jhansi and Oudh
became sworn enemies of the Company.

7. .
3. Confiscation of Estates
It was a convention of the past rulers that the nobles
were granted large estates. The British Government
reversed this policy and confiscated thousands of such
estates.

8. (B). Economic Causes of War
The new agrarian policy of the British, destruction of local
industry, permanent settlements, large scale unemployment,
monopoly of trade by the English and the Stamp Act were some
important economic causes of the war.
1. New Agrarian Policy
In the agrarian the Zamindars were asked to provide
documentary proof of their holdings. They were deprived of
their lands when they failed to furnish documentary proof of
their ancestral estates. In addition the rate of taxes on the lands
was increased. This class was in the front rank when he war of
Independence broke out in 1857.

9. ,
2. Destruction of Local Industry
As a result of the Industrial revolution of England
cheaper and superior goods flowed into the markets of
the Sub-Continent. The local industry could not
compete with the imported stuff. As a result the local
industry suffered badly. This resulted in frustration
among the lower classes
3. Permanent Settlement
The after effects of the permanent settlement of land
were very disastrous for the land owners. They had to
deposit regularly a fixed amount which was not always
possible. The defaulters were very often degraded.

10. ,
4. Unemployment
The British did not trust the Indians. As a result they
were not appointed on important jobs. This policy
resulted in unemployment for the educated classes.
5. Domination of Trade by the English
The British enacted such tows which facilitated their
trade in Indo-Pakistan. Many sea ports were declared
free ports and custom duty on imported goods was
wiredrawn. These steps mined the local industry.

11. .
6. Court Fee Stamps
The English Government declared court fee compulsory
to be paid in the form of court stamps. Thus the people
were denied the right of free justice.

12. (C). Religious Causes
1. Propagation of Christianity
Although at the outset the English had shown respect towards all
religions yet with the passage of time they changed their mind and
devised ways and means for the propagation of Christianity in Indo-
Pakistan.
2. Introduction of New Inventions
In the first half of the 19th century the British introduced in Indo-
Pakistan many inventions like railway, post and telegraph. Moreover they
made English as medium of education. These inventions made the
Indians suspicious of the intentions of the British.

13. .3. Jihad Movement
Syed Ahmed Shaheed launched die Jihad Movement in the
second decade of the 19th century. It was a sort of large scale
effort by the Muslims to snatch freedom from alien rule. The
Jihad Movement though failed to achieve immediate aims yet
it succeeded in kindling a flame of freedom.
4. Anti-Religion Laws
The British Government enacted many laws which were
contradictory to the fundamentals of various religions of
Indo-Pakistan.

14. (D). Military Causes
1. Disbanded armies of annexed slates
The British disbanded the armies of the annexed states. This
action left thousands of the local soldiers unemployed.
2. Dearth of English Troops
It is estimated that before the start of the war of
Independence there were 3, 11,000 native troops as against
40,000 European troops. This ratio tilted the balance in
favor of the natives. As a result they were encouraged to
launch the war of Independence.

15. .
3. Greased Cartridge
The use of greased cartridge proved as the immediate cause
of the war of Independence. It was rumored that the
cartridges were greased with the fat of the cow or pig. This
situation agitated the religious feelings of both the Muslims
and Hindu Soldiers.

16. Events of Independence War
 War of Independence is an important landmark in
the history of Sub-Continent. This War was fought
in 1857 by Indians against the British in order to get
rid of their domination. It is also given names as
Indian Rebellion, Indian Mutiny as well as Indian
Revolt.

17. .
 The main causes of the War were political, social,
economic, military and religious. It was an extreme
effort made by Indians, but they failed due to certain
reasons including mutual jealousies, disunity, and lack
of central leadership etc.
 This war was not spread throughout India but it was
limited to few areas mainly Meerut, Delhi, Kanpur,
Luck now etc.

