Revolt of 1857 — TNPSC Group II/IIA History

Overview

The Revolt of 1857 was the first large-scale armed uprising against British colonial rule in India. Variously called the Sepoy Mutiny (by British historians), the First War of Independence (by V.D. Savarkar), or the Great Revolt, it shook British rule to its foundations. For TNPSC Group 2/2A, focus on the causes, key leaders and centres, and the major consequences including the end of Company rule.

Causes of the 1857 Revolt

1. Political Causes

2. Economic Causes

• Destruction of traditional Indian industries by cheap British manufactured goods
• Heavy land revenue — permanent and ryotwari settlements impoverished peasants
• Commercial exploitation — India became raw material supplier, market for British goods
• De-industrialisation — Indian weavers, artisans lost livelihoods to factory-made goods

3. Social and Religious Causes

• Religious interference: Fear that British were converting Indians to Christianity
• Social Reform Acts — Widow Remarriage Act (1856), abolition of Sati — seen as interference
• Christian missionaries active — perceived threat to Hindu and Muslim customs
• Greased cartridge controversy — most immediate religious trigger

4. Military Causes

• Indian soldiers (sepoys) paid less than British counterparts
• Denied promotions to higher ranks (only British officers became senior)
• General Service Enlistment Act (1856): Indians could be posted overseas — violated caste rules (crossing sea was taboo)
• Poor service conditions and racial discrimination

5. Immediate Cause — Greased Cartridges

• Introduction of Enfield rifle (1857) requiring new cartridges
• Cartridge tip had to be bitten off — rumoured greased with cow fat (Hindu taboo) and pig fat (Muslim taboo)
• Mangal Pandey (34th Bengal Native Infantry) refused to use cartridges; shot British officers on March 29, 1857 at Barrackpore
• Mangal Pandey executed on April 8, 1857
• May 10, 1857: Soldiers at Meerut revolted and marched to Delhi — formal start of the revolt

Centres of Revolt and Leaders

Key Leaders

Mangal Pandey

• Sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry at Barrackpore
• Fired the first shot of the 1857 revolt on March 29, 1857
• Attacked British officer Lt. Baugh and Sergeant-Major Hewson
• Court-martialled and executed on April 8, 1857
• Regarded as the first martyr of the revolt

Rani Lakshmi Bai (Rani of Jhansi)

• Full name: Manikarnika (later Lakshmi Bai), wife of Gangadhar Rao, Raja of Jhansi
• Jhansi was annexed by Dalhousie under Doctrine of Lapse (1853) — no natural heir
• Led the defence of Jhansi against British forces under Sir Hugh Rose
• Jhansi fell on April 5, 1858
• Escaped to Gwalior with son strapped to her back
• Died fighting on June 18, 1858 at Gwalior
• British General Hugh Rose called her "the best and bravest military leader of the rebels"

Tantia Tope (Ramchandra Panduranga)

• Commander-in-chief of Nana Sahib's forces at Kanpur
• Brilliant guerrilla fighter; fought alongside Rani Lakshmi Bai at Gwalior
• Evaded British for months; captured by betrayal
• Hanged on April 18, 1859

Nana Sahib

• Adopted son of last Peshwa Baji Rao II
• British denied him pension — turned against British
• Led revolt at Kanpur; ordered massacre of British prisoners (Bibighar massacre)
• Escaped to Nepal after British recaptured Kanpur; never caught

Bahadur Shah Zafar

• Last Mughal Emperor; at 82 years old became the symbolic leader
• Revolting sepoys reached Delhi and proclaimed him as their emperor
• Captured by British after fall of Delhi; tried for treason
• Exiled to Rangoon (Myanmar) where he died in 1862
• His famous couplet: "Do ghaz zameen bhi na mili koo-e-yaar mein" (Did not get even two yards of earth in the beloved's land)

Spread and Suppression

Areas Where Revolt Spread

• Mainly North and Central India: Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Bihar, Bareilly
• Some parts of Central India: Gwalior, Indore area

Areas NOT Affected

• Most of South India (including Tamil Nadu)
• Bengal (except some areas)
• Punjab (Sikhs helped British suppress revolt)
• Rajputana (princes loyal to British)
• Bombay (partial)

Why South India Did Not Revolt

• British had more time to consolidate control in south
• Madras Army had fewer sepoys from north India
• No major Doctrine of Lapse annexations in south recently
• British quick to deploy loyal Sikh and Gurkha troops

British Suppression

• General John Nicholson: Recaptured Delhi (September 1857)
• Sir Colin Campbell: Relieved Lucknow (November 1857)
• Sir Hugh Rose: Defeated Rani Lakshmi Bai and Tantia Tope

Aftermath and Consequences

Immediate Consequences

Long-term Significance

• Revealed the depth of discontent with British rule
• First mass uprising with participation of soldiers, peasants, zamindars, and rulers
• Inspired later nationalist movements
• Debate: Was it a "Sepoy Mutiny" or "First War of Independence"?
• British view: Sepoy mutiny — limited to soldiers and some princes
• Indian nationalist view (V.D. Savarkar, 1909): First War of Independence

Key Facts for TNPSC Group II/IIA

• Mangal Pandey fired the first shot on March 29, 1857 at Barrackpore; hanged April 8, 1857
• Formal revolt started on May 10, 1857 when Meerut soldiers marched to Delhi
• Rani Lakshmi Bai died on June 18, 1858 at Gwalior — British General Hugh Rose paid tribute
• Tantia Tope hanged on April 18, 1859 — last major leader captured
• Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal; exiled to Rangoon; died 1862
• Doctrine of Lapse (Lord Dalhousie) was a key political cause — annexing Jhansi led directly to Rani's revolt
• The revolt was mainly confined to north and central India — south India largely unaffected
• Government of India Act 1858 ended Company rule — India under British Crown
• Lord Canning was the first Viceroy of India after 1858
• V.D. Savarkar named it the "First War of Indian Independence" in his 1909 book

Previous Year MCQ Patterns

Q: Mangal Pandey, who fired the first shot in the Revolt of 1857, was a sepoy of which regiment? a) 22nd Bengal Native Infantry b) 34th Bengal Native Infantry c) 1st Bombay Grenadiers d) 12th Madras Infantry

Q: Who called Rani Lakshmi Bai "the best and bravest military leader of the rebels"? a) Lord Dalhousie b) Sir Hugh Rose c) Lord Canning d) Colin Campbell

Q: Which Act ended the rule of the East India Company in India? a) Regulating Act 1773 b) Charter Act 1833 c) Government of India Act 1858 d) Indian Councils Act 1861