THE REVOLT OF 1857

INTRODUCTION

INDIA IN 1857

One hundred years after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the smouldering embers of resentment and

anger against the unjust, exploitative and oppressive British government exploded into flames and

shook the very foundation of the British rule in India. British historians called it the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’;

Indian historians refer to it as the ‘GREAT REVOLT OF 1857’ or the ‘FIRST WAR OF INDIAN

INDEPENDENCE.

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER

CAUSES OF THE REVOLT:

POLITICAL: The Expansionist policies of Lord Dalhousie caused resentment amongst the Indian

rulers. Annexation of Satara, and Jhansi made Rani Lakshmibai a staunch enemy of the British.

Annexation of Awadh and pensioning-off Bahadur Shah Zafar caused severe resentment. The British

did not honour treaties with Indians and broke them whenever they wished.

ECONOMIC: Destruction of traditional economic structure caused resentment. New land revenue

system like zamindari caused poverty and debt amongst cultivators. Thousands of jagirs were

annexed by Lord Bentinck and Dalhousie. Annexation of Indian states caused unemployment and

distress.

SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS: People were threatened by the spread of Western culture and education.

Abolition of sati and remarriage of widows threatened the Indian society and culture. New

innovations like the telegraph aroused great doubts. Equality before law threatened caste norms

and alienated Hindus.

Sati system Child marriage

The Christian Missionaries in India

MILITARY: There was a growing dissatisfaction among the sepoys as they were paid lesser than their

British counterpart and their efforts were never acknowledged. In 1856 an Act was passed forcing

new recruits to serve abroad and the Hindus believed travel overseas would result in loss of caste.

IMMEDIATE: The cartridge for the new Enfield rifle was said to have been coated with animal fat.

Since it had to be torn open with the teeth, it het the religious sentiment of the Indian sepoys.

The Enfield Rifle

MAIN EVENTS AND CENTRES OF REVOLT:

Meerut and Delhi: The sepoys freed the 85 soldiers that were imprisoned, shot their European

officers and cut the telegraph line to Delhi. Then they marched towards Delhi and killed the

European officers and captured the city. They forced Bahadur Shah Zafar to become the leader of

the Revolt.

Kanpur and Lucknow: In Kanpur the Revolt was led by Nana Saheb but was defeated by the British

and had to flee. In Lucknow, the Revolt was led by Hazrat Mahal, the queen of the former Nawab of

Awadh. The British were initially defeated bit reinforcement arrived from England and Lucknow was

recaptured.

Nana Saheb Begum Hazrat Mahal

Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai gallantly led the Revolt in Jhansi and with the help of Tantya Tope, captured

Gwalior and drove out Sindhia (allies of British).

Tantya Tope Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi

RESULTS OF THE REVOLT:

The Company rule came to an end in India. India came under the rule of British Parliament. A

proclamation was issued which promised to look after welfare of the Indian people and abolished

the Doctrine of Lapse. The British government now would not interfere with religious and social

customs of the Indians.

EXERCISES

A) Fill in the blanks:-

1) Dalhousie annexed the states of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi on the basis of the Doctrine

of Lapse.

2) Prior to the outbreak of the Revolt, Bahadur Shah Zafar lived in Delhi as a pensioner of

the British.

3) The Revolt of 1857 started as a mutiny of the sepoys.

4) The immediate cause of the Revolt was the issue of greased cartridges.

5) The Revolt ended the rule of the English East India Company

B) Match the following:-

A B

1. Nana Saheb adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II

2. Bentinck and Dalhousie confiscation of jagirs

3. Hindu and the Muslim sepoys greased cartridges

4. Bahadur Shah Zafar exiled to Rangoon

5. Commander of Nana Saheb Tantya Tope

C) Choose the correct option:-

1. When Awadh/Nagpur/Jhansi was annexed, the estates of the Zamindars and talukdars

were confiscated by the British.

