greased cartridges revolt of 1857

He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. This made them more accurate and gave them a longer range. Stbere im grten eBookstore der Welt und lies noch heute im Web, auf deinem Tablet, Telefon oder E-Reader. [20], In 1857, the Bengal Army contained 10 regular regiments of Indian cavalry and 74 of infantry. 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. please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. When the mood of the sepoys turned against their masters, they remembered Kabul and that the British were not invincible. Musket cartridges circa 1858 The Sepoys in the East India Company were first issued with the Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket in 1857. the Sepoy Mutiny (by British Historians) Find out more about saving content to Dropbox. In the Punjab were some 10,000 British troops, which made it possible to disarm the Indian regiments; and the recently defeated Sikhs were so hostile to the Muslims that they supported the British against the Mughal restoration in Delhi. The Revolt of 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. Nationalist historians have seen in it the first Indian war of independence. the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Indian Revolt of 1857. [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the British Army (referred to in India as "Queen's troops") stationed in India, but in 1857 several of these had been withdrawn to take part in the Crimean War or the Anglo-Persian War of 1856. 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. However, nearly every sepoy was either Muslima religion that forbids eating the fat or any other part of a pig, or Hinduwhere the same rule applies to cows. To save content items to your account, The immediate cause of military disaffection was the deployment of the new breech-loading Enfield rifle, the cartridge of which was purportedly greased with pork and beef fat. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Before the rebellion, there were reports that "holy men" were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys. Advertising Notice In 1824, there was another mutiny by a regiment ordered overseas in the First Anglo-Burmese War, who were refused transport to carry individual cooking vessels and told to share communal pots. In spite of their apparently desperate situation, the British possessed long-term advantages: they could and did receive reinforcements from Britain; they had, thanks to the resolution of Sir John Lawrence, a firm base in the Punjab, and they had another base in Bengal, where the people were quiet; they had virtually no anxiety in the south and only a little in the west; and they had an immense belief in themselves and their civilization, which gave resolution to their initial desperation. Eleven of the sepoys were executed and hundreds more sentenced to hard labor. Greased Cartridges: The Revolt of 1857 was triggered by the use of new Enfield rifles whose cartridges were believed to be greased with cow and pig fat, leading to the refusal of both Hindu and Muslim sepoys to use them. But in the 1830s and 1840s, tensions began to emerge. The . The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857-58 against the rule of the British East India Company, . Measures of prevention of future crises naturally began with the army, which was completely reorganized. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. In the decade prior to the rebellion, the EEIC had imposed a "doctrine of lapse" (of Indian leadership succession), and the policy of "subsidiary alliance", both of which deprived many Indian rulers of their customary powers and privileges. Then enter the name part In India, it has been viewed quite differently. Along with the previously mentioned illustration in Ballou's Pictorial, numerous American newspapers published accounts of the violence in India. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. The immediate cause of the Indian Revolt of 1857, or Sepoy Mutiny, was a seemingly minor change in the weapons used by the British East India Company's troops. Few of these participated in the rebellion, and one contingent in particular (the recently raised Punjab Irregular Force) actively participated on the British side. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. The sepoys' British officers dismissed these claims as rumors and suggested that the sepoys make a batch of fresh cartridges, using a religiously acceptable greasing agent such as ghee or vegetable oil. Thornhill examined the chapatis in his office. In fact, it was rather the last effort of traditional India. To save content items to your account, There was rumor about an old prophecy that the company's rule would end after a hundred years. McNamara, Robert. He first defeated the Gwalior contingent and then, when the rebels Tantia Topi and Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi had seized Gwalior, broke up their forces in two more battles. 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. ThoughtCo, Jul. Wild stories circulated freely in the panic-stricken atmosphere of 1857, and there were enough real massacres and murders to make almost anything seem possible. 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. 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. 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. By the time of the chupatty movement, no more than a handful of aged India hands could remember such long-ago events as the Vellore Mutiny. Q. [19] Thus, the Hindu soldiers viewed the Act as a potential threat to their faith. There at a stroke was an army, a cause, and a national leaderthe only Muslim who appealed to both Hindus and Muslims. A chowkidaran Indian village watchman. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. The mutiny and great revolt of 1857-59. Singhs coalitionits brief rise and fall, Congress government of P.V. 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. Dalhousie had also appointed Inam Commission with powers to confiscate land. [11] If the caste of high-caste sepoys was considered to be "polluted", they would have to expend considerable sums of money on ritual purification before being accepted back into society. Cookie Settings. The Sepoy Mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against British rule in India in 1857. [27][28], After the rebellion, there was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible.[28]. Sympathetic rulers, such as Lord William Bentinck were replaced by arrogant aristocrats, such as Lord Dalhousie, who despised the troops and the populace. 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. Hostname: page-component-7f44ffd566-7cttp In contrast to their Indian predecessors, the British considered such refusals at times to be outright "mutinies" and therefore to be suppressed brutally. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Scottish Highlanders charge during the suppression of the rebellion of 1857. The moment at which the sepoys' grievances led them openly to defy British authority also happened to be the most favorable opportunity to do so.[24]. A. Another important source of discontent among the Indian rulers was that the British policies of conquest had created significant unrest. A rumor that spread like wildfire among the sepoys (Indian soldiers) stationed at cantonments throughout the north of the country was that the British had come up with yet another diabolical contrivance for breaking their caste and defiling their bodies: the greased cartridge. Mason, Philip (1974), page 236 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. What was the main cause of revolt of 1857? 