Chaudhuri, sashi bhusan, civil rebellion in the indian mutinies 18571859 calcutta. They ransacked the nearby military station and killed any europeans they could find. Article in the london illustrated news reporting on the mutiny in. Causes of great indian revolt of 1857 history discussion. Sepoy mutiny and the revolt of 1857 internet archive.
English and indian historians have devoted considerable research and analysis to the genesis of the sepoy mutiny of 1857 but have ignored contemporary british reaction to it, a neglect which this study. The first part of the this paper on the indian mutiny of 1857 and the sikhs was written for the indian freedom struggle centenary 1857 1957 souvenir committee, new delhi, and was published in the tribune,ambala, on august 15, 1957. Great revolt of 1857 causes, nature, importance, outcome. The new land revenue system ruined many peasant proprietors who lost their lands to. May 24, 2012 the revolt of 1857, which the british call the indian mutiny but many indians prefer to think of as the first war of independence, was the defining event in british imperial history. India ad 1857, amaresh misra, a writer and historian based in mumbai, argues that there was an untold holocaust which caused the deaths of almost 10 million people.
Guide to sources on the sepoy mutiny of 1857 in colonial india. It began when indian troops sepoys in the service of britains east india company refused to use purportedly tainted weaponry. The indian rebellion of 1857 is also called the indian mutiny, the sepoy mutiny, north indias first war of independence or north indias first struggle for independence. Jun 25, 2019 the sepoy mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against british rule in india in 1857.
It then erupted into other mutinies and civilian rebellions chiefly in the upper gangetic plain and central india, a 6 b 7 though incidents of revolt also occurred. Adye, john sir 18191900, recollections of a military life afghan wars. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue for the following titles. The indian mutiny of 18571858 the intricate and tumultuous relationship between britain and india has spanned the course of hundreds of years. The rebellion began on 10 may 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the companys army in the garrison town of meerut, 40 mi 64 km northeast of. Trevelyan, sidney low, and vincent smith, all attribute it to the use of greased cartridges. By this we knew that we aint gonna completely make british run away. The indian view ron peters the following two articles, ron peters on the indian perspective of the sepoy mutiny and greg aydt on the cuban perspective of the spanishamerican war, are written by two m. Presentation 1 how can we help students recognise arguments. The immediate cause of military disaffection was the deployment of the new breechloading enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was purportedly greased with pork and beef fat. It took a week of vicious street fighting before delhi was finally taken. Resources for the indian uprising of 1857 if the links are unavailable to be clicked in your pdf reader, copy and paste the urls into your web browser. The rebellion began on 10 may 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the companys army in the garrison town of meerut, 40 mi 64 km northeast of delhi now old delhi. The information you find can be supplemented by local research about the persons named in the documents.
The capture of delhi was key to the suppression of the indian mutiny 1857 1859. Indian rebellion of 1857, sepoys, british east india. The sepoy mutiny and the revolt of 1857 by r c majumdar. Fomer army officerturnedtv scriptwriter, julian spilsbury is the ideal author to take us back to the desperate summer of 1857 when thousands of indian soldiers mutinied.
Sunday, the 10th of may, dawned in peace and happiness. The historiography of the indian mutiny 18578 suggests that livelihood. Primary sources indian rebellion of 1857 research guides at. The papers, in urdu and persian describe activities in the city and the court of the mughal emperor during the time of the uprising. A great divide in south asian history us library of congress website. Indian mutiny, widespread but unsuccessful rebellion begun in 1857 against british rule in india. The 1857 indian mutiny also known as the sepoy rebellion. This was for reasons of economy, and to send men to the crimean war 185456 of the 159,000 men on the bengal army establishment in 1857, 24,000 were european and 5,000 were indian sepoys infantry and sowars cavalry.
The revolt of 1857, which the british call the indian mutiny but many indians prefer to think of as the first war of independence, was the defining event in british imperial history. D4 d6 d8 d10 d12 ruler in inches 2528mm figures on 1diameter bases infantry and artillery mounted on 2 1diameter bases 1 terrain board 6 x 4 no bases are needed for field guns 1 entrenchment or barracks surrounded by a mud wall or 1 or 2 indian villages. After taking over the punjab in 1849, the company reduced the number of british army regiments in india. The british perspective on the sepoy rebellion of 1857. The cry delhi chalo went up like wild fire everywhere. History of subcontinent from 712 to 1857 pdf download.
