Revolt of 1857

Notes

The Revolt of 1857 was the first large-scale, widespread armed challenge to the British in India. It began as a sepoy mutiny and became a mass revolt in parts of North and Central India.

Beginning

29 March 1857: Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore, attacked British officers; he was hanged on 8 April.
10 May 1857: sepoys of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry at Meerut, who had been jailed for refusing the greased cartridges, rebelled, freed their comrades, and marched to Delhi (11 May), where they proclaimed Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) as the Emperor of India.

Centres of revolt and leaders

Delhi: Bahadur Shah II with General Bakht Khan; recaptured by John Nicholson (September 1857); Hodson captured the emperor at Humayun's tomb; he was exiled to Rangoon (1858) and died in 1862.
Kanpur: Nana Saheb (adopted son of the last Peshwa), with Tantia Tope and Azimullah Khan; recaptured by Colin Campbell.
Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal (for her son Birjis Qadr); the siege of the Residency (where Henry Lawrence died); retaken by Campbell (March 1858).
Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai; Hugh Rose captured Jhansi (April 1858); she died fighting near Gwalior (June 1858).
Bihar (Arrah/Jagdishpur): Kunwar Singh (died April 1858).
Faizabad: Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah; Bareilly: Khan Bahadur Khan; Allahabad: Liaqat Ali; Assam: Maniram Dutta Barua; Odisha: Surendra Sai.
Tantia Tope was betrayed, captured and hanged in April 1859.

Extent: Delhi, the Doab, Rohilkhand, Awadh, Bundelkhand, parts of Bihar and Central India. Not affected: Bengal, Punjab, Sind, Rajputana and most of South India. The Sikhs, Gurkhas and the armies of Madras and Bombay supported the British; rulers such as Scindia, Holkar, the Nizam and the Nepal Rana Jung Bahadur helped them.

Nature of the revolt

British view (Sir John Seeley and others): a mere sepoy mutiny.
V.D. Savarkar (The Indian War of Independence of 1857, 1909): the first war of independence.
R.C. Majumdar: neither first, nor national, nor a war of independence.
S.N. Sen: began as a fight for religion and ended as a war of independence.
Other views: a peasant revolt, a feudal reaction, and a national rebellion (Disraeli).

Why it failed: lack of unity and a central leadership; limited spread; no clear ideology or plan; weak leaders (Bahadur Shah); British superiority in arms, communications (telegraph and railways) and resources; the loyalty of several rulers and the Punjab; the educated middle class stayed aloof.

Key Points

Began 10 May 1857 at Meerut; Bahadur Shah II declared emperor at Delhi.
Leaders: Nana Saheb, Tantia Tope, Rani Lakshmibai, Hazrat Mahal, Kunwar Singh, Bakht Khan.
British officers: Nicholson, Havelock, Campbell, Hugh Rose.
Not affected: Bengal, Punjab, Rajputana, South India.
Savarkar: first war of independence; R.C. Majumdar: not national.

MCQs

Q1. The Revolt of 1857 began at: (a) Delhi (b) Meerut (c) Kanpur (d) Barrackpore Ans: (b). 10 May 1857; Mangal Pandey's incident was at Barrackpore (29 March).

Q2. The Revolt in Bihar was led by: (a) Kunwar Singh (b) Nana Saheb (c) Maulvi Ahmadullah (d) Bakht Khan Ans: (a). At Jagdishpur (Arrah).

Q3. The book The Indian War of Independence of 1857 was written by: (a) V.D. Savarkar (b) R.C. Majumdar (c) S.N. Sen (d) Bipan Chandra Ans: (a). 1909.