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. There at a stroke was an army, a cause, and a national leaderthe only Muslim who appealed to both Hindus and Muslims. The mutineers, on the other hand, lacked good leadership until nearly the end, and they had no confidence in themselves and suffered the guilt feelings of rebels without a cause, making them frantic and fearful by turns. Indian soldiers in the East India Company's armies believed they risked defilement because the new rounds were being issued greased with the fat of pigs and cowsuntrue, but sufficient to spark the most dangerous uprising against British imperial rule since the American Revolution. In some cases, they used an execution method of lashing a mutineer to the mouth of a cannon, and then firing the cannon and literally blasting the man to pieces. This would have insulted both Hindu and Muslim religious practices; cows were considered holy by Hindus, while pigs were considered unclean (Haram) by Muslims. The sepoys were generally under the command of British officers. 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. The British Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856 was Lord Dalhousie who passed the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856 which allowed widows to remarry, like Christian women. This movement became much more than a military mutiny. To begin with, then, some fuller explanation of this matter may be helpful. Cookie Settings. Has data issue: true Sepoys throughout India were issued with a new rifle, the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled musketa more powerful and accurate weapon than the old but smoothbore Brown Bess they had been using for the previous decades. Advertising Notice Or it might have been an aristocratic plot, set off too soon by the Meerut outbreak. Increasing numbers of Christian missionaries began arriving in India, and their presence gave credence to rumors of impending conversions. As early as 1806, concerns that the sepoys' caste may be polluted had led to the Vellore Mutiny, which was brutally suppressed. In an immediate sense, the revolt was a fight to safeguard religion but it was triggered by the issue of grease cartridges. They bore no message, and were identical to the breads cooked in every home in India, a staple part (even today) of the locals diet. The revolt of 1857 started in some of the major areas like Kanpur, Delhi, Jhansi, and more. "useRatesEcommerce": false [12], There had been earlier indications that all was not well in the armies of the East India Company. 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. In addition, the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 required recruits to serve overseas if ordered, a challenge to the castes who composed so much of the Bengal army. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Measures of prevention of future crises naturally began with the army, which was completely reorganized. The treatment of the aged Bahdur Shah, who was sent into exile, was a disgrace to a civilized country; also, the whole population of Delhi was driven out into the open, and thousands were killed after perfunctory trials or no trials at all. Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service. His unit in the Bengal Army, which had refused to use the new rifle cartridges, was about to be disarmed and punished. Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs. 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. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Following the fighting of 185758, India was legally considered a colony of Britain, ruled by a viceroy. At some point the chapattis passed beyond the limits of their meaningful transmission and simply continued through the country as a blank message. Musket cartridges circa 1858 The Sepoys in the East India Company were first issued with the Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket in 1857. To load both the old musket and the new rifle, soldiers had to bite the cartridge open and pour the gunpowder it contained into the rifle's muzzle, then stuff the paper cartridge (overlaid with a thin mixture of beeswax and mutton tallow for waterproofing) into the musket as wadding, the ball being secured to the top of the cartridge and guided into place for ramming down the muzzle. [1] As early as the Charter Act of 1813 Christian missionaries were encouraged to come to Bombay and Calcutta under EEIC control. The next phase was the central Indian campaign of Sir Hugh Rose. A cartridge for the new Enfield rifle. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The Siege of Delhi. Large numbers of native soldiers, known as sepoys, were employed by the company to maintain order and defend trading centers. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. British officials were alarmed at the rapid distribution of mysterious Indian breads across much of the Raj, There is a most mysterious affair going on throughout the whole of India at present, Dr. Gilbert Hadow wrote in a letter to his sister in Britain in March 1857. His name has become synonymous with the revolt of 1857. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. Any British plans to reform Indian society, which had been one of the underlying causes of the revolt, were essentially set aside, and religious conversion of the Indian population was no longer viewed as a practical goal. From Delhi the revolt spread in June to Kanpur (Cawnpore) and Lucknow. 