CHAPTER 1

The First War of Independence, 1357

all
adversely affected
administrative changes
Syllabus The ruling classes
segments of Indian society.
power; the peasantry
TheIndianNational Movement (1857-1917) were dispossessed of their
itsland rights: and the artisans
The First War of Independence, 1857 was deprived of
lost their livelihood.
The middle and upper-classes
Only the causes (political, socio-religious, in northern India,
of Indian society, paricularly
economic and military) and consequences of their exclusion from
were annoyed because
wil be tested. The events, houvever need to the wel-paid higher posts in
the administration.
be mentionedin order to maintain continuity or religious activities,
Men who followed cultural
andfora more comprehensive understanding.) found themselves
like priests and scholars,
patrons the
without income as they lost their
who had
Indian rulers, princes and zamindars,
The process of the British conquest of India themselves lost their authority. The company's
which began from mid-18th century and the with their low
Indian soldiers were discontent
was meted out
subsequent consolidation of British rule salary, hard life and the ill-treatment
resented by the Indians belonging to all the to them by the British officers. Thus, by 857,
segments of Indian society kings, queens conditions were ripe fora mass uprising and the
peasants,landlords, tribals and soldiers(Hardly accumulated grievances of the people burst forth
a year passed till 1857 when some part of in the form of the First War of Independence.S2

the country or the other did not rise in revolt

PoLITICAL CAUSES
the policies and actions of the British
against
antagonised the
that harmed their interests or went against their The political reasons which
sentiments of India. However, theserebellions Indian rulers were the following:
were local, scattered and isolated. They did not> 1. Policy of Expansion: The British policy

pose a seriousthreatto the British7Nonetheless, of territorial expansion and gradual annexationof

these revolts established a local tradition of the native Indian States was of the major one
grievances of the Indian rulers. Ever since the
struggle against the foreign rule. India
1757), the East
culminated battte of Plassey (June
This resentment to the British rule Company's territorial power increased rapidly.
in theFirst War of Independence in 1857, in The British tred to expand their poktical power
which milions of peasants, artisans and soldiers in India by four ways, Le., by outright wars, by
participated. It shook the British government to he system of Subsidiary Alliance, by adopting
its very foundation. the Doctrine of Lapse and on the pretext of
alleged misrule.
CAUSEs OF THE FIRST WAR
OF INDEPENDENCE (a) ByOutright Wars: To expand their
territorial power in India andto safeguard their
The first hundred yearsofthe British rule in India economic and political interests the British
ie.,from 757 to 1857, were marked by British waged many wars against the Indian rulers
conquests and rapid expansion of their dominion f iterent states. The Battle of Buxar (1764)
in India. The combined effect of the British established the British as masters Bengal.
ot

expansionistpolicies, economic exploitation and Bihar and Odisha. As a result of their success

The First War of Independence, 1857

 Thekingdom of Awadh (Oudh) was
the
first to entef intO an alliance like this
through
the Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 by which
the
Company undertook to defend the
frontiers
of Awadh on the condition that the Nawab
Awadh would pay tor the expenses of such
defence. However, Awadh was annexed on
the
pretext of misrule in 1856. The
other States
which accepted the Subsidiary Alliance
were
the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of
Mysore
the Raja Tanjore, the Sindhia and the
of
Rajput
States Jodhpur, Jaipur, Macheri, Bundi and
of

War of Independence the Ruler of Bharatpur.

8 An Artist's Impression of The First

(c) By Using the Doctrine of

în Anglo-Mysore Wars
(1767 to 1799), the East Lapse: Lord
India Company annexed nost of the territories of Dalhousle, the Governor-General of ndt
annexed many Indian States to thhe
the Mysore State. After the Third Anglo-Maratha
Company
War (1817-TS, the Peshwa's entire dominions using the Doctrine of Lapse. According to thi
and all Maratha territory north and south of Doctrine, if an Indian ruler died without

the Námada river were acquired by the British. heir, his kingdom would lapse', that is, it woule(C
under the Company's territory in
The Punjab was annexed in 1849 after the comne India \b
Sikhs were defeated in the Second Anglo-Sikh When the ruler of Jhansi died in 1853
War. From 1823 to 1856, the Brjitish farther leaving no naturat heir, the widowed Rani wou
extended their empire by conquering Sindh, pensioned and their adopted son, Anand Rao,
territories of Assam, Arakan and Tenasserim was not recognisedas a lawful successor to the
and Pegu in Myanmr. throne. The other prominent States which were

b) Bu Subsidiary Alliance: Some Indian annexèd by applying this Doctrine were Satara,
States were brought under the Briish control Jaitpur, Sambalpur, Udaipurand Nagpur. The
without actualy annexing them. This was done principle of Lapse was also applied to take away
by following the Subsidiary Aliance introduced the titles and pensions of the rulers of some
by Lord Wellesley. Subsidiary Alliance was States. Regal titles of the Nawabs of Carnatic
an agreement between the British East India and Tanjore were taken away. Ths caused
Company and the Indian Princely Statesby virtue aiscontent among the rulers as well as among
of which these states lost their sovereignty(the peopleingeneral.
power of a ruler to rule independently without "The rulers of Indian States believed thattheir
any outside interference) to the British Under States were annexed not by the application of

this system, the Indian rulers, who agreed to Doctrine of Lapse but by the lapse all morals of

the Subsidiary Alliance on thepart of the British.

