54. Lord Macaulay a man who is very often grossly misunderstood and unjustly criticized in India and Pakistan was a matter of fact a great advocate of inclusion of Indians in the higher ranks by virtue of allowing them to compete in the open competitive examinations. Thorburn-First Published 1894-Reprinted Usha Publications-New Delhi-1987. The British did not understand why 2nd Light Cavalry had behaved like that. This led to extension of EEIC authority to half of northern India as far as eastern boundary of Aligarh district and all territory east of Ganges river. It was mainly fought against the biggest East India Company which acted as … Page-17-The Cambridge History of India-Volume VI-The Indian Empire-1858-1918-Edited by H.H Dodwell-Reprinted by S.Chand and Company-New Delhi-1987. The bullet’s cap had to be removed before being loaded. Secondly, from the strictly moral or emotional point of view the conduct of the EEIC was regarded by the people, the nobles and the king as blackmail. Those who endeavour to write history as it happened do so at the risk of their life or loss of social approval or just because they are not bothered or pushed about pleasing the majority. 69. The Bengal Sepoys who belonged to Oudh were a privileged class in Oudh since they were EEIC employees. 93. Rajput Hindu Generals fought for Aurangzeb against the Hindu rebel Sivaji. What follows is from Major Amin, unedited and unexpurgated. In 1857, the Rebels demonstrated bitterness towards foreign rule, even though this foreign rule would later try to improve India’s medical services. 5. 69. Page-170-Ibid. Causes of the Revolt 1857 However, the recent research has proved that the cartridge was neither the only cause nor even the most important. EEIC’s agreement to let them rule stemmed not from any fear of the Nawab’s military might but from a simple pragmatic assessment in 1765 and even in 1801 