The revolt of 1857 was an unsuccessful uprising against British rule in India that began in Meerut on May 10, 1857 by Indian soldiers. It lasted for around a year and resulted in the end of the East India Company's rule in India, with control being transferred to the British Crown. Some of the key leaders of the revolt included Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib of Kanpur, and Bahadur Shah II in Delhi. However, the revolt lacked strong centralized leadership and was eventually suppressed by the British military, who regained control of India.

2. INTRODUCTION
• The revolt was started on May 10, 1857, by
sepoys in Meerut. The revolt lasted for a year
but was unsuccessful. India needed certain
peaceful changes and this revolution brought
her that. A major highlight of this revolt was
that it abolished the East India company’s rule
in India. Central and northern parts of India
took part in the revolt of 1857 and there were
various reasons that bundled up the Indians.

3. What was the Revolt of 1857 also known as?
• Indian Mutiny
• Sepoy Mutiny
• Sepoy Rebellion
• Sepoy Revolt
• First War of Independence

4. Timeline of the Revolt of 1857
Important dates Events
February 1857 Sepoys of the 19th Native Infantry refused to use rifles.
March 1857 The Native Infantry disbanded after Mangal Pandey injures 2 British soldiers.
April 1857 Mangal Pandey is hanged and troops at Meerut refused to use greased cartridges.
May 1857 Unrest in Ambala, troops slaughter Europeans and Christians as they reach Delhi. Bahadur
Shah II was proclaimed as the Mughal ruler in Delhi. Jhansi state was captured by rebels and
handed over to Rani of Jhansi.
June 1857 Mutinies in Lucknow, Bhurtpore and Rohilkhand started.
July 1857 Unrest in the entire country. Nana Sahib was defeated in the first battle of Cawnpore. Lord
Canning issued his ‘Clemency’ resolution stating that mutineers who aren’t convicted of
murder should not be hanged.
September 1857 Delhi captured and cleaned of rebel groups.
November 1857 Kavanaugh escaped from Lucknow. Children and Women evacuated from Lucknow. British
withdraw from Lucknow.
December 1857 Tantia Tope was defeated in the third battle of Cawnpore.
April 1858 Jhansi was captured by the British.
June 1858 Battle of Gwalior and Rani of Jhansi’s death.
August 1858 Queen Victoria transferred the authority of India from the East India Company to the Crown.
April 1859 Tantia Tope was executed after being found guilty of betrayal.
July 1859 Peace declared.

5. Causes of the Indian Revolt of 1857
• Political Causes – British policy of expansion: The political causes of the revolt were the
British policy of expansion through the Doctrine of Lapse and direct annexation.
• A large number of Indian rulers and chiefs were dislodged, thus arousing fear in the minds of
other ruling families who apprehended a similar fate.
– Rani Lakshmi Bai’s adopted son was not permitted to sit on the throne of Jhansi.
– Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse.
– Jaitpur, Sambalpur and Udaipur were also annexed.
– The annexation of Awadh by Lord Dalhousie on the pretext of maladministration left
thousands of nobles, officials, retainers and soldiers jobless. This measure converted
Awadh, a loyal state, into a hotbed of discontent and intrigue.
• .
• Economic Causes – The peasants & farmers were affected by the various British reforms and
were forced to pay heavy taxes. So, the ones that were unable to pay the taxes or loans had to
surrender their lands to the Britishers. Constantly Indians have to compete with the British
industry machine manufactured goods with Indian handicraft goods.
• Military causes – The Indian sepoys were paid less than European sepoys. Indians were
considered menial & European sepoys were given much importance in terms of salary,
pension & promotion.
• Social Causes – East India Company abolished Sati pratha, child marriage & encouraged
widow remarriage, at that time it was considered a threat to Indian traditions. Britishers
wanted Hindus & the Muslim religion to be converted to Christianity.

6. Immediate Cause for Revolt of 1857
• With all the causes the immediate cause that infuriated
soldiers was when the ‘Enfield’ rifle was introduced. Before
this soldiers had to carry gunpowder & bullets along with
their rifles.
• The process of using a gun was time-consuming, Britishers
introduced the Enfield rifle gun & cartridge. The cartridge
was in a cylindrical shape with a knot on top & filled with the
perfect amount of gunpowder & bullet in the end. Soldiers
just had to tear the cartridge & then be ready to use a rifle,
this saved a lot of time.
• There was a rumour that aroused that the cartridge was
greased with pig & cow fat. The pig is taboo among Muslims
& the cow is sacred in the Hindu religion. Indian soldiers
refused to use the cartridge & soldiers were also sentenced

7. What Were the Effects of the Revolt of
1857 on India?
• The abolishment of the East India Company, India
was under the direct control of British authority, The
Indian administration was directly controlled by
queen victoria.
• The revolt of 1857 created was to develop unity &
patriotism in the nation.
• Press was restricted since the Revolt of 1857 involved
the Peasants as well. The press played an important
role in the freedom struggle. It helped to educate
Indians, influence them & aware of government
policies.