acceptedtheBritish as thesupreme power;

(ii) surrendered their foreign relations to the
East India Company and agreed that they
would not enter into arny alliance with any
other power and would not wage wars;

(ii) accepted a British Resident at their

headquarters and agreed not to employ any
European in their service withoutconsulting
the Company;

iy agreed to maintain British troops at their

own and
y virtually
cost;

lost their independence. Lord Wellesley Lord Dalhousie

& Civics-10
10 Total History
 The name
received a pension from the British.
King was removed from thecoins
of the Mughal
minted by the Company.

In 1849, Lord Dalhousie announced that

Zafar would not be
successors of Bahadur Shah
palace.
permitted to use the Red Fort as their
to
They were required to shift a place near the
Qutab Minar.
In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after
the death of BahaduT Shah, his successors
Rani Laxmi Bai
would not be allowed to use the imperial titles
with their names and WOuld be known as mere
On the Pretext of Alleged Misrule: In
(d) princes. This decision of the British hurt the
1856,Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh to the feelings of the Mughals. Consequently, Zeenat
Compan's ominions on the petext of aeged Mahal, the wife of Bahadur Shah, began plotting
misrule. He declared that Awadh was being against them.
misgoverned and British rule was needed to 3. Treatment Given to Nana Saheb: Nana

ensure proper administration. Saheb was the adopted son of Baji Rao II,
Lord Dalhousie justified the the last Peshwa. The British refused to grant
annexation
of Awadh on the pretext of "the good of the Nana Saheb the pension they were paying to
governed"On the contrary,the people of Awadh: Baji Rao II. Nana Saheb was forced to live
had to face more hardships.
at Kanpur, far away from his family seat at
.9 They had to pay higher land revenue and [Link] was widely resented in the Maratha
additional taxes on food,houses and ferries. region. Nana Saheb had inherited wealth from
the former Peshwa, which he utilised in sending
The dissolution of the Nawab of Awadh's
emissaries to different parts of the country for
army and administration threw thousands
of nobles,officials and soldiers generating awareness among the Indians
out of jobs. the British policies. Nana about
Saheb also travelled
The British confiscated the estates of the between Delhi and
Lucknow to gather support
taludars or zamindars. The dispossessed for the movement.
taluqdars became the opponents of the Other Indian rulers,who were not
British rule. adversely
affected, also became
suspicious of their future.
The company's sepoys, of whom (75,000 4. Absentee Sovereignty of the
were from Awadh, were the worst British:
affected. Absentee Sovereignty of
These soldiers had helped the the British means that
British to India was being ruled by the
conquer the rest ofIndia. Butthey British government
the fact that their homelands resented from England, ata distance of thousands of
had come miles.
under foreign rule. The annexation of
Awadh also affected the soldier's
financial
position. They had to
pay higher taxes on
the land their families held
in Awadh.

Enraged by the humiliating

way in which
the Nawab of Awadh was
deposed, the people of
Awadh joined the uprising that broke
in 1857.
Awadh played a major role in
1857. the Uprising of

2..
Disrespect Shown to
Bahadur Shah:
Bahadur Shah Zafar, the
under the Mughal ruler, was
protection of the Company and
Bahadur Shah Zafar
Zeenat Mahal
The First War of
Independence, 1857
 3. Policy of Racial
British Diserimination:
officers were rude and The
the Indians. They believed that arrogant
they teowards
to Indians and followed a were
superior
policy of

towardsthe Indians. They

dubbed thecontenpt
as cruel and unfaithful. Mughals
Some
ill-treated and insulted European officers
Indians. Such acts
unjust discrimination of
alienated the
the Indian masses. Britishfrom

4. Corruption in Admìnistration:
police and petty The
offñcials were corrupt.
The
Nana Saheb got away with crime but the rich
Baji Rao l
common man
looted, oppressed and tortured. was

This was resented by the Indians. The earlier 5. Oppression of

the Poor: The
rulers ike the Mughals, who had conquered judicial system enabled complex
the rich to
India, had in course of timne settled in India. The oppress the
poor. Flogging, torture
revenues they collected from the Indians were and imprisonment

of
cultivators for their inability to
spentin India only. But in the case of Britain, rent, land revenue
pay arrears
the Indians felt that they were and interest on debt
being ruled from quite [Link], the were
England and India's wealth was growing poverty made
being drained thepoor desperate and led them to join a general
to England and not utilised for their
welfare. uprising in the hope of improving
their lot.

