The War of Independence (1857)
Causes of the War of Independence
The multiple causes of the War of Independence of 1857 can be
divided into political, religious, military, economic and social causes.
• The East India Company was aiming to annex all the states of India
like Awadh, Tanjore, Jhansi, Satara, etc. That’s why they introduced
systems like Doctrine of Lapse by which Indian states could be
taken over by the Company in case there was no male heir to the
throne of the state.
• This provoked the rulers like Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the
Peshwa and Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi.
Further Causes of the War of
Independence
• The Company also declared that after the death of the then Mughal
emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, his family had to move out of the Red
Fort and his successors were also forbidden to use the title of emperor.
• All these attempts alienated both Hindu and Muslim Indians who realized
that the white men (the British) were intending to devour their lands.
• The practice of imposing and incessantly taxing the peasants which many
landowners and peasants were unable to pay, drove the farmers to
starvation and death
• This became genocidal during famines and lead to mass death
List of Famines During the Rise of
the British East India Company
• Hindus would also convert to Christianity under influence of the
empire or their officers
• The seal of greased cartridges sepoys had to bite on are what set off the
1857 war. Rumour spread the cartridges were sealed with cow or pig fat.
• It was against the Hindu or Muslim soldiers’ religions to eat, ingest or let
touch with their mouths, any parts of cows or pigs, respectively.
The General Service
Enlistment act of
1856 made it
mandatory for all
Indian soldiers to
go overseas if
required. Hindus in
the 19th century
believed that if they
crossed the sea and
fought in wars, they
would lose their
caste status. This
was controversial
for the soldiers.
The War of Independence
(1857)
War of Independence - 1857
The War of Independence broke out in January and March 1857. The British army had
recruited local Indians in their forces. These soldiers were issued cartridges greased
with fat from tabooed animals. The soldiers refused to use these cartridges. In 1857,
starting with an uprising in Meerut, soldiers in the British Army in Bengal launched a
full-scale mutiny against the British. This mutiny spread swiftly across the Sub-
continent. Initially, the Indian soldiers were able to push back the British forces. The
British army was driven out of Delhi and the Indian soldiers took control of the city.
Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal King, was compelled to lead the freedom
fighters. In Bahadur Shah Zafar, the rebels found a symbol of freedom, but a mere
symbol was all he was. Wanting to spend his days writing poetry, the man was in no
way even a remnant of the glory of his forefathers. He proclaimed himself the
Emperor of the whole of India. The civilians, citizens and other dignitaries took oath
of allegiance to the Emperor. The Emperor issued his own coin and appointed his sons
to key posts.
War of Independence - 1857
• The initial success of the freedom fighters gave a boost to the War of
Independence. The rebel royal Indian army captured the important
towns of Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. However, the British
forces at Meerut and Ambala put up a resolute resistance to the royal
army and held them back for several months. The British proved to be
a formidable foe with their superior weapons and better strategy. The
freedom fighters badly lacked in adequate resources, they lacked
military co-ordination and their planning proved to be extremely
brittle. The royal forces were finally defeated. The British army
entered Delhi and the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar went into
hiding.
War of Independence - 1857
The British quickly regained control of Delhi. They ransacked and
destroyed the city. They took revenge in the most gruesome manner
by killing innocent people indiscriminately. A wide scale massacre of
the inhabitants of Delhi was carried out to avenge the killings of the
British soldiers. The Mughal emperor was captured from his sanctuary,
the tomb of Emperor Humayun. The emperor’s sons were slaughtered
in cold blood. Their bodies were beheaded and their heads were
presented to the aging emperor in prison. Bahadur Shah was
imprisoned in Rangoon, Myanmar, where he breathed his last.
War of Independence - Aftermath
After the War of Independence in 1857, the British government
assumed sovereignty over the lands of the British East India Company.
The British control over the Sub-continent grew in the next 50 years
and culminated in the British Raj. Queen Victoria’s Indian realm
continued to expand, until Hunza, the remote kingdom bordering
China, fell into British hands in 1891, bringing the expansion to its
zenith.
The War of Independence (1857)
