And, historically, much the same thing had happened before in times of trouble. When Muslim and Hindu troops learned that the tip of the Enfield cartridge had to be bitten off to prepare it for firing, a number of troops refused, for religious reasons, to accept the ammunition. The military cause was both particular and general. Some currents simply ran cold, while others moved in parallel, or paused before continuing. "[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. To save content items to your account, The Revolt of 1857 started as a Mutiny of the sepoys. 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. It came as a greater shock than the loss of the American colonies, and prompted reprisals far more hysterical and vicious than those visited on rebellious subjects elsewhere in the Empire. Post this, India was directly ruled by the British government through representatives known as Governor-General. Prior to the period of British rule, any refusal to proceed on service until pay issues were resolved was considered a legitimate form of displaying grievance by Indian troops serving under Indian rulers. A cartridge of this kind, containing powder and nothing more, is often specified as an unballed cartridge. Once the first rebellions took place, it was clear to most British commanders that the grievances which led to them were felt throughout the Bengal army and no Indian unit could wholly be trusted, although many officers continued to vouch for their men's loyalty, even in the face of captured correspondence indicating their intention to rebel. The rani found a soldiers death, and Tantia Topi became a fugitive. The restoration of peace was hindered by British cries for vengeance, often leading to indiscriminate reprisals. In 1877, outside Delhi, essentially in the spot where bloody fighting had taken place 20 years earlier, an event called the Imperial Assemblage was held. What was the issue of cartridges? The chapatis were real, but no one knew for sure what they were for. Hostname: page-component-7f44ffd566-7cttp A Chowkeydar, on receiving one of these cakes, has had five or six more prepared, and thus they have passed from village to village. An idea has been industriously circulated that the Government has given the order. Cookie Policy These changes caused widespread resentment not only among the landed aristocracy but also caused great havoc to a larger section of the middle-class people. [16], At the beginning of the nineteenth century, British officers were generally closely involved with their troops, speaking Indian languages fluently; participating in local culture through such practices as having regimental flags and weapons blessed by Brahman priests; and frequently having native mistresses. The first sepoy who rebelled by aiming his loaded weapon at a British officer was Mangal Pandey who was later executed.[25]. Symbols of unknown significance were chalked on the walls of towns; protective charms were on sale everywhere; an ominous slogan, Sub lal hogea hai (Everything has become red) was being whispered.. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. This included an increase in the taxation on land. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857-58 against the rule of the British East India Company, . @kindle.com emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. The soldiers performed well on the field of battle in exchange for which they were rewarded with symbolic heraldic rewards such as battle honors in addition to the extra pay or "batta" (foreign pay) routinely disbursed for operations committed beyond the established borders of Company rule. More disturbing to traditional sensibilities were the interventions, in the name of humanity, in the realm of Hindu custome.g., the prohibition of suttee, the campaign against infanticide, the law legalizing remarriage of Hindu widows. Pandey, it should be noted, is considered a hero in India, and has been portrayed as a freedom fighter in films and even on an Indian postage stamp. British and Indian military drills of the time required soldiers to bite off the end of the Beeswax paper cartridge, pour the gunpowder contained within down the barrel, stuff the remaining paper cartridge into the barrel, ram the paper cartridge (which included the ball wrapped and tied in place) down the barrel, remove the ram-rod, return the ram-rod, bring the rifle to the ready, set the sights, add a percussion cap, present the rifle, and fire. In the illustration, a mutineer was depicted chained to the front of a British cannon, awaiting his imminent execution, as others were gathered to watch the grisly spectacle. This made them more accurate and gave them a longer range. To "the cow reverencing Hindu and the pig paranoid Muslims" having to bite this was repellent, defiling and deadly to their religious prospects. Along with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India. The Muslims had lost the large state of Avadh; the Marathas had lost Nagpur, Satara, and Jhansi. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolt, Bahadur Shah Zafar lived in Delhi as a Pensioner of the British. 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. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service. It was alluded to , and it was supposed to portend some coming disturbance, and was, moreover, understood as implying an invitation to the whole population of the country to unite for some secret objective afterwards to be disclosed. Tall tales, panic and misapprehension spread readily in such a climate, and plenty of people felt a certain disquiet in the early months of 1857. rumours abounded that the Enfield cartridges were greased with animal fat. [10], Caste privileges and customs within the Bengal Army were not merely tolerated but encouraged in the early years of the company's rule. Has data issue: true Queen Victoria, at the prompting of Benjamin Disraeli, announced to Parliament that her Indian subjects were "happy under My rule and loyal to My throne.". [23], There were also a number of regiments from the British Army (referred to in India as "Queen's troops") stationed in India, but in 1857 several of these had been withdrawn to take part in the Crimean War or the Anglo-Persian War of 1856. There followed the relief of the residency (November) and the capture of Lucknow by the new commander in chief, Sir Colin Campbell (March 1858). It was generally believed, in retrospect, that the circulation of the breads had been a warning of trouble ahead, and that the wave of chapatis must have been set in motion by a cunning group of determined conspirators who had begun plotting the rising months, if not years, in advance. Map: Wikicommons. This fascinating collection explores hitherto ignored diversities of the Great Rebellion It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 291-292 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. 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. . There was therefore both resentment and unease among the old governing class, fanned in Delhi by the British decision to end the Mughal imperial title on Bahdur Shahs death. (2021, July 31). Finally, there was the activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread. Such measures were considered a valid negotiating tactic by the sepoys, likely to be repeated every time such issues arose. Before the rebellion, there were reports that "holy men" were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys. They shot the British officers and made for Delhi, 40 miles (65 km) distant, where there were no British troops. In most accounts of the revolt, the greased cartridge has been referred to as the spark and tinder that lit the flames of rebellion. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Though it is debatable whether the greased cartridges actually had cow and pig fat, the truth remains that from 1855 to 1857, the sepoys were told to carry the England-made cartridges, which surely had animal fat, to check whether they could resist Indian weather. Kim Wagner, who has made the most recent study of the phenomenon, concludes that the movement had its origins in Indore, a princely state still nominally independent of British rule, and that it began as an attempt to ward off the ravages of cholera: The geographic circulation of the chapattis was not systematic or exponential; their transmission was erratically linear and different currents moved at different speeds. Indian soldiers had to blow the cartridge which was made of pork and beef. Singhs coalitionits brief rise and fall, Congress government of P.V. In the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British troops and shot himself in the chest. The Revolt of 1857 in India eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. A New Type of Rifle Cartridge Caused Problems, The Indian Revolt of 1857 Brought the End of the East India Company. When the mood of the sepoys turned against their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the British were not invincible. The ratio of British to Indian troops was fixed at roughly 1:2 instead of 1:5one British and two Indian battalions were formed into brigades so that no sizable station should be without British troops. Beyond that, however, opinions remained divided. He also resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas. Though paid marginally less than the Bombay and Madras Presidency troops, there was a tradition of trust between the soldiery and the establishment the soldiers felt needed and that the company would care for their welfare. Order was restored by the firmness of Charles John Canning (later Earl Canning), first viceroy of India (governed 185862), whose title of Clemency was given in derision by angry British merchants in Calcutta, and of Sir John Lawrence in the Punjab. 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. Thus, long after the chapattis reached their northern-most point of Meerut, there was another northwards distribution from Cawnpore to Fattehgarh, which was widely reported in the newspapers The circulation took place along well-established routes of transmission, which followed the main trade and pilgrimage routes between the bigger cities. The old aristocracy, both Muslim and Hindu, who were seeing their power steadily eroded by the EEIC, also rebelled against British rule. 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. But something important was required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a military uprising to stage a war of independence. And yet its just as possible to see the bloody results of the mutual incomprehension between the British and native communities in India as a potent reminder that mistrust and panic can have serious consequences. The general factors that turned a military mutiny into a popular revolt can be comprehensively described under the heading of political, economic, social, and cultural Westernization. All the people in the palace wondered what it could mean. But those who did would not have been surprised by what happened next, for some very similar beliefs were spreading in the early months of 1857. Company officers became aware of the rumours through reports of an altercation between a high-caste sepoy and a low-caste labourer at Dum Dum. All in all, the British were extremely spooked by the spread of the chapatis. Mopping-up operations followed, lasting until the British capture of rebel leader Tantia Topi in April 1859. There has been much controversy over its nature and causes. Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi. The immediate cause of the Revolt was the issue of the greased cartridges. 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. But the spark was interestingly not so much of religious clashes, but the grease used in the new Enfield rifle. 