The revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 is an important landmark in the history of India.

Causes of the revolt:-

The revolt of 1857 was a combination of political,economic,socio-religious and military causes.

Political:- Nana Sahib was refused pension,as he was adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.Avadh was annexed in 1856,on charges of administration Satara,Jhansi,Nagpur and Sambhalpur were annexed owing to doctorine of lapse.

Economic:- Heavy Taxation,forcibly eviction,discriminatory tariff policy against Indian products and destruction of traditional handcrafts that hit peasant and artisans.

Socio-religious:- British social reforms(abolition of sati,1829;legalisation of widow remarriage,1856) hurted the sentiments of orthodox and conservative people.

Military:- Discrimination with Indian soldiers.

The beginning of the revolt:-

On march 29,1857 an Indian sepoy of 34 Native Infantry,Mangal pandey,killed two British officers.The Indian soldiers present,refused to obey orders to arrest Mangal Pandey.However, he was later on arrested ,put to and hanged.The mutiny really started at merrut on 10t may 1857.The soldiers alongwith some civillians,went on a rampage shouting 'maro firangi ko'.They broke open jails,murdered Europeans,burnt their houses and marched to delhi after sunset.The apperance of the marching soldiers next morning (11th may) in Delhi was a signal to the local soldiers,who in turn revolted,seized the city and proclaomed the 82 yrs old Bahadur Shah Zafar as Shaheshah-i-Hindustan.With in a month of capturing Delhi,the revolt spread to the different parts of India.In these revolt Rani laxmi bai was died in the battle field.She was the best and bravest military leader of the rebel.She was known as the 'jhansi ki rani'.

Causes of Failure of revolt 1857:-

The revolt of 1857 was an unsuccessful but heroic effort to eliminate foreign rule.The main causes were:-

• Disunity of Indians and poor organisation
• Lack of complete nationalism
• Lack of coordination between sepoys,peasant,Zamindars etc.
• Many had different motives for participating in the revolt.

Impact of revolt 1857:-

• In august 1858,the British parliament passed an act,which put an end to the rule of the company.The control of the British government in India was transferred to The British crown.
• After the revolt the British pursued the policy of 'divide and rule'
• Marked the end of British imperialism.