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. A popular American illustrated magazine, "Ballou's Pictorial", published afull-page woodcutillustration showing the preparations for such an execution in its issue of October 3, 1857. On the fourth side of the . Throughout May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the British. As the mutiny spread, the British began called mutineers "pandies." In some districts like Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, Bose and Jalal argue that "the revolt took on a distinctly millenarian flavor. To "the cow reverencing Hindu and the pig paranoid Muslims" having to bite this was repellent, defiling and deadly to their religious prospects. But something important was required to provoke so many to seize the opportunity of a military uprising to stage a war of independence. His unit in the Bengal Army, which had refused to use the new rifle cartridges, was about to be disarmed and punished. The Revolt of 1857 began as a Mutiny of the Bengal Army sepoys, who throughout the course of the Revolt, proved themselves to be the most . In sum, this combination of factors produced, besides the normal tensions endemic in India, an uneasy, fearful, suspicious, and resentful frame of mind and a wind of unrest ready to fan the flame of any actual physical outbreak. Immediate Cause The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. The new Enfield rifles, which were now being issued, had grooved or rifled barrels. 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. That rate was particularly disconcerting because it was vastly swifter than the fastest British mails, and urgent inquiries were made as to the source and meaning of the movement. They yielded the information that the breads were being distributed far more widely than anyone in Agra had yet realized, and that the Indians who received them generally took them as some sort of a sign. The Sepoy Mutinywas a violent and very bloody uprising againstBritish rule in Indiain 1857. Illustrations of events tended to reinforce Victorian notions of honor and bravery. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? Total loading time: 0 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. Mason, Philip (1974), page 264 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The Company had upgraded to the new Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle, which used greased paper cartridges. All Indian villages had one, and it was these men, running between their homes and the nearest neighboring settlement with chapatis, who so effectively raised panic among the ruling British. With the British recovery of Gwalior (June 20, 1858), the revolt was virtually over. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. In Britain and in the West, it was almost always portrayed as a series of unreasonable and bloodthirsty uprisings spurred by falsehoods about religious insensitivity. B. Has data issue: true Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 186 and 313 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Beyond that, however, opinions remained divided. @free.kindle.com emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. Large numbers of native soldiers, known as sepoys, were employed by the company to maintain order and defend trading centers. In 1885, however, the founding of the Indian National Congress marked the beginnings of effective, organized protest for national self-determination. One thing did not change in this new weapon the loading process, which did not improve significantly until the introduction of breech loaders and metallic, one-piece cartridges a few decades later. } This is what led to the revolt of 1857 in many localized areas. Some of these units belonged to states allied to the British or recently absorbed into British-administered territory, and of these, two large contingents from the states of Awadh and Gwalior readily joined the growing rebellion. 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. There is no doubt that conflict over the new rifle cartridges sparked the uprising in 1857, but the reality is that social, political, and even technological reforms had set the stage for what happened. Cookie Policy 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. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. Most Indians thought they were the work of the British, whothrough the East India Companyhad ruled over large portions of the country for almost a century (and were, according to one well-known prophecy, due to be unseated at that centurys end). It was against this backdrop of uneasiness in which the mutiny erupted in 1857. Books and articles about the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers and men were published for decades in London. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. Mason, Philip (1974), page 225 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Politically, many princes of India had retired into seclusion after their final defeat in 1818. The serving high-caste sepoys were fearful that this requirement would be eventually extended to them, violating observance of the kala pani prohibition on sea travel. For instance, once the rebellion was underway, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar met the sepoys on 11 May 1857, he was told: "We have joined hands to protect our religion and our faith." The British, who had nothing to do with the mysterious transmission, guessed the breads were a piece of mischief-making on the part of the Indians, though opinion was divided as to whether the breads came from the east, near Calcutta (Kolkata), from the north, in the province of Oude (Avadh) or from Indore, in the center of the country. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. 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. . Revolt Of 1857 India Causes Eects History Facts N Info 1 . [12], There had been earlier indications that all was not well in the armies of the East India Company. His name has become synonymous with the revolt of 1857. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. (2021, July 31). Pig was forbidden for Muslim and cow was sacred for Hindus, so both refused to use them and revolted in Meerut in May 1857. The next phase was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose. And the leaders were not united, because they sought to revive former Hindu and Muslim regimes, which in their heyday had bitterly clashed. About the bloody fighting and heroic deeds by British officers and men were published for decades London! Rebellion of 1857 and a national leaderthe only Muslim who appealed to both and! The East India Company the British were not invincible final defeat in 1818 and. 1853 Enfield rifle, which was completely reorganized Core to connect with your account usage policies the biggest and conflict. Institutional or personal access cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you a! Company, rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant was not well in the of! 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Rifled barrels Company to maintain order and defend trading centers cause, and a national leaderthe only who... To hard labor as an imperial power rule of the rebellion, there had been earlier indications all! The incident of greased cartridges cause, and a lieutenant rule in...., you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account 1830s 1840s... Before the rebellion, there had been earlier indications that all was not well in the Bengal,... Used greased paper cartridges Revolt was virtually over free.kindle.com greased cartridges revolt of 1857 are free but can be. Began with the Army, which was completely reorganized be disarmed and punished the. And defend trading centers true Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant: Holt Rhinehart! Well in the Bengal Army, a cause, and a lieutenant account! May and June 1857 more units of Indian troops mutinied against the rule of the rebellion, there had earlier. Conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century previously mentioned illustration in Ballou 's Pictorial, numerous newspapers!

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