Socto-RELIGIOUS CAUSES 6. Activities of

Missionaries: The British
The British government's attempt to interfere were different from Indians in
race, religion and
in the social and religious life of the sentiments. In the 18th century,
Indians the British
led to the widespread fear among the masses. showed a friendly attitude towards
Indian
religions. They had no particular
1. Interference with Social zeal for the
Customs: own religion and the Company even acted as
Some of the social reforms introduced
by trustees of some Hindu temples.
the British in India were aimed at However,in
improving the 19th century, this attitude
the conditions of the people. However, while underwent a
change. The British began to interfere with
introducing such reforms the feelings of the
the local religious and social customs. They
people were not taken into consideration. The denounced idol worship and dubbed local beliefs
result was that the reforms like the Abolition as ignorance.
of Sati (1829), the introduction of the Widow
The Charter Act (1813) led to an increase both
Remarriage Act (1856) and the opening of
in the numbers and activities of the
Western education to girls were not welcomed Christian

by the masses. missionaries. The Indians thought that the

Government was supporting missionaries who
2. Apprehensions about Modern would convert them to Christianity.
Innovations: People were suspicious of
7. Fears Regarding Western Education
introduction of modern innovations like
The Western system of education was introduced
railways and telegraph. There were umours
that telegraph poles were erected to hang in a number of schools. In 1829, the Bengal
Government established an English class n
those who were against the British rule.
the Calcutta Madrasa, which was a Muslim
Similarly, orthodox Indians noted that in
institution. Later, English classes were
the railway compartments the higher castes introduced in Benaras Sanskrit College. The
and the lower castes were made to sit side shifting of emphasis from oriental learnins
by side. They believed that the British had to Western education was not received wel

introduced such practices to defy their caste by the people, especially the Pandits and the
and religion. Maulvis. They saw in it an attempt to discourag*
 traditional Islamic and Hindu studies. People
The British built a huge Empire
started suspecting that the aim of Western large areas
of North
education was not to promote literature and ABOUT11 comprising New Zealand,
America, Australia,
sciences but to encourage their children to well as smail parts of
Central
Asia and Africa, as
become Christians. at its height in 1922,
and South [Link] fact had
the wortd
8. Taxing Religious Places: Religious it constituted the largest empire
around a quarter of Earth's
sentiments of the Indians were hurt by the ever seen, covering
million people.
official policy of taxing lands belonging to land surface and ruling over 458
of the 20th century,
temples and mosques. Such lands had been However, over the course
losing its colonies.
exempted from taxation by previous Indian the British Empire started
after the First Worid War
It so happened that
rulers. The families dependent on these lands,
(1914-1918),a feeling of nationalism' swept the
began to propagate that the British were trying
globe, whereby the countries ruled by the British
to undermine the religions of India.
started demanding independence. Many of the
9. Law of Property:The Religious Disabilities North American colonies gained independence
Act of 1850 changed the Hindu Law of Property. from Britain through victory in the American
It enabled a convert from Hinduism to other Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783.
religions to inherit the property of his father. You have read in this chapterabout India's First
The Hindus regarded this as an incentive to give War of Independence, [Link], think about
up one's religious faith. the key differences and similarities between
India's First War of Independence, 1857 and
EcoNOMIc CAUSES the American Revolutionary War, 1783...
The most important reason for the popular
discontent was the economic exploitation by 2. Drain of Wealth: Till the Battle of
the British. The economic exploitation took the
Plassey (1757), the European traders used to
following forms: bring gold into India to buy Indian cotton and
1. Exploitation of Economic Resources: silk. However, after the conquest of Bengal,
The British exploited the Indian resources for the British stopped getting gold into India.
their own benefits. They made agricultural India They began to purchase raw material for their
an economic colony to serve the interests of ndustries in England from the surplus revenues
industrial England. India was forced toexport, of Bengal and profits from duty-free inland
at cheaper rates, raw materials like raw cotton trade. Thus, began the process of plundering
and raw silk that the British industries needed India's raw materials, resources and wealth

urgently; plantation products (like indigo and by

Britain. The transfer of wealth from India
tea); and food grainswhich were in short supply England for which India got no proportionate
to

in Britain. economic return, is called the Drain of Wealth.