The indian mutiny, 1857 58, was interpreted and defined in contemporary britain through public discourse built to a large extent by men around the symbol of woman as victim, but also shaped by women as active creators of news and interpretation. Delhi mutiny papers press list a descriptive british index of the mutiny papers now held in the national. Yeah, it was no doubt a good move undertaken at that time. The 1857 indian mutiny also known as the sepoy rebellion, the great mutiny, and the revolt of 1857 george p. This historic event was the first large scale uprising in its kind against british rule in india.
Sepoy religion and the service of empire cambridge university press, 2009. The cawnpore massacres and the indian mutiny of 1857 andrew ward on. Indian uprising of 1857 center for research libraries. An account of the opening of the indian mutiny at meerut, 1857. Indian rebellion of 1857 simple english wikipedia, the free. The indian rebellion of 1857 is also called the indian mutiny, the sepoy mutiny, indias first war of independence or indias first struggle for independence. The bombay times and journal of commerce 18381859, the bombay times and standard 18601861, and the times of india 1861. The revolt of 1857 was a major upheaval against the british rule. In 1857, was mutiny against the britishers by indian. On sunday of 10th may 1857, on a tarried evening, the soldiers in meerut rise in mutiny against their british officers. Dissatisfaction with company rule led to the indian rebellion of 1857. The indian rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the east india companys army on 10 may 1857, in the cantonment of the town of meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper gangetic plain. Indian rebellion of 1857 simple english wikipedia, the. Image pdf of history of the indian mutiny of 18578 volume iv image pdf of history of the indian mutiny of 18578 volume v this collection transcribed by chris gage.
The indian mutiny 1857 1858 with the british army barely recovered from the campaign in the crimea, unrest was gradually fermenting in the indian subcontinent. India the mutiny and great revolt of 185759 britannica. Chakravarty, gautam, the indian mutiny and the british imagination cambridge university press, 2005. A substantial part of the official documents are available in digital. The assault began when artillery breached the city walls and sappers blew in the kashmir gate.
The mutiny proper began at meerut on 10 may 1857 when 85 members of the 3rd bengal light cavalry, who had been jailed for refusing to use the new cartridges, were broken out of prison by their comrades. How can we explain why so many indian people decided to fight. The sepoy mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against british rule in india in 1857. These sepoys were drawn mainly from the peasant population of north and northwest india. The bombay times and journal of commerce 18381859, the bombay times and standard 18601861, and the times of india 1861current. The indian rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in india in 185758 against the rule of the british east india company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the british crown. The mutiny of eighteen fifty seven economic and political. What were the causes and consequences of the 1857 mutiny. The times of india 18382001 offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
The secret that preceded the indian rebellion of 1857. Nana sahib alias dhondu pant was refused pension, as he was the adopted son of peshwa baji rao ii. Scripting anxietyscripting identity examines the impact of the 1857 indian mutiny on british and indian cultural consciousness and collective memory. Mutiny is a criminal conspiracy among a group of people typically members of the military or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians to openly oppose, change, or overthrow a lawful authority to which they are subject. A recreation of a dramatic turning point in colonial history follows the indian mutinies of the 1850s through the stories of garrison commander hugh massey wheeler. The mutiny of eighteen fifty seven economic and political weekly.
This view, however, has not been accepted by the most. Delhi mutiny papers press list a descriptive british index of the mutiny papers now held in the national archives of india, new delhi. Book from the archaeological survey of india central archaeological library, new delhi. The capture of delhi was key to the suppression of the indian mutiny 18571859. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members of the military against their superior officers, but it can also occasionally refer to any type of. The indian rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the east india companys army on 10 may 1857, in the cantonment of the town of meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper gangetic plain and central india, with the major hostilities confined to. Sepoys in the presidency of bengal revolted against their british officers. Punjabs role in the war of independence 185758 67 the mutual rivalries and power politics among the different clans was also one of the causes of the collaboration of influential families with the british. Both the hindu historian ishawari parshad and the muslim mohammad ikram, however, believe that dissatisfaction duff to dr. The situation was that if a clan was with the freedomfighters, its rival clan supported the british. Barrackpore mutiny, 2 november 1824, incident during the first angloburmese war 182426, generally regarded as a dress rehearsal for the indian mutiny of 1857 because of its similar combination of indian grievances against the british. An epic true story of treachery, revenge and courage the indian mutiny is a real pageturner, an epic story with surprising modern parallels.
