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The Revolt of 1857

British Historians call it 'Sepoy's Mutiny'. And Indian historians like Vinayak Damodar Savarkar call it The First war of Independence.

Causes of Revolt

Before this revolt there were some earlier revolts as well. For example:
From 1831-33, there was a revolt by Kol community. It is called Kol Revolt. 
In 1848 there was Kangra revolt. Kangra is a place in Himachal Pradesh.
In 1855 - 56, there was a revolt called Santhal Revolt. Santhal was a tribal community which was resisting English capture.

1. Political Cause
2. Social Cause
3. Religious Cause

Political Cause

1. Doctrine of Lapses: In 1799, the governor general of Bengal was Lord Wellsly. He brought a policy called Subsidary Alliance. Under this, any state who becomes party of it cannot have its own army and relationship with other states without the permission of Britishers. Nizamabad (Hyderabad) was the first state to adopt Subsdiary alliance. 

Those states which were the party in subsdiary alliance were later subjected to the policy of Doctrine of Lapse. It was brought by Lord Dalhousie in 1848. In this policy, it was said that a state party of subsidiary alliance and the ruler of that state that does not have any biological heir, then his state will be included in the British territory. The first state to be captured through this policy was Satara in 1848. Then in 1854 it was used in Jhansi. 

Lord Dalhouise In 1854 brought Woods Education Despatch It is called as Magna carta of Indian Education. It is called Woods Dispatch because the chairman of the committee was Charles Woods. In 1854 also, he also brought Widow Remarriage Act. Ishwarchand Vidya sagar put an effort to bring this act. During  his time, in 1853, first train was run in India. And in 1852, telegraph service was started. In 1854, postal service was started.  First Train was run behind Bombay to Thane. Second train was run between Calcutta to Raigarh. 

2. Annexation of Awadh (Oadh) in 1856: The Britishers cannot implement doctrine of lapse on awadh because the last nawab of awadh (wajid ali shah) had his biological heir. So Britishers annexed awadh on the basis of maladministration. 

3. Pension of Nana Shahab was abolished in Kanpur: Lord Dalhousie stopped the pension to Nana Shahab. 


Social Cause

1. Land Revenue Policy: It is related to Peasant. In 1793, Lord Cornawalis brought Permananent Settlement. The idea was of Sir Jhon Shore. Then came Ryotwari System in 1820. This was started in Thomas Munro. Here the tax was 66.5%. In this system, the land ownership was with the farmer. Then the third system was Mahalwari System in 1833. It was brought by J.J. Thomson. A group of 250 villages known as Mahalwari. 50% of total production of 250 village was given as a tax.

2. Reforms: In 1833, lord mauclay made English medium of education. In 1829 sati system was prohibited. In 1831, girl child Infenticide was prohibited. In 1854 they brought Widow remarriage act. 


Religious and Immediate Cause

1. Use of Greeased Cartriages: The new enfield rifles bullet contain a fat layer on top of it to protect it from moisture and this fat was made up of cow and pig. So Indian soldiers who were Hindu and Muslims, protested the use of it.

On 29th of March 1857, Brahmin Soldier Mangal Pandey shot dead two British officers against the use of greesed cartridges in Barrackpore in Calcutta. For this act, on 3rd of April 1857, Mangal Pandey was hanged. But the main revolt was started from Meerut Cantonment on 10th of May 1857. The revolted soldiers reached Delhi next day and declared Bhahdur Shah Jafar II as the emperor of India.

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Delhi -> Bakht Khan on behalf of Bhahdur Shah Jafar II.
Kanpur -> Nana Shahib or Dondhu Panth. Along with Nana Shahib, there was also Tatya Tope who was caught and later hanged.
Awadh (Lucknow) -> Begum Hazrat Mahal, the widow of Wajid Ali Shah
Jhansi -> Rani Lakshmi Bai. 
Barelly -> Khan Bahadur Khan
Allahabad -> Liyakat Ali
Bihar (Jagdishpur) -> Thakur Kuwar Singh





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