greased cartridges revolt of 1857

This would have insulted both Hindu and Muslim religious practices; cows were considered holy by Hindus, while pigs were considered unclean (Haram) by Muslims. 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. Mason, Philip (1974), page 236 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. [13] In 1851-2 sepoys who were required to serve in the Second Anglo-Burmese War also refused to embark, but were merely sent to serve elsewhere. There is no question that atrocities were committed by both sides, and stories of events of 185758 lived on in both Britain and India. A number of Indians began to suspect that the British intended to convert the Indian population to Christianity. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. The lack of planning after the outbreak rules out these two explanations, while the degree of popular support argues more than a purely military outbreak. Mangal Pandey, (born July 19, 1827, Akbarpur, Indiadied April 8, 1857, Barrackpore), Indian soldier whose attack on British officers on March 29, 1857, was the first major incident of what came to be known as the Indian, or Sepoy, Mutiny (in India the uprising is often called the First War of Independence or other similar names). He survived and was put on trial and hanged on April 8, 1857. ThoughtCo, Jul. I have the honour to inform you that a signal has passed through numbers of the villages in this district, the purport of which has not yet transpired. The Sepoy Mutiny was a violent and very bloody uprising against British rule in India in 1857. What are the major holidays and festivals of India? 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. The grotesque executions by cannon became even became widely known in America. 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. To save content items to your account, The Personal Adventures and Experiences of a Magistrate During the Rise, Progression and Suppression of the Indian Mutiny (London: John Murray, 1884);Kim A. Wagner. 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. 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. 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.. It is also known by other names: the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Indian Revolt of 1857. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. On 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34 th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company. 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. A rumour spread that the cartridges of the new enfield rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Has data issue: true 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. 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. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 305-306 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 186 and 313 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. @kindle.com emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply. 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. This incident is an important event in modern Indian history because it ignited what eventually . Furthermore, legal changes introduced by the British were accompanied by prohibitions on Indian religious customs and were seen as steps towards forced conversion to Christianity. Or it might have been an aristocratic plot, set off too soon by the Meerut outbreak. And the leaders were not united, because they sought to revive former Hindu and Muslim regimes, which in their heyday had bitterly clashed. 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. A Chowkeydar ran up to another village with two chupatties. Greased Cartridges: It is believed to be one of the major causes behind the 1857 uprising. Thornhill examined the chapatis in his office. The mutiny and great revolt of 1857-59. Politically, many princes of India had retired into seclusion after their final defeat in 1818. 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. Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and Jhansi. Both Hindu and Muslim sepoys refused to use them. [27][28], After the rebellion, there was rumour in Britain that Russia was responsible.[28]. The signal spread in all directions with wonderful celerity. The revolt of 1857 was one of the greatest & most significant developments in the history of the 19th century. 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. | READ MORE. Content may require purchase if you do not have access. No, it is not by any means a custom; I am 50 years old, and never heard of such a thing before. The Great Fear of 1857: Rumours, Conspiracies and the Making of the Indian Uprising (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2010);Andrew Ward. As further evidence, he observes that the Urdu sources of the pre- rebellion and post- rebellion periods usually refer to the British not as angrez (the English), goras (whites) or firangis (foreigners), but as kafir (disbeliever) and nasrani (Christians). Immediate Cause The Revolt of 1857 eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. The immediate cause of the Revolt was the issue of the greased cartridges. A New Type of Rifle Cartridge Caused Problems, The Indian Revolt of 1857 Brought the End of the East India Company. Once defiled, the theory went, men who had consumed the forbidden meal would be shunned by their co-religionists and would be easier to bring into the Christian fold, or could be sent as soldiers overseas (crossing the black water being forbidden to Hindus of high caste). 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. Before loading these rifles the sepoys had to bite off the paper on the cartridges. . 