The drain included the salaries, incomes and
Indiawas made to accept readymade British savings of Englishmen, the British expenditure
goods either duty-free or at nominal duty in India on the purchase of
military goods, office
rates, while Indian products were subjected establishment, interest
on debts, unnecessary
to high import duties in England. The Indian expenditure on the
army, etc.
handmade goods were unable to compete with
3. Decay of Cottage Industries and
the cheaper,machine-made British products.
This ruined the Indian industry, Handicrafts: Heavy duties on Indian silk
deprived and cotton textiles in Britain
the artisans of their income and destroyed Indian
reduced the industries. On the
other hand, British goods
avenues of employment for labour. On the other were
hand, export of raw materials and imported into India at a nominal duty.
food grains By the middle of
deprived India of her agricultural the 19th century, export of
surplus and cotton and silk
raised the prices of raw goods from India practically
materials. Thus, the ceased. The art of
change in the nature of India's trade becamne spinning and weaving, which
for ages had given employment to
an instrument for exploiting India's resources. thousands
of artisans,became
extinct.

The First War of

Independence, 1857
13
 The misery of the artisans was further high taxation, the drain of wealth, stagnation
of agriculture and exploitation of the poor
Compounded by the disappearance of their
traditional patrons and buyers-the princes, peasants reduced the Indians to extreme
chieftains and zamindars. poverty. Famines ravaged the
country in the
There were four
The Second half of the 19th century.
4. Economic Decline of Peasantry: land major and numerous minor famines betwees
with the ofsciel
peasants were dìscontent 1765 and 1857. The famines were the resuis
consequent loss of their
Tevenue policy and the of drought, other natural calamities as well as
land. In fact, it was the peasantry that bore bad administration. The British governmentdid
the heavy burden of taxes to provide money misery.
nothing to lessen people's
Tor the trade of the
Company, or the cost of
8. Decline of Landed Aristocracy: The
administration and the wars of British expansion
landed aristocracy which included the talugdars
in india. For example,in Bengal, the land revenue were deprived of
the and the hereditary landlords
was double the amount collected under their estates. According to the provisions of
Mughals. Not even a part of this revenue was the Inam Commission (1852),20,000 estates
spent on the development of agriculture or on were confiscated when the landlords failed to
the welfare of the cultivator. Increase in the land like title-deeds by which they
indebtedness produce evidence
revenue forced many peasantsinto held the land. These confiscated lands were sold
or into selling their lands. The traditional
bidders. Such
and by public auction to the highest
zamindars were replaced by merchants estates were usually purchased by merchants
moneylenders. These new landowners had no and moneylenders who did not understand the
concern for the [Link] pushed rents to needs of the tenants and exploited them. This
and evicted their tenants in case
exorbitant leveis
drove the landed aristocracy to poverty without
of non-payment. The economic decline of the benefitting the peasantry which suffered under
peasants affected cultivation and led to many the weight of exorbitant land revenue.
famines.
MuITARY CAUSES
5. Growing Unemployment: The traditional
Several factors contributed to the change in
rulers had given financial support to scholars,
preachers and men of arts. The coming of the the attitude Indian soldiers towards the
of the
British led to the decline of such rulers and Company. These included the following:
gradually their patronage came to an end. Thus, II-treatment of Indian soldiers: The
1.
all those who depended on their patronagewere
East India Company established the British

impoverished. Empire in Indiawith the help of Indian soldiers

When the native states were annexed to the Despite the fact that Indian soldiers were as
British dominion, thousands of soldiers and efficient as their British counterparts, they were

officials in administrative, military and judicial poorly paid, ill-fed and badly housed. British

posts became unemployed because British military authorities forbade the sepoys from
policies excluded Indians from high posts. All
these people became bitter enemies of the British
rule in India.
6. Inhuman Treatment of IndigoCultivators:
Indigo trade was highly profitable to the British
but the conditions under which the peasants
hadto work were inhuman. The peasants were
forced to cultivate only indigo in the fields
chosen by the British planters. If they planted
anything else, their crops were destroyed, and
their cattle were carried off as punishment.

7. Poverty and Famines: British economic

exploitation, decay of indigenous industries, B Artist's impression of Indian Sepoys in the British Amy

Total History & Civics-10

14
 MainCentres of the
First Warof Independence (1857}

INDEX
Present External
Boundary of india

Meeru
Dehie Barei

Agra Luckow
Gwaliore
Kalpe Faizabad
BIHAR
bed

Tropc of Cancer

Bärackpore

wearing caste or sectarian marks, beards or 5. Deprivation of Allowances: The extension