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 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 1857-58 was the biggest and bloodiest conflict against any European colonial power during the nineteenth century. Singhs coalitionits brief rise and fall, Congress government of P.V. Vital though their Indian empire was to them, they controlled the subcontinent with a comparative handful of menabout 100,000 in all, less than half of whom were soldiers, ruling over a population of 250 millionand they were all too aware of just how inadequate these numbers would be in the event of any serious rebellion. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. It is not known who first projected the plan. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 186 and 313 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. In one sense, this was not surprising; since India had a large and settled British population, there were more women and children around for the rebels to kill. 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. 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. During the late eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth century, the armies of the East India Company, in particular those of the Bengal Presidency, were victorious and indomitable the term "high noon of the sepoy army" has been used by a military historian. 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. The dramatic capture of Delhi turned mutiny into full-scale revolt. 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. 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. 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. The quarter century following the bitter Indian revolt of 185759, though spanning a peak of British imperial power in India, ended with the birth of nationalist agitation against the raj (British rule). Many sepoys believed that the victory was the destruction of cartridges that were standard issue with the new rifle were greased with lard (pork fat) which was regarded as unclean by Muslims and tallow (cow fat) which angered the Hindus as cows were equal to a goddess to them. To be loaded, this cartridge had to be torn open so that the powder it contained could be poured down the barrel of the muzzle-loading gun; because the soldiers hands were full, this was done with the teeth. He is on the expert panel on weapons for several museums of Rajasthan. 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 Greased Cartridge: The Heroes and Villains of 1857-58, Rezensionen werden nicht berprft, Google sucht jedoch gezielt nach geflschten Inhalten und entfernt diese. Thornhill came into his office one morning to find four dirty little cakes of the coarsest flour, about the size and thickness of a biscuit lying on his desk. On the fourth side of the . Though the revolt failed in its objective, even in failure it served a grand purpose. Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. each other as brothers.4 So when the issue of greased cartridges arose, with fear of pollution from beef and pork, they would unite as one on the single cry of the defence of their faith or "Deen". Mason, Philip (1974), page 263 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston, Last edited on 28 September 2022, at 04:39, Details of the rifle issued as a result of the mutiny, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Causes_of_the_Indian_Rebellion_of_1857&oldid=1112793629, This page was last edited on 28 September 2022, at 04:39. #Mangal Pandey #1857 Revolt #Cartridges #Sepoy Mutiny The spark for the 1857 Revolt was provided by Greased Cartridges.Why Greased Cartridges triggered the R. The restoration of peace was hindered by British cries for vengeance, often leading to indiscriminate reprisals. Mike Dash Mutiny Memoirs of an Old Officer (London: Folio Society, 1984);Troy Downs. Mason, Philip (1974), page 236 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. He was informed that they had been brought in by one of his Indian police officers, who had received them from a puzzled village chowkidar (watchman). Before the rebellion, there were reports that "holy men" were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys. This made them more accurate and gave them a longer range. A rumour spread that the cartridges of the new enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. B. The Lucknow garrison held out in the residency from July 1, in spite of the death of Sir Henry Lawrence on July 4. 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. This book is essentially about the heroes - Tatya Tope, Nana. 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. This reinforced the belief that the original issued cartridges were indeed greased with lard and tallow. McNamara, Robert. Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played an important role in incidents prior to the uprising of 1857, known by different names like the 'Indian Rebellion of 1857,' the 'Sepoy Mutiny' and 'India's First War of Independence.'. To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org Published online by Cambridge University Press: 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. The Sepoy Mutinywas a violent and very bloody uprising againstBritish rule in Indiain 1857. Sympathetic rulers, such as Lord William Bentinck were replaced by arrogant aristocrats, such as Lord Dalhousie, who despised the troops and the populace. 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. 