Indian army establishment a return of troops in india, april 1857. British reactions to the sepoy mutiny, 18571858 unt. It began on 10 may 1857 at meerut, as a mutiny of sepoys of the british east india company s army. As we have seen, the rapacious policies followed by. It began on 10 may 1857 at meerut, as a mutiny of sepoys of the british east india companys army. Detail from a painting of the 93rd sutherland highlanders in the indian mutiny. The story of the sepoy war of 1857, an attempt at a compromise between two more controversial titles, the sepoy mutiny of 1857. Contact between britain and india and been steadily increasing since the 17th century. I focus on anxious articulations about material objects, racial and sexual identities, and religion to argue these are symptomatic of a greater problem in mutiny narratives. The british soldier in india 17501914 richard holmes. The indian mutiny, 1857 gya india september 1857 an account of a skirmish with rebels written by my gt gt grandfather lieutenant george frederick tod whitlock commanding h. British reactions to the sepoy mutiny, 1857 1858 showing 14 of 71 pages in this thesis.
A history of the indian mutiny 1857 58 3 vols, 1912. British reactions to the sepoy mutiny, 18571858 showing 14 of 71 pages in this thesis. Price rs 15, eighteen fifty seven by surendra nath sen, the publications division, government of india. On the 6th inst i received orders from captain raffray r the station, to have my men in readiness. The causes of this unrest are very complex and include annexation of those indian states whose ruler died without a natural heir. Read through the source sheet next slide and draw and fill in the table using the. The revolt of 1857 originated with the mutiny of the sepoys.
When soldiers of the bengal army mutinied in meerut on may 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. The revolt, mutiny, or rebellion, which some have seen as the first indian war of independence, began on may 10, 1857. The vigorous application of the doctrine of lapse was responsible for participation of rani of jhansi and nana sahib economic causes. The early morning service, at the cantoment church, saw many assembled together, some never to meet on earth again. Image pdf of history of the indian mutiny of 18578 volume i. Tweedie, calcutta, june 16, 1857, duff, the indian rebellion london, 1858, p. The indian mutiny of 1857 1858 the intricate and tumultuous relationship between britain and india has spanned the course of hundreds of years. Read through the source sheet next slide and draw and fill in the table using the different thinking hats to analyse what happened during the 1857 mutiny. The mutiny was suppressed and 30 men were executed. Punjabs role in the war of independence 1857 58 67 the mutual rivalries and power politics among the different clans was also one of the causes of the collaboration of influential families with the british. The sepoy rebellion of 1857 was a truly significant event in the annals of british. In the mid19th century, india was the focus of britains international prestige and commercial power the most important colony in an.
Landow, professor of english and art history, brown university victorian web home victorian political history the british empire. The mutiny at meerut on may 10, 1857, which later became widespread and developed into a revolt in some parts of the u. Fremontbarnes, gregory, the indian mutiny 1857 58 oxford. In absence of the congress leaders, the rank and files. The indian mutiny, 185758, was interpreted and defined in contemporary britain through public discourse built to a large extent by men around the symbol of woman as victim, but also shaped by women as active creators of news and interpretation. Firma k l mukhopadhyny, calcutta april 1957, pp 278, index. I think the statement, the rebellion is also known as the indian mutiny, great rebellion, sepoy mutiny, revolt of 1857, and predominantly in india, first war of independence with link to the term page is a fair description of the current usage of the term. We just tried to show them that if you try to humiliate us, make us to go against our wishes, then we gonna make you. What were the causes of sepoy mutiny or revolt of 1857. The british and their indian allies then ransacked the city in an orgy of looting and killing.