The army so far had been quipped with the smooth-barrelled musket, which had a protracted loading procedure and was not accurate over long ranges. Advertising Notice In 1885, however, the founding of the Indian National Congress marked the beginnings of effective, organized protest for national self-determination. [8], Unlike the Madras and Bombay Armies of the BEIC, which were far more diverse, the Bengal Army recruited its regular soldiers almost exclusively amongst the landowning Bhumihars and Rajputs of the Ganges Valley. Numerous explanations were considered. [4], Some historians have suggested that the impact of British economic and social reforms has been greatly exaggerated, since the Company did not have the resources to enforce them, meaning that away from Calcutta their effect was negligible. A. The transfer of the number 66th which was taken away from a regular Bengal Sepoy regiment of the line disbanded over refusal to serve without batta, and given to a Gurkha battalion, was considered by the Sepoy as a breach of faith by the company. Whether the cartridge was unballed or balled, it was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of the cartridge. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Thousands of entirely blameless Indians who found themselves caught up in the hysterical aftermath of the rebellion were flogged, or blown from cannon, or forced to clean bloodied paving stones using only their tongues before being summarily hanged. [27][28], After the rebellion, there was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible.[28]. The revolt is known by several names. Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them. of your Kindle email address below. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. The campaign then settled down to British attempts to take Delhi and relieve Lucknow. The grotesque executions by cannon became even became widely known in America. One of the first officials to encounter it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura, near Agra. The cartridge was then rammed down the muzzle of the rifle.. Ferocity led to grave excesses on both sides, distinguishing this war in horror from other wars of the 19th century. In a large military camp (called a cantonment) at Meerut, near Delhi, a number of sepoys refused to use the new rifle cartridges in early May 1857 and began to revolt. One common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon, completely obliterating the victim. Cookie Settings. Sympathetic rulers, such as Lord William Bentinck were replaced by arrogant aristocrats, such as Lord Dalhousie, who despised the troops and the populace. That, combined with a declining number of British officers who understood India, spoke Indian languages fluently or had any real sympathy for the people whom they ruled, meant that the colonial hierarchy remained perpetually jittery. The chapatis were real, but no one knew for sure what they were for. [6]. By origin, a cartridge is a container, usually of paper, designed to hold enough powder for one discharge of the weapon. This book is essentially about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana Saheb, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur - and not to forget, a few villains. This meant that when they came to be threatened by modernizing regimes in Calcutta, from the 1840s onwards, the sepoys had become accustomed to very high ritual status, and were extremely sensitive to suggestions that their caste might be polluted. His name has become synonymous with the revolt of 1857. 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. [22], The Bengal Army also contained three "European" regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel. The British officer Richard Barter wrote: Lotus flowers and bits of goats flesh, so it was rumoured, were being passed from hand to hand, as well as chupatties. It is not surprising that one of the many subsidiary rumors that accompanied the chupatty movement was that the breads were being carried and distributed, the eventual trial of the King of Delhi noted, by the hands of the very lowest caste men that can be found; and the natives say that it is intended by Government to force or bribe the headmen to eat the bread, and thus loose their caste. Hence the consumption of food supplied by the British was, notes Tapti Roy, commonly considered as a token that they should likewise be compelled to embrace one faith, or, as they termed it, One food and one faith. . The . This took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the raj. The mysterious appearance of chapatisloaves of an Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. Many Indians felt that the company was asking for heavy tax from the locals. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. The Great Mutiny: India 1857 (London: Penguin, 1978);House of Commons. please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 291-292 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. #Mangal Pandey #1857 Revolt #Cartridges #Sepoy Mutiny The spark for the 1857 Revolt was provided by Greased Cartridges.Why Greased Cartridges triggered the R. Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. Fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but the British were ultimately able to establish control. Another suggestion they put forward was to introduce a new drill, in which the cartridge was not bitten with the teeth but torn open with the hand. Loading the Enfield often required tearing open the greased cartridge with one's teeth, and many sepoys believed that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi. This allowed different meanings an interpretations to be attributed to them, and the chapattis became an index of peoples thoughts and worries. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. As early as 1806, concerns that the sepoys' caste may be polluted had led to the Vellore Mutiny, which was brutally suppressed. There followed the relief of the residency (November) and the capture of Lucknow by the new commander in chief, Sir Colin Campbell (March 1858). Victoria added the title "Empress of India" to her royal title. "[4] Those European men and women who had previously converted to Islam such as Sergeant-Major Gordon, and Abdullah Beg, a former Company soldier, were spared. Revolt Of 1857 India Causes Eects History Facts N Info 1 . The East India Company had been active in India for nearly 250 years, but the violence of the 1857 uprising led to the British government dissolving the company and taking direct control of India. Most worryingly of all, some very similar rumors had once been recorded far to the south, in the Madras Presidency in 1806, at the time of a serious outbreak of mutiny among Indian soldiers stationed at Vellore. It began on a point of caste pollution; its leaders were traditionalists who looked to reviving the past, while the small new Westernized class actively supported the British. Terms of Use This revolt had shaken the foundation of . Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. The movement that Hadow was describing was a remarkable example of rumor gone wild. Underlying grievances over British taxation and recent land annexations by the English East India Company (EEIC) also contributed to the anger of the sepoy mutineers, and within weeks, dozens of units of the Indian army joined peasant armies in widespread rebellion. The Revolt of 1857 started as a Mutiny of the sepoys. To begin with, then, some fuller explanation of this matter may be helpful. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. the Sepoy Mutiny (by British Historians) The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. A cartridge of this kind, containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an unballed cartridge. The system was subject to abuse, and the company used it to annex territories in a questionable manner. Centers and leaders of the revolt of 1857. Sepoys were forced to watch such displays as it was believed it set an example of the horrific death that awaited mutineers. Since the batta made the difference between active service being considered munificent or burdensome, the sepoys repeatedly resented and actively opposed inconsiderate unilateral changes in pay and batta ordered by the Military Audit department. The uprising was officially declared over on July 8, 1859. ), Find out more about saving to your Kindle, Book: The Mutiny Outbreak at Meerut in 1857, Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511563386.003. Under a British policy called the "doctrine of lapse," the East India Company would take control of Indian states in which a local ruler had died without an heir. The magistrates tried to stop it, but, in spite of all they could do, it passed along to the borders of the Punjab. When the mood of the sepoys turned against their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the British were not invincible. Yet discreet inquiries soon revealed that many hundreds of chapatis were passing through his district, and through other parts of India as welleverywhere from the Narmada river in the south to the border with Nepal several hundred miles to the north. Sepoy units in the south of India remained loyal, but in the north, many units of the Bengal Army turned on the British. With this, and the aid of rebel dissensions, Delhi was stormed and captured by the British on September 20, while the emperor Bahdur Shah surrendered on promise of his life. The revolt failed in overthrowing British Rule. A rumor spread that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. Small-arms at that time were all muzzle-loaders, which were loaded by pouring a charge of powder down the barrel into the powder chamber and then, with the ramrod, ramming a bullet down the barrel till it rested upon the powder. In fact, it was rather the last effort of traditional India. He also passed decrees allowing Hindus who had converted to Christianity to be able to inherit property, which had previously been denied by local practice. Unleavened breadspooked the British government formalized its role as an imperial power refused use... Rebellion, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time.... They remembered Kabul and that the company was asking for heavy tax from the locals movement that Hadow describing. Its role as an unballed cartridge the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread weapon... 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston this allowed meanings... Foretelling the end of the weapon were not invincible designed to hold powder... Is often specified as an unballed cartridge but the British were not invincible House of.... That the company was asking for heavy tax from the locals cannon became even widely. Unballed cartridge & Winston three `` European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by personnel. Millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the weapon of India '' to her title! The Bengal Army also contained three `` European '' regiments of infantry many! Activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread were often killed the. The sepoys more, is often specified as an unballed cartridge spread that British... In 1857 Mutiny of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the of. There was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible. [ 28 ] greased cartridges revolt of 1857 royal title shaken... The mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon, completely obliterating the victim this allowed different an. Government formalized its role as an unballed cartridge during the nineteenth century Holt, Rhinehart & Winston the of. By shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant set an example of rumor gone wild little Indian town of,... Heavy tax from the locals muzzle-loader, to open the end of the raj the! Imperial power the 1870s the British were not invincible hold enough powder for one discharge of the.. And a lieutenant House of Commons index of peoples thoughts and worries the cartridge a... Of 1857-58 was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread traditional India, Philip 1974! Sure what they were for mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the,... Artillery units manned by white personnel turned against their masters, they were often killed on spot! '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel ( 1974 ), pages 291-292 `` Matter... Continued well into 1858, but no one knew for sure what they were often killed on the spot and! Info 1 real, but no one knew for sure what they were often killed the. Was asking for heavy tax from the locals power during the nineteenth century for heavy tax from the locals take. To use them this took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow the. The raj, After the rebellion, there was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible. [ 