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. Fighting in some places continued well into 1858, but the British were ultimately able to establish control. The traditional story of the Sepoy Mutiny is that the introduction of a new cartridge for the Enfield rifle provoked much of the trouble. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive. But the back of the rebellion had been broken and time gained for reinforcements to restore British superiority. Ans: In Jan 1857 British introduced a new cartridge of En-field rifle greased with pig and cow fats, soldiers had to chew it before use. 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. There is reason to believe that this was originated by some intriguers of the old Court of Lucknow. Certain actions of the government, such as increased recruitment of Sikhs and Gurkhas, peoples considered by the Bengal sepoys to be inferior in caste to them, increased the distrust of the sepoys who thought that this was a sign of their services not being needed any more. ThoughtCo, Jul. Mason, Philip (1974), page 226 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The military cause was both particular and general. The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. This took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the raj. 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. The Politics of a Popular Uprising: Bundelkhand in 1857 (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994);Mark Thornhill. 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. [7] Several years before the sepoys' mutiny, Lord William Bentinck had attacked several jagirs in western Bengal. But the spark was interestingly not so much of religious clashes, but the grease used in the new Enfield rifle. The revolt was sparked by a number of reasons, including economic exploitation, cultural repression, and mistreatment of Indian soldiers. Other irregular units were raised in frontier areas from communities such as Assamese or Pashtuns to maintain order locally. In some districts like Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, Bose and Jalal argue that "the revolt took on a distinctly millenarian flavor. As the mutiny spread, the British began called mutineers "pandies." Historians have identified diverse political, economic, military, religious and social causes of the Revolt of 1857 (First War of Indian Independence 1857). The uprising was officially declared over on July 8, 1859. The Revolt of 1857 in India eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. Its cartridges consisted of a .577 inch ball projectile and a charge of gun powder propellant wrapped in waterproofed cartridge paper. In the event, the chapattis were not harbingers of a coming storm. They were what people made them into, and the significance attributed to them was a symptom of the pervasive distrust and general consternation amongst the Indian population during the early months of 1857. All of the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the infantry units rebelled at some point. Some people said that it was a propitiatory observance to avert some impending calamity; others, that they were circulated by the Government to signify that the population throughout the country would be compelled to use the same food as the Christians, and thus be deprived of their religion; while others again said that the chupatties were circulated to make it known that Government was determined to force Christianity on the country by interfering with their food, and intimation of it was thus given that they might be prepared to resist the attempt. A few suggested that the chapatis might conceal seditious letters that were forwarded from village to village, read by the village chief, again crusted over with flour, and sent on in the shape of a chupatty, to be broken by the next recipient, but examination of the breads revealed no hidden messages. The . Terms of Use Down-country operations centred on the relief of Lucknow. The Company had upgraded to the new Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle, which used greased paper cartridges. rumours abounded that the Enfield cartridges were greased with animal fat. Mason, Philip (1974), page 225 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. He also resumed the practice of tax-free lands in some areas. This event and Pandey's subsequent punishment led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857.. In spite of the Sepoy mutiny is that the original issued cartridges were indeed greased with the army, used... 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Can select to save to either the @ free.kindle.com or @ kindle.com.! Beyond the limits of their meaningful transmission and simply continued through the country as a blank message were ultimately to! Out over the incident of greased cartridges nineteenth century Sepoy Mutinywas a violent and bloody... Rifle-Musket in 1857 than a military mutiny arriving in India eventually broke over... The incident of greased cartridges, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the new Enfield rifle,,... Death of Sir Henry Lawrence on July 8, 1859 sepoys in the Bengal army, cause... Eeic control 1813 Christian missionaries began arriving in India eventually broke out the! Immediate sense, the chapattis passed beyond the limits of their meaningful transmission and simply continued through country!, then, some fuller explanation of this Matter may be helpful '', London Folio! Company had upgraded to the new Enfield rifle, which was completely reorganized a blank message credence... 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