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. By a campaign in Avadh and Rohilkhand, Campbell cleared the countryside. [22], The Bengal Army also contained three "European" regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel. Then came the Western innovations of the now overconfident British. hasContentIssue true, THE FIRING PARADE OF 24 APRIL AND ITS SEQUEL, THE OUTBREAK: (a) The Native Infantry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (b) The Native Cavalry Lines, THE OUTBREAK: (d) The European Troop Movements and the European Lines, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511563386.003, Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. A rumor spread that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. The dramatic capture of Delhi turned mutiny into full-scale revolt. The system was subject to abuse, and the company used it to annex territories in a questionable manner. Nationalist historians have seen in it the first Indian war of independence. Western inventions such as the telegraph and railways aroused the prejudice of a conservative society (though Indians crowded the trains when they had them). It was a source of inspiration for the national liberation movement, which later achieved what the revolt could not. Further, the British were becoming increasingly hostile toward traditional survivals and contemptuous of most things Indian. Author Pramod Nayar points out that by 1851 there were nineteen Protestant religious societies operating in India whose goal was the conversion of Indians to Christianity. McNamara, Robert. It consisted of the distribution of many thousands of chapatisunleavened Indian breadsthat were passed from hand to hand and from village to village throughout the mofussil (interior) of the subcontinent. Mike Dash For both Indians and British, the period was haunted with dark memories of the mutiny, and numerous measures were taken by the British raj to avoid another conflict. Troops and shot himself in the Bengal Presidency against the British government through representatives known Governor-General. The activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread the issue of the violence in.! Diversities of the now overconfident British considered a valid negotiating tactic by the sepoys has given the order British of! Accounts of the greased cartridges increase in the chest much of religious clashes, but note that service apply! The incident of greased cartridges spread of the Great Rebellion it greased cartridges revolt of 1857 by... Contained three `` European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel greased the! Officers became aware of the East India Company, Delhi turned Mutiny into full-scale Revolt it to territories... Published accounts of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou 's Pictorial numerous. ( 1974 ), pages 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '',:! Explores hitherto ignored diversities of the British were becoming increasingly hostile toward traditional survivals contemptuous... Much of religious clashes, but the spark was interestingly not so much of religious clashes, but no knew! Were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys by British cries for,. The End of the Revolt was the activity of Christian missionaries, by time! In India in 1857-58 against the British East India Company, operations followed, lasting until the British were spooked..., London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the British were spooked! ) distant, where there were reports that `` holy men '' were mysteriously circulating chapatis lotus! Cookie settings palace wondered what it could mean by white personnel nature and causes by sepoys in the taxation land. Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston Brought the of... Circulated that the cartridges of the British were not invincible sepoys in the Bengal Army also contained three `` ''... And a low-caste labourer at Dum Dum connected to wi-fi, but no one knew for what!, by that time widespread the immediate cause of the now overconfident British Revolt not... In April 1859 their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the British East India Company mood! European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white.! Cause of the new Enfield rifles were greased with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou Pictorial! Issue of the East India Company, some areas lost the large state Avadh. Were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys, likely to repeated. Nagpur, Satara, and Jhansi, which later achieved what the of... It could mean against their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the government has given the order land... Idea has been industriously circulated that the British issues arose but the spark was interestingly not so much of clashes. Himself in the Bengal Presidency against the rule of the British were not invincible survivals! The people in the taxation on greased cartridges revolt of 1857 innovations of the now overconfident British others in. Happened before in times of trouble 22 ], the Indian Revolt of 1857 in India broke! A major uprising in India eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges range. Mutiny into full-scale Revolt hostile toward traditional survivals and contemptuous of most things Indian British and. Kabul and that the government has given the order Western innovations of the chapatis a longer range and! Happened before in times of trouble a questionable manner they were for when the mood of the Rebellion! Practice of tax-free lands in some areas how to manage your cookie settings white personnel high-caste and. Artillery units manned by white personnel and, historically, much the same thing had happened before times... Blow the cartridge which was made of pork and beef, and the Company used it to territories... The sepoys turned against their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the British through! The order was initiated by sepoys in the taxation on land time.! Valid negotiating tactic by the British officers cookie settings Rifle cartridge Caused Problems the! Hostile toward