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. please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. Later, the attitudes of British officers changed with increased intolerance, lack of involvement and unconcern of the welfare of troops becoming manifest more and more. To "the cow reverencing Hindu and the pig paranoid Muslims" having to bite this was repellent, defiling and deadly to their religious prospects. The sepoys rejected this, pointing out that they might very well forget and bite the cartridge, not surprising given the extensive drilling that allowed 19th century British and Indian troops to fire three to four rounds per minute. Mike Dash is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. (See Barrackpore Mutiny.). 1857 revolt started firstly on 29th March 1857 from Bairakpur (West Bengal) by Mangal Pandey. One common punishment was to tie mutineers to the mouth of a cannon and then fire the cannon, completely obliterating the victim. 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). India at the time of the 1857 rebellion. 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. 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. And the uprising became extremely violent. 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. Beyond that, however, opinions remained divided. The effective Indian artillery, except for a few mountain batteries, was abolished, while the Brahmans and Rajputs of Avadh were reduced in favour of other groups. The officers continued to be British, but they were more closely linked with their men. 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. Cookie Policy Nationalist historians have seen in it the first Indian war of independence. Several events happened that led to the Sepoys revolting and was called the Indian Revolt of 1857. Pandey rebelled by shooting a British sergeant-major and a lieutenant. Christian organisations from Britain had additionally created 222 "unattached" mission stations across India in the decade preceding the rebellion. 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. In fact, it was rather the last effort of traditional India. In the 1870s the British government formalized its role as an imperial power. Mutiny Memoirs of an Old Officer (London: Folio Society, 1984);Troy Downs. All of the Bengal Native Cavalry regiments and 45 of the infantry units rebelled at some point. Many Indians felt that the company was asking for heavy tax from the locals. 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. Ferocity led to grave excesses on both sides, distinguishing this war in horror from other wars of the 19th century. This movement became much more than a military mutiny. Musket cartridges circa 1858 The Sepoys in the East India Company were first issued with the Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket in 1857. Muslim religion opposed pork and Hindus were against the beef so it harmed the sentiment of all the sepoys. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/sepoy-mutiny-of-1857-1774014. They later stood in Chandni Chowk, the main square, and asked the people gathered there, "Brothers, are you with those of the faith? The Revolt ended the rule of the English East India Company. The revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. At some point the chapattis passed beyond the limits of their meaningful transmission and simply continued through the country as a blank message. 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. In the altercation, Pandey was surrounded by British troops and shot himself in the chest. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolt, Bahadur Shah Zafar lived in Delhi as a Pensioner of the British. To save content items to your account, "useRatesEcommerce": false 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. But the only evidence for either of these was the circulation from village to village of chapatis, or cakes of unleavened bread, a practice that, though it also occurred on other occasions, was known to have taken place at any time of unrest. Your Privacy Rights A cartridge for the new Enfield rifle. McNamara, Robert. As mutineers were captured, they were often killed on the spot, and many were executed in dramatic fashion. The revolt of 1857 started in some of the major areas like Kanpur, Delhi, Jhansi, and more. The Revolt of 1857 in India eventually broke out over the incident of greased cartridges. History of the Sepoy War in India, 1857-58 (London, 3 vols. E. Jaiwant Paul is a man of varied interests, having authored eight other books, including Rani of Jhansi, The Story of Tea, Baji Rao, The Unforgettable Maharajas, Har Dayal: The Great Revolutionary (co-author Mrs Shubh Paul), Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India, and Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. 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.'. Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. Some of the more knowledgeable British officials linked the spread of the chapatis to an effort to prevent the outbreak of cholera in central India and added that, since incidence of the disease was associated with the movement of the Companys armies, there was a widespread belief that the British were in fact responsible for the disease. Another official suggested that the chupatty movement had been initiated somewhere in central India by dyers, anxious that their dyes were not clearing properly, or were the product of some spellwork aimed at protecting crops against hail. Scottish Highlanders charge during the suppression of the rebellion of 1857. The mysterious appearance of chapatisloaves of an Indian unleavened breadspooked the British administrators of the Raj shortly before the outbreak of rebellion in 1857. The cartridges were wrapped in paper, which had been coated in grease which made the cartridges easier to load in rifle barrels. Was to tie mutineers to the outbreak of the East India Company were first issued with the Enfield Pattern rifle-musket. Be bitten off before loading it into the gun 1857, at Meerut a. ; Troy Downs were executed in dramatic fashion in horror from other wars of greatest. Grave excesses on both sides, distinguishing this war in India in the of... Was responsible. 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