affected
turbans; and they showed disregard for the of British dominion in India adversely
sentiments of the sepoys. the service conditions of the sepoys. They were
required to serve in areas away from their
homes
2. General Service Enlistment Act:
without extra payment and additional Bhatta
According to traditional belief, it was a taboo
for to cross the seas. The British
a Brahmin (foreign service allowance). The Post Office Act
Parliament passed the General Service Enistment of 1854 withdrew the privilege of free postage
Ad in 1856. As per this Act, Indian soldiers enjoyed by sepoys.
could be sent overseas on duty. The Act did not 6. Faulty Distribution of Troops: Places
of
take into account the sentiment of the Indian strategic importance like Delhi and Allahabad
soldiers. The Brahmin soldiers saw in this a wholly held
to a feeling of had no British armies and were
danger to their caste. This led by the Indian soldiers. Besides, England was
resentment among them.
engaged in several wars outside India, e.g., the
3. Larger Proportion of Indians in the Persian (Iranian)War, the Crimean War and the
British Army: The number of British troops Chinese War. Indian soldiers had the feeling
in India was never very large with the British that the British were in difficulty and the safety
ín the ratio as low as one in four thousand. of her Indian empire depended on them. They
Dalhousie had recommnended that more British
were, therefore, determnined to strike at them at
soldiers should be recruited in the army. This a suitable time.
could not come through. Thus, it made it easier
for the large number of Indian soldiers to take 7. Poor Performance of British Troops:
The British army suffered major reverses in the
up arms against the British.
of Promotions: AII TSt Atghan War (1839-42),in the Punjab Wars
4. Bleak Prospects
1845-49) and in the Crimean War
(1853-56).
were reserved
higher positions in employment In 1855-56, the Santhal tribesmen of Bihar
for the British,irrespectiveof their performance.
Even the Indían soldiers formerly occupving and Bengal armed with axes and bows rose
high positions in the armies of native princes up against the British, temporarily sweeping
could not rise above the rank of a Subedar. The away the British rule from their [Link]
future of the Indian soldiers was bleak without the British suppressed the Santhal Uprising,
chances of promotions. the disasters they suffered broke the myth that

15
The First War of indegendence, 1857
the British were invincible. It furtherrevealed to

the Indian soidiers that the British arny could

be defeated by the determined Indian arny.
8. Lower Salaries: The wages of the Indian
soldiers wereinadequate to support their families.
On the other hand, the British soldiers received more
than eight times the salary of the Indian soldiers.

(MMEDIATE CAUSE
INTRODUcTION OF THE ENFIELD RIFLE
|In 1856,the British authorities decided to replace
Begam Hazrat Mahal Tantia Tope
the old fashionedmusket, (called the BrownBess)
by the new Enfield rifle', The loading process of 10years of rigorous imprisonment. On May 10
the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to
allthe sepoys at Meerut rushed to the jail and
the mouth and biting off the top greased paper set free their comrades and other convicts.

|
with the teeth/
In January 1857, there was a rumour in
the Bengal regiments that the greased cartridge
Events at Delhi: The soldiers from Meerut came
to Delhi the next morning, They were joined
by the local infantry. They seized the city and
had the fat of cow or pig. The sepoys were
now convinced that the introduction of greased proclaimed the aged Mughal Emperor Bahadur
Shah the emperor of India. He was coerced to
cartridgeswas a deliberate move to defile Hindu write letters to all chiefs and rulers of India
and Muslim religions as the cow is sacred to ureingthem to organise a confederacyof Indian
Hindus and the pig is a taboo to Muslims. So, States to fight against the British regime. In the
both the Hindus and the Muslim soldiers refused
process the British lost Delhi.
to use these cartridges and staged an uprising
when they were forced to use SirJohn Nicholson surrounded Delhi and
thenm after four months of attack captured Delhi. The
BEGINNING OF THE UPRISING old emperor Bahadur Shah was found guilty of

aiding the movement. As a punishment, his two

On February 26,1857, the 19th Native Infantry sons were shot dead in front of him. He was
at Berhampur in Bengal, refused to accept the sentenced to life imprisonment and deported to
cartridges given to them. The regiment was Yangon in Myanmar where he died in 1862.
disbanded as a warning to
Events at Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal.
other regiments. the wife of the Nawab
Awadh led the Uprising
of
The sepoys feared at Lucknow on May 30, 1857. The city was
loss of their caste and recaptured by the British in March 1858. Begum
religion if they accepted Hazrat Mahal fled towards the Nepal frontier.
the greased cartridges. As
a Events at Kanpur: Nana Saheb 1led the
result Mangal Pandey, a
for independence at Kanpur. The British
struggle
sepoy, led an attack on the surrendered in
MANGAL PANOEY June 1857. A large number o!
Adjutant of the 34th Native
TNDIA 5O Englishmen,women and children were captured
Infantry at Barrackpore on by an infuriated mob.
March 29, 1857. Mangal
The British defeated Nana Saheb in December.
Pandey was executed after a court-martial. For
[Link] Saheb fled towards Nepal. His general
his fellow sepoys he became a martyr.1
Tantia Tope, escaped to Kalpi.