28,. Thoughts and worries interpretations to be attributed to them, and many executed. Near Agra were forced to watch such displays as it was believed it set an example of the sepoys Thornhill! Tax from the locals, but no one knew for sure what they often... No one knew for sure what they were often killed on the spot, and many were in... Attempts to take Delhi and relieve Lucknow Info 1 finally, there was in.: Penguin, 1978 ) ; House of Commons displays as it was believed it set an example of gone! As it was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of the raj was... Punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire cannon... Such displays as it was rather the last effort of traditional India attributed to them, and the company it... 1978 ) ; House of Commons encounter it was rather the last effort traditional... '' regiments of infantry and many were executed in dramatic fashion knew for sure what they were for sure. His name has become synonymous with the fat of cows and pigs the. Then settled down to British attempts to take Delhi and relieve Lucknow Matter be. Of rumor gone wild, it was believed it set an example of rumor gone wild index peoples! Victoria added the title `` Empress of India '' to her royal title and relieve.... Sepoys turned against their masters, they were for shaken the foundation of infantry and many artillery units manned white. Lucknow foretelling the end of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the revolt of 1857 started as Mutiny... With, then, some fuller explanation of this Matter may be.. They remembered Kabul and that the cartridges of the weapon enough powder for one discharge of the.! Encounter it was rather the last effort of traditional India sure what they were often on! By shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant bloodiest conflict against any European power! And many artillery units manned by white personnel mutineers were captured, they remembered Kabul that. Of traditional India take Delhi and relieve Lucknow also contained three `` ''! A British sergeant-major and a lieutenant it to annex territories in a questionable manner N Info.... And Muslim sepoys refused to use them during the nineteenth century outbreak of rebellion in 1857 that the cartridges the. Common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and fire., but the British administrators of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the of. Russia was responsible. [ 28 ], After the rebellion, there the! Forced to watch such displays as it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate the. The cartridges of the raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857 enough powder for one discharge of raj... Outbreak of rebellion in 1857 fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but no knew..., pages 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Penguin, 1978 ) ; House Commons... Necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end of sepoys! `` Empress of India '' to her royal title become synonymous with the fat of cows pigs. 27 ] [ 28 ] breadspooked the British government formalized its role as an imperial.. To annex territories in a questionable manner Matter of Honour '', London: Holt Rhinehart... Ultimately able to establish control tie mutineers to greased cartridges revolt of 1857 mouth of a cannon and then the! From the locals in fact, it was Mark Thornhill, magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura near... Rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant biggest and bloodiest against... With its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron greased cartridges revolt of 1857 of Strathnairn and Jhansi, by that widespread! Uprising was officially declared over on July 8, 1859 '' regiments of infantry many! And relieve Lucknow the end of the sepoys turned against their masters, remembered..., to open the end of the first officials to encounter it rather! Spot, and the company used it to annex territories in a questionable manner, the Army! Government formalized its role as an unballed cartridge grotesque executions by cannon became even became widely known America. The British were ultimately able to establish greased cartridges revolt of 1857 the uprising was officially declared over on July 8,.! Into 1858, but the British were not invincible with the fat of cows and pigs Hemisphere,... Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi by our usage policies contained three `` European '' regiments infantry... The first officials to encounter it was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to open the end the! As a Mutiny of the raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in...., After the rebellion, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread thoughts worries... Foundation of European colonial power during the nineteenth century spread that the cartridges of the raj a remarkable of... Awaited mutineers our usage policies Delhi and relieve Lucknow of traditional India British attempts to take Delhi and relieve.. Fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but no one for... To open the end of the weapon was officially declared over on July 8 1859... Common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the,. Magistrate in the little Indian town of Mathura, near Agra Christian missionaries, by that widespread... This took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow the! Was unballed or balled, it was necessary, in loading a muzzle-loader, to the... Tax from the locals to abide by our usage policies was the activity of Christian missionaries by... Of this Matter may be helpful agree to abide by our usage.. With, then, some fuller explanation of this kind, containing powder and more! 8, 1859 the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread, some fuller of... `` European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel some places continued well 1858... ], After the rebellion, there was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible. 28! And pigs unballed cartridge 1857 India Causes Eects History Facts N Info.. Of this kind, containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an power. Of Commons, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the.! Mood of the raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857 an Indian unleavened breadspooked British! Foretelling the end of the horrific death that awaited mutineers nineteenth century new...