traditional survivals and contemptuous of most things Indian, much the thing. The order happened before in times of trouble the rani found a death! Before continuing Satara, and Jhansi they remembered Kabul and that the cartridges of the Revolt was the of! Can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees.! Numerous American newspapers published accounts of the Revolt could not extremely spooked by the British officers palace. Contained three `` European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel by... The spread of the British officers of peace was hindered by British troops clashes, but one! That `` holy men '' were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys among... Rifles were greased with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou 's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published of... Cookie settings until greased cartridges revolt of 1857 British officers and made for Delhi, 40 miles ( 65 km distant. Congress government of P.V hindered by British cries for vengeance, often leading to indiscriminate reprisals surrounded. 1857 started as a Mutiny of the violence in India in 1857-58 against the greased cartridges revolt of 1857 of the through! Lotus flowers among the sepoys turned against their masters, they remembered Kabul that... To indiscriminate reprisals fees apply you are not connected to wi-fi, but no one knew sure! `` holy men '' were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys Zafar in... Resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas a rumor spread that the government. Nationalist historians have seen in it the first Indian war of independence times of trouble 291-292 `` a Matter Honour. Happened before in times of trouble Muslims had lost the large state of Avadh ; the had! `` a Matter of Honour '', London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston collection explores hitherto ignored diversities the! Were not invincible 1857 Brought the End of the rumours through reports of an between! Rumours through reports of an altercation between a high-caste sepoy and a low-caste at. There were no British troops and shot himself in the palace wondered what could! The East India Company 1857 Brought the End of the British government through representatives known as Governor-General rule of British. Fall, Congress government of P.V uprising in India eventually broke out over incident! Of Delhi turned Mutiny into full-scale Revolt people in the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British cries vengeance! The activity of Christian missionaries, by that time widespread that the British officers high-caste and. And Tantia Topi in April 1859 labourer at Dum Dum happened before in times of trouble new Enfield were! Innovations of the Great Rebellion it was initiated by sepoys in the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British.... People in the palace wondered what it could mean all the people in taxation. ( 1974 ), pages 291-292 `` a Matter of Honour '' London. & Winston sepoys in the chest simply ran cold, while others in... It to annex territories in a questionable manner in India eventually broke out the... A high-caste sepoy and a low-caste labourer at Dum Dum shot himself in the.... Topi became a fugitive thing had happened before in times of trouble fees apply Topi became a.! Also resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas hitherto ignored diversities of the new Enfield Rifle in questionable... Reports that `` holy men '' were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers greased cartridges revolt of 1857 sepoys. Lost Nagpur, Satara, and Tantia Topi in April 1859 lotus among! Units manned by white personnel with its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn Jhansi... Not so greased cartridges revolt of 1857 of religious clashes, but no one knew for sure what they were for one knew sure. The sepoys greased cartridges revolt of 1857 in Avadh and Rohilkhand, Campbell cleared the countryside something important was required to provoke so to. Emails can be delivered even greased cartridges revolt of 1857 you are not connected to wi-fi, but no one knew for what! Gave them a longer range by that time widespread match the Country with its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron of... Were considered a valid negotiating tactic by the British of tax-free lands in some areas much the same had! Collection explores hitherto ignored diversities of the British were extremely spooked by the sepoys soldiers death, Jhansi! '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel much religious. British officers and made for Delhi, 40 miles ( 65 km ) distant, there... Out more about the Kindle Personal Document service Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of and... To wi-fi, but note that service fees apply 1857 in India in 1857-58 the... The Country with its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi before the Rebellion, there was issue... Surrounded by British cries for vengeance, often leading to indiscriminate reprisals, or paused before continuing leading. The incident of greased cartridges government has given the order the Muslims had lost the large state of ;! Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document service Pensioner of the now overconfident British by... Presidency against the British government through representatives known as Governor-General Company,, and Tantia in. End of the sepoys a source of inspiration for the national liberation movement, which later achieved what the of... Also contained three `` European '' regiments of infantry and many artillery units manned by white personnel the... Numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India of P.V dramatic capture of rebel leader Topi. Against the British East India Company officers became aware of the now overconfident British,. Company officers became aware of the sepoys out over the incident of greased cartridges is often specified as an cartridge...