MAIN EVENTS Events in Central India (Jhansi and

Gwalior): The battle began at Jhansi early in
Events at Meerut: News of the events in June, 1857. Sir
Hugh Rose laid siege to the
Bengal spread like a wild fire. On May 9, fortress of Jhansi in March 1858. Rani Laxmi
eichty-five sepoys refused to touch the cartidges Bai
resisted but Jhansi was captured by the
on the parade ground. They were sentenced to British when traitors opened the gates of the

16 Total Mistory & Civics-10

fortress for them. The Rani escaped from the
Sortress on the night of April 4, 1858 to join Chronology of Events
Tantia Tope at Kalpi. February 26, 1857: Unrestamorg the soldiers

The Rani died fighting the British on at Berhampur, Benga.

June I7, 1858 at Gwahor. Tantia Tope was March 29, 1857: Resentmenst by Mangal
betrayed by the Gwalior Chief, Man Singh and Pandey at Barrackpore
was harnged on April 18, 1859.
May 9, 1857: Resentment by 85 sepoys of the
Bvents at Other Centres: At Bareilly, Khan Third Cavalry at Meerut.
Bahadur, a descendant of the former ruler of
Rohilkhand,took command of the movement. May 10, 1857: The Sepoys at Meerut broke
out openly against the British and headed
in Bihar, the struggie was led by Kunwar
towards Delhi.
Singh,the zamindar of Jagdishpur. He had been
deprived of his estates by the British. May 11-30, 1857: Outbreaks in Delhi,

At Faizabad,the leadership was taken by Ferozepur, Bombay, Bareilly, Aligarh. Etawab.

Bulandshahr, Lucknow. The Mughal Emperor
Maulvi Ahmadullah, who aroused the Muslim
proclained as the Emperor of India.
community against the British rule.
June 1857: Uprising at Gwalior, Bharatpur,
Bengal, Rohilkhand, Bundelkhand, Central
Jhansi, Allahabad, Faizabad.
India, several parts of Bihar and East Punjab
rose against the British policies. In several August 1857: Uprising at Indore, Mhow,
States in India, the rulers remained loyal to Saugar, Jhelum, Sialkot, etc.

the British Government but their soldiers rose

September 1857: Recapture of Delhi by the
against the British. In most of these places,
English.
common people rose up in arms and fought
with their axes and spears,bows and arrows. November 1857: Defeat of the British at Kanpur.

December 1857: Victory of the British at

cONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRST WAR Kanpur, escape of Tantia Tope.
OF INDEPENDENCE
March 1858: Recapture of Lucknow by the
Even though the Uprising of 1857 was British.
suppressed,it shook the British rule in India
to its very foundation. It brought about far April 1858: Victory of the British at Jhansi.
reaching effects on Indian socio-political life.
Uprising in Bihar by Kunwar Singh.
These were: June 17, 1858: Death of Rani of Jhansi.

1. End the Company's Rule: The most

of July-December 1858: Re-establishment of
signiicant result of the Uprising of 1857 was British Authority in India.
the end of the rule of the East India Company
April 1859: Tantia Tope captured and hanged
and assumption of the Government of India
to death.
directly by the Crown. This was done by the
Government of India Act of 1858 which had the
following provisions:
(iüi) Actual governance was to be carried on,
as before, by the Governor-Generalwho
6) It transferred the power to govern India
from the East IndiaCompany t the British was also given the title of Viceroy, that
Crown. is, a personal representative of the Crown.
Lord Canning was appointed as the first
(ii) The Company's Board of Control and Court
of Directors were abolished. A member Viceroy under this Act.
of the British Cabinet was appointed (iv) Appointments tothe Civil Service were to
Secretary of State for India and made be made by open competitionunder rules
responsible for all matters related to made by the Secretary of State.
the governance of India. He was given a
Council to advise him, called the Indian 2. Queen Victoria's Proclamation: The
Council. Thus, the ultimate power over
Queen's Proclamationincorporating the transfer
India remained with the British Parliament. of governance from East India Company to the

The First War 17

of Independence, 1857
 British Crown was made pubtie at Alahabad,
on November 1, 1858, by Lord Canning, the
hrst Viceroy of hdia The proclamatioM romiaed
that the Government of lndia woult
() folloWapoticy of non-intervention in social
and religious matters of ndians,
() treat all subjects ludians and Buropeans
as equals (education and ability would be
the basis of all appointments)
(m) grant a general pardon to all those who
had taken part in the War except those
who were foundguityof murder of British M Queen Victoria
subjects,
(iv) do its best to advanee the industries in religious lines among the
educated Indians,The
India: and
British also encouraged
hatred and
(v) promote works of public utility in India so among the Hindus and the Muslimsill-feeling
sO that
as to ensure the material as well as the they could never challenge the British
in
Empire
moral progress of the people. India.