18. 1.Disputed Cartridges
 In January 1857 the British announced that they were
introducing a new rifle with a paper cartridge covered in
grease to keep the powder dry. Before the cartridge could
be loaded, the end had to be bitten off. However, it was
rumored the grease on the cartridge was made from the fat
of both cows and pigs. The sepoys were so angered by this
that they refused to use the new cartridges.
 In March a sepoy named MangalPandey defied his British
officers and when his officers ordered to arrest him, he shot
the major. Consequently he was executed. But the real
trouble began two months later.

19. 2. Meerut Rebellion
 On April 24, 1857 sepoys in Meerut refused to use
the new cartridges. It was treated as army
rebellion and they were court martialed and put
into prison, but their fellow soldiers broke into
prison and freed them.

20.  Meerut was sacked and British officers and other
Europeans were put to death. Then the soldiers
marched to Delhi and captured it. The Mughal
Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar became unifying symbol
for the uprising, winning the support of both Muslim
and Hindu.

21. 3. Punjab, Frontiers and Sindh
 As the reaction of Meerut rebellion, British rulers
disarmed the local army people but the condition
continued to deteriorate persistently. Unrest was spread
in Punjab, Frontiers and Sindh.

22. .
 English killed thousands of local soldiers
indiscriminately in Multan, Sahiwal, Jehlum,
Hyderabad, Karachi, Pindi, Peshawar, Mardan and
Hazara districts. The freedom fighters set British
homes and offices to the fire. Sialkot prison was
broken and the prisoners were freed.

23. 4. Meerut
 On 6th May, 1857 A.D. 85 out of 90 Indian soldiers at
Meerut refused to bite the greased cartridges with
their teeth. These 85 soldiers were court-martialed
and imprisoned for 10 years. They were stripped off
their uniforms in the presence of the entire Indian
crowd. It was too much of a disgrace and this
incident sent a wave of indignation.

24. .
 On 10th May 1857, the Indian soldiers at Meerut broke
into open revolt. They released their companions and
murdered a few European officers. On the night of
10th May the mutineers marched to Delhi and reached
there on 11th May.

25. 5. Delhi
 The revolutionaries reached from Meerut to Delhi on
11th May,1857 and the small British garrison at Delhi
was not able to resist and consequently fell into their
hands within 2 days. The Mughal Emperor, Bahadur
Shah Zafar, was proclaimed Emperorof India. In order
to regain Delhi, Sir John Lawrence sent a strong British
force commanded by John Nicholson.

26. .
 After a longsiege of four months, the British
recovered Delhi in September1857 A.D. The Mughal
Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was captured, his two
sons and a grandson were shot dead before his eyes
and he was sent to Rangoon where he died in the
year1862 A. D.

27. 6. Kanpur
 At Kanpur the struggle for Independence was led
by Nana Sahib Dondu Pant (The adopted son of
Peshwa Baji Rao II). A number of British fell into
his hands and he showed great kindness to them.
But when he heard about inhuman attitude of Gen.
O’Neil towards Indians, he became very furious
and killed all the British.

28. .
 General Havelock captured Kanpur after defeating
Nana Sahib in a hotly contested battle on June 17,
1857. Later on Nana Sahib, with the help of Tantya
Topi, recaptured Kanpur in November, 1857 but not
for a long time and British defeated them once
again in a fierce war from December 1 to 6, 1857.

29. 7.Lucknow
 The struggle for independence at Lucknow was led by
Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. The Chief Commissioner, Sir
Henry Lawrence, sought refuge with 1000 English and
700 Indian soldiers inside the Residency.

30. ,
 The Indians did not make any concession and
killed most of the Englishmen, including Sir Henry
Lawrence and the notorious English General
O’Neil. At last, the Commander-in-Chief General
Collin Campbell, marched towards Lucknow and
captured it after a fierce battle in March 1858

31. 8. Jhansi and Gwalior
 The leader of the revolutionaries in Central India was
Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi. General Sir Huge Rose
attacked Jhansi in March 1858 but the brave Rani
Laxmi Bai kept the British General unnerved for quite
some time. She with the help of Tantya Tope created
problems for the British troops. Both fought many
successful battles against the British.