2. The Rumour regarding greased cartridges started in Madras/Calcutta/Delhi.

3. Mangal Pandey was a Sepoy at Barrackpore/Nagpur/Satara who refused to use greased

cartridges in 1857.

4. The Revolt in Lucknow/Meerut/Kanpur was led by Nana Saheb.

5. Nana Saheb/Hazrat Mahal/Rani Lakshmibai led the revolt in Lucknow.

D) State whether the following are true or false:-

1. Indian rulers were quite satisfied with Lord Dalhousie’s expansionist policy. False

2. Peasants benefitted from the land revenue system of the British. False

3. Social reforms such as abolition of sati and female infanticide and the Widow

Remarriage Act caused deep resentment among the orthodox sections of society. True

4. The Doctrine of lapse was abolished after the Revolt. True

5. The Revolt of 1857 had come as a shock to the British. True

E) Answer the following questions in short:-

1. Why did Rani of Jhansi become a staunch enemy of the British?

Answer: rani of Jhansi became the staunch enemy of the British because Lord Dalhousie

annexed her state to the British Empire by applying the Doctrine of Lapse.

2. Why did Nana Saheb fight against the British during the Revolt of 1857?

Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Baji Rao II (pensioner of the British) was denied a pension

after his father’s death therefore he fought against the British during the Revolt of 1857.

3. Why did the Zamindars and talukdars become sworn enemies of the British?

The Zamindars and talukdars became the sworn enemies of the British because when the

states where they were living got annexed to the British Empire, their estates were also

confiscated.

4. What happened to Nawab’s army when Awadh was annexed?

When Awadh was annexed to the British Empire Nawab’s army was disbanded.

5. When and where did the Revolt of 1857 begin?

The Revolt of 1857 began on 9th May at Meerut.

6. Mention any two main centres of Revolt?

The two main centres of Revolt were Meerut and Lucknow.

7. What steps were taken by the British to reorganize the army after the Revolt?

The steps taken by the British to reorganize the army after the Revolt were as follows:-

i) The number of British soldiers was increased.

ii) The artillery was placed exclusively under their control.

8. Mention any two important results of the Revolt.

The following were the results of the Revolt of 1857:-

i) The rule of the East India Company came to an end.

ii) Queen Victoria issued a Proclamation promising to look after the welfare of the

Indian people.

9. Mention any three political causes of the Revolt.

Any three political causes of the Revolt Were as follows:-

i) Annexation of Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur under the Doctrine of Lapse.

ii) Denial of pension to Nana Saheb the adopted son of Baji Rao II.

iii) The annexation of Awadh under the pretext of maladministration.

10. Mention three economic factors that led to the Revolt of 1857.

The three economic factors that led to the outbreak of the revolt of 1857 were as follows:-

i) The land revenue system introduced by the British caused great hardship and misery

among the peasants. They suffered under heavy taxes.

ii) The collapse of traditional handicraft industries led to large- scale unemployment

and economic distress in the country.

iii) Confiscation of the estates of the Zamidars and talukdars led to wide spread anger.

11. Mention any three religious and social causes of the Revolt.

Some of the social and religious causes of the revolt of 1857 were as follows:-

i) The social reforms like the abolition of sati and female infanticide, the Widow

Remarriage Act and the introduction of women education caused resentment

among the orthodox section of society.

ii) The activities of the Christian missionaries and their effort to convert people to

Christianity caused great alarm.

iii) The policy of racial discrimination and the British looked down on the Indians and

treated the Indians with contempt.

12. Mention any three grievances that the sepoys had against their British masters.

i) An Indian soldier was paid much less salary than his British counterpart.

ii) The Indian had no chance of promotion and could not rise above the post of

subedar.

iii) An Act of 1856 made it compulsory for all new recruits to serve overseas, it was

against their religious beliefs. When they were forced it hurt their religious

sentiment.

NOTE: Dear boys please go through the description of the chapter ‘Revolt of 1857’

and do the solved exercises, the notes and question- answers in your fair copy.

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