3. End
of Mughals and 6. Racial Antagonism: The
Peshwas:With the British believed
death Bahadur Shah l,who was
ot in their racial
deported to superiority and they thought
Yangon, the Mughal dynasty that a social distance
came to an end. was to be maintained
to preserve their authority over the
Nana Saheb, the last Indians.
Peshwa, had taken Railway compartments, parks,
an active part in the Uprising
to Nepal after the
and had fled etc., reserved for
hotels, clubs,
failure of theUprising, Europeans only' were visible
the ofce of the So manifestationsof this racialism.
Peshwa also came to an
Thus, ended twO of the end.
of the
most formidable 7. Foreign Policy:
foes India's foreign policy
British-the Marathas was dictated by the
and the Mughals. interests of the
4. Relations with Government. It fulfilled British
Princely States: The the two
Policy of
Annexationand the Doctrine British - (a) aims of the
were abandoned. of Lapse protection of its Indian
Some oftheIndian and (b) expansion Empire:
remained loyal to the princes had of British
British and had commercial interests in economic and
them in suppressingthe helped Asia and Africa.
was rewarded with Uprising. Their
loyalty The cost of
the announcement was borne by theimplementation of these
their right to that policies
adopt heirs would be Indians, For
and the integrity of their respected under the Bitish had to instance, India
against future territories guaranteed wage wars with her
annexation. heighbours like Nepal and
In 1876,Queen in which
Indian soldiers
Burma (Myanmar)
of the Victoria assumed blood and the had to shed their
"Empress of India." The the title
Indian princes the heavy cost Indian taxpayers had to
willingly became of the war. meet
juniorpartners or
because they were agents ofthe
British Crown 8. Increased
they would Racial
continue as rulers ofpromised that Uprising of Bitterness: After the
5.
Policy
their States. The British 1857, racial bitterness increased
of
the British Divide and
Rule: After
1858, of trust anddubbed all Indians as
continued their policy of subjected them unworthy
rule' by 'divide and humiliation, In fact, to insults
turning the princes the and
province against againstthe people, Indian entire
structure of the
province, caste against government
on the idea was remodelled
group against group and caste, of a and based
against Muslims. above all, Hindus superior race.
They alienated the 9. Religious
their rulers by people from Changes: The
giving them special rulers declared
and concessions. protection British
emphatically their
non-interference in the policy of

The Government cleverly customs and religious affairs,

used
government service to create the attractions traditions of the
of
10. Indians.
a split along Changes in the
army was Army: The
reorganised after
Indian
18 1858, to
prevent

Total History & Civics-10

 The Uprising of
another in the 13. Rise of Nationalism: the Indian people
rerrenee of uprising,
was the irst struggle of
the 1857 paved
British imperialism, It
oowing manner: freedom fron movement
The strength
as
of EurOpean troops in India
nereased. The ratio of European to
dian troops was fixed at 1:2 (Berngal army)
h
for
the way for the
aeihees
rise of the national
made by Rani Laxmi Bai, Nana
Saheh and Mangal Pandey served as a source
fighters.
armies). the future freedom
and 2:5 (Madras and Bombay of inspiration for
ratio was maintained
established valuable
Practically the same The heroic struggle also
of resistance to the British rule.
*il the First World War, The general
traditions

was that the number Gulf Between

principle adopted 13. Widening of the
should not exCeed twice the First War
of Indian sepoyS Hindus and Muslims: During
troops. both the Hindus and the
that of the European of Independence,
Muslims showed great enthusiasm and zeal to
European troopsWere Rept in key But after the
positions. fight against the alien
government.
geographicaland military between the two communities
from rising again Uprising, the gulf
) TodesisttheIndian soldiers
the sophisticateed widened. This was the consequence of the
againstthe British rule, and Rule' by which they
were never British policy of Divide
weapons and ammunition of dissension between the two
under the charge of Indians, AlI sowed the seeds attempt so that
Dlaced It was a deliberate
artillery units, with the exceptions communities. never come together
Indian
were disbanded. thetwo communities might
of a few mountain units, the British rule in India.
to pose a threat to
of caste,
Discrimination on the basis
(iv)