8. Centres of the Revolt of 1857
• Lucknow – It was the capital of Awadh. Begum
Hazrat Mahal, one of the begums of the ex-king of
Awadh, took up the leadership of the revolt.
• Kanpur – The revolt was led by Nana Saheb, the
adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
• Jhansi – The twenty-year-old Rani Lakshmi Bai led
the rebels when the British refused to accept the claim
of her adopted son to the throne of Jhansi.
• Bihar – The revolt was led by Kunwar Singh who
belonged to the royal house of Jagdispur, Bihar

9. Major historical events
• Mangal Pandey– Mangal Pandey did not just refuse to use
cartridges greased with cow or pig fat, he created an uproar within
his Infantry which led to injuring the British generals. His bravery is
unmatched to date though he was hanged by the East India
Company.
• Cawnpore Massacre– Cawnpore or Kanpur was the highlight of the
Revolt of 1857. When Cawnpore was sieved by the sepoys, they
allowed the British rescue party to travel to Allahabad through
Cawnpore. But the British soldiers and civilians (including 120
women and children) were killed by the sepoys. This enraged the
East India Company who tortured, looted the Indian civilians and
executed a large number of sepoys in Cawpore and recaptured the
city.
• Rani of Jhansi’s historic win– Rani Laxmibai refused the East
India Company to annex Jhansi. The British forces then slowly
marched towards Jhansi. It was in the darkness of the night that the
rebels attacked the fort where the British leaders and their servants
were resting and killed all of them.

10. Who Opposed the Revolt of 1857?
• Lot of the Indian communities didn’t support the Revolt of
1857
• A lot of important Sikhs and Pathan leaders in the Punjab
province sided and conspired with the East India Company as
they feared that if the Revolt drove out the British, the
Mughals would come to power.
• Gwalior was one of the centres of rebellion by the sepoys and
civilians yet the state’s ruler, Jayaji Rao Scindia supported the
British.
• Most of the zamindars and educated Indians supported the
British.

11. Failure of Revolt of 1857
• Limited uprising: although the revolt was fairly widespread, a large part of the
country remained unaffected by it.
– The revolt was mainly confined to the Doab region.
– The large princely states, Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, and Kashmir, as
well as the smaller ones of Rajputana, did not join the rebellion
– The southern provinces did not take part in it.
• No effective leadership: the rebels lacked an effective leader. Although Nana
Saheb, Tantia Tope and Rani Lakshmi Bai were brave leaders, they could not offer
effective leadership to the movement as a whole.
• Limited resources: the rebels lacked resources in terms of men and money. The
English, on the other hand, received a steady supply of men, money and arms in
India.
• No participation of the middle class: The English educated middle class, the rich
merchants, traders and zamindars of Bengal helped the British to suppress the
revolt.

12. Leaders of the Revolt of 1857
Place Leaders of the Revolt of 1857
Lucknow Begum Hazrat Mahal, Birjis Qadir, Ahmadullah
Delhi Bahadur Shah II, General Bakht Khan
Barrackpore Mangal Pandey
Bihar Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh
Faizabad Maulvi Ahmadullah
Jhansi Rani Laxmibai
Bijnaur Mohammad Khan
Allahabad & Banaras Maulvi Liyakat Ali
Farrukhabad Tufzal Hasan Khan
Muradabad Abdul Ali Khan
Kanpur Tantia Tope
Mandsor Firoz Shah
Rajasthan Jaidayal Singh and Hardayal Singh
Kullu Raja Pratap Singh
Assam Kandapareshwar Singh, Manorama Datta
Orissa Surendra Shahi, Ujjwal Shahi
Gorakhpur Rajadhar Singh

13. List of British Officials
• General John Nicholson
• Major Hudson
• Sir Hugh Wheeler
• General Neil
• Sir Colin Campbell
• Henry Lawrence
• Major General Havelock
• William Taylor and Eye
• Hugh Rose
• Colonel Oncell

14. The Aftermath of the Revolt of 1857
• End of Company Rule: The revolt marked the end of the East India
Company’s rule in India
• The direct rule of the British Crown: India came under the direct rule
of the British Crown. This was announced by Lord Canning at a Durbar
in Allahabad in a proclamation issued on November 1, 1858, in the
name of the queen.
• Religious Tolerance: The British Crown promised religious tolerance
and the customs and traditions of India were given more attention.
• Administrative Change: The governor general’s office was replaced
by that of the Viceroy.
• Military Reorganisation: The ratio of British officers to Indian
soldiers increased but the armoury remained in the hands of the English
to end the dominance of the Bengal army.

15. Important books
• The Indian War of Independence by Vinayak Damodar
Savarkar
• Rebellion, 1857: A Symposium by Puran Chand Joshi
• The Indian Mutiny of 1857 by George Bruce Malleson
• Great Mutiny by Christopher Hibbert
• Religion and Ideology of the Rebels of 1857 by Iqbal Hussain
• Excavation of Truth: Unsung Heroes of 1857 War of
Independence by Khan Mohammad Sadiq Khan
•

16. Major observations
• R.C. Majumdar tried to summarize the revolt differently. According to him, the
revolt was neither the first, nor was it national, nor was it a war of independence.
• S N Sen: He was of the opinion that it was nothing but a military revolt. S.N. Sen
called this revolt a ‘Sepoy Mutiny’. He was of the opinion that it was mainly an
outburst of the military in which certain other groups also started participating.
• R. Holmes, said that this revolt was a ‘clash of civilization and barbarians’.
• Benjamin Disraeli described it as a ‘National Revolt’.
• Lawrence and Seeley had some coherence with the Indian viewpoint, especially
with that of S.N. Sen, that it was a military revolt in the real sense