32. .
 A fierce battle was fought between the British and the
revolutionaries under Rani Laxmi Bai and Tantya Tope
from June 11 to June 1 8, 1 858 A. D. But the personal
velour of Rani and Tantya Tope could not match the
resources at the command of the British. Tantya Tope
was betrayed by the Gwalior Chief Man Singh and fell
into the hands of the British. He was subsequently
hanged on April 18, 1859.

33. 9. Bihar
 In Bihar, the Revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, a zamindar
of Jagdishpur. Though he was eighty years old, he played a
prominent part in the revolt. He fought the British in
Bihar and then joined Nana Sahib’s forces and took part in
various encounters with the English in Oudh and Central
India. He died on April 27, 1858, leaving behind a glorious
record of valour and bravery.

34. Causes of Failure
The war of independence of 1857 failed to achieve its
immediate political objectives. Following were the
causes of this failure.
1. Lack of Leadership and Discipline
The freedom fighters fought mostly in independent
groups at different places led by leaders of their
particular regions. There was no leader who could
single handed lead all the groups. The revolutionaries
lacked discipline. Thus their efforts could not getthe
required momentum.

35. .
2. Lack of unity
There was no unity among the freedom fighters. They fought
independent of one another. As a result they could not
assemble their resources against a common enemy. They
were defeated at different places. On the other hand the
British fought the war of their survival with dedication and
purpose.
3. Lack of Resources
The freedom fighter lacked resources of all types. They were
short of equipment and food-stuffs. They had to face well
equipped and well-organized enemy The Mughal Emperor
had no treasury to support the war.

36. .
4. Lack of Popular Support
The War of Independence never assumed the shape of
a concerted national struggle. It lacked popular
support. Although it spread to various parts of the
country yet some places did not take part in the war.
5. Superior Technology of English troops
The British troops fought with latest weapons. They
had the backing of the latest technology. There were
also led bycapable and experienced generals

37. .
6. Non-cooperation of the rulers of the State
The rulers of different states of Indo-Pakistan did not come
to help the freedom fighters. Thus the War remained
confined to a few centers.
7. Non-Cooperation of Sikhs of Punjab
The Sikhs of Punjab considered the Muslims as their
traditional enemies. They decided to support the British in
the War of Independence. The Sikh soldiers played a
decisive role in the recovery of Delhi from the freedom
fighters. Had the Sikhs not assisted the English in the war
the history of Indo-Pakistan would have been different.

38. .
8. Role of traitors
The British succeeded in finding traitors in the ranks of
the freedom fighters. Maulvi Rajab Ali and Hakeem
Ehsan Ullah blew off the royal ammunition depot at
Delhi. Thus the revolutionaries suffered a great set
back.

39. conclusion
 Most of the European historians have pointed out that it
was a revolt of Indian soldiers who were offended at the
use of greased cartridges. In their opinion, the
discontented Sepoys were incited by the landlords and the
deposed native princes and the people of India were not
directly involved in this rebellion.
 They further assert that it was not a national war of
independence, in as much as the revolt was confined to a
particular region and not to the whole of India; large areas
like the Punjab, Sind and Rajputanan remained unaffected.

40. .
 It was admittedly a great and courageous effort by patriotic
Indians to get rid of the foreign domination. It was a
glorious landmark in our history in as much as Hindus and
Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder to win back their lost
independence.
 One cannot but admire the patriotic spirit of boatmen of
Luck now who refused to carry British soldiers across the
river. The Sepoys and the people fought gallantly up to the
very ens. Though the revolt was unsuccessful, the spirit of
the people remained unshaken. The revolt left an
impression on the Indian people and thus paved the way
for the rise of a strong national movement .