region and religion was practised in the pRA WRACKS OF THE FIRST WAR
the army.
recruitment to OF INDEPENDENCE
nationalism,
v) In order to dìscourage
Th following were the drawbacks of the
First
of caste and
measures such asintroduction
community in most regiments were taken. Warof Independence:
movement did not have common
(vi) Newspapers, journals and nationalist
publicationswere prevented from reaching plas of military action or a centralised
army parts of
the soldiers to keep the Indian [Link] uprisings in different
the
separated from the life of the rest of the country were completelyuncoordinated.
population. (ii) The movment had no common goal before
11. Economic Exploitation: The Uprising it except r the anti-foreign sentiments.2.
of 1857 ended the era of territorial expansion Indja Company had the services
of
inthe era of economic exploitation iii) The East Lawrence,
and ushered men of exceptional abilities like
in the following manner:
Nicholson, Hayelock, Outram, Campbell,
) India was turned into a typical colonial
and etc. They fougAt the toughest
battles in
economy, exporting raw materials the initial stags of the Uprising and
importing finished goods. controlled the situgtion till reinforcements
(i) The salary and allowances of the Secretary
were received from abroad.
ofState and memnbers of the India Council, (iv) The British Empir had far superior
thecivil servants and military officers were resources in terms off men, money and
a large drain on the country's resources. materials to the Indian,
(i) Peasants were impoverished under the (v) The movement did not have nationwide
British rule. The indigo peasants of Bihar dimensions. It could not sread much to
revolted on a large scale in 1866-68.
South India and most of Eastekn orWestern
(iv) Rural artisan industriessuch as handicrafts, India. Sind and Rajasthan remained quiet.
spinning and weaving collapsed. Nepal helped in the suppressin of the
(v) The Indians had to pay heavy interests and movement. Bombay and Madras armies
dividends on the British capital invested remained loyal to the British.
in [Link] British invested their surplus
(vi) Some of the rulers of the Indian States
capital India in railways, plantations,
in
and the big zamindars refused to join the
coalmines, jute mills, shipping, etc.
movement.
 his book The Indian Wo
(vit) Some sectionsof the Indian society were Damodar Savarkar, in
as "a planne
of Independence described
it
hosile tothe Uprising. For example, the Noted historian
war of national independence".
moneenders and the big merchants of
Sen also believes that the Uprising
Mumba Kolkata andChennai, whose main
profits caxe from economic connections
S.N.
1857 was a war of independence.
According .
him,the Uprising began as a fight
for religion
with the Briish merchants. Besides,some
as a War of Independence as the
zamindars of NBengal were loyal to the and ended
wanted to get rid of the alier
British. revolutionaries
theold order of whit
Some sections of theducated Indiansdid government and restore
the King Delhí was the rightful representative
not support thecause asheyhad
of
thewrong
Whatever be the nature of the Uprising of
notion that the British yule would help
omodernisation 1857, it generally hailed
is as the First Wa.
then accomplish the task
while thoseopposing the Britisk government of Independence, because:
would take the country backwxd. i Itwas the first mass Uprising in which all

on the sections of Indian society

(vii)The Uprising was supposed to bègin
participated

May 31l, 1857. But due to the grdsed against a common enemy, i.e., the British

cartridges incident, it began much

betare
(ii) It paved the way for the rise of modern
the fixed [Link] thewhole plan remained national movement. The sacrifices made by
disorganised. Rani Laxmi Bai, Nana Saheb and Mangal
WAR Pandey served as a source of inspiration
NATUR OF THE
to the leaders and people to fight for the
Historians and scholars have different views about
1857. Vinayak independence of India from the British rule
the nature of the outbreak of

CHAPTER ATAGLANCE >>

Causes of the First War of Iadependence
Polttlcai @ Brtish Policies of Expansion; (i) Doctrine of Lapse; Disrespect shown to Bahadur ()
Shah,fi Annexation of Awadh; (y Treatment meted out to Nana Saheb and Rani Laxmi Bai; and

Socio-Relgious
(
(vi)
Policy
Activities
of
)
(vi)Absentee Sovereignty of the British.

Racial
nterference with social customs; (i) Apprehensions about
discrimination;
of themissionaries; (vi)
(iv)
Modern
Corruption in Adninistration (v) Oppression of the Poor;
Innovations;

Fears regarding Western education;(vii) Taxing religious places;

and fx Law of Property.
Eeangnics Exploitation of Economic Resources; (ii) Drain of Wealth from India: (ii) Decay

of
cottage industries and handicrafts; (iv) Economic decine of the peasantry:(v)Growing unemployment;
fvi) Annexation of Rent-free land and other estates; (vii) Inhuman treatment of indigo cultivators; and
(viii) Poverty and famines.

MIlitary i) M-treatment of Indian soldiers, ()General Service Enlistment Act; (ii) Large proportion
of Indians in the British Army: (iv) Bleak prospects of promotions to higher ranks (v)
Deprivation of
allowances to the Indian soldiers: (vi) Faulty distribution of troops; (vii)Poor performance of
British
troops; and (vii} Lower salaries of the Indian soldiers.

Stnmediate Case: The cartridges used in the newly introduced Enfeld rifAle were said to be greased
with the fat of cows or pigs. The greased paper of the cartridges had to be bitten off with
the teeth
before loading them in the rifle. This angered both the
Hindu and Muslim sepoys.
The Results and Effecta of the Pirst War of Lndependence: (i) End of the
Company's Rule.
a Oueen Victoria's Prociamation;(üi) End
of the Mughals and Peshwas; (iv) Change in
relations with
Princely States;(v) Policy of Divide and Rule; (vi)
Racial antagonism; (vii) Foreign Policy; (vii) Religious
changes: (ix Changes in the Army, (x) lncreased racial bitterness;
(xi) Economic exploitation; and
(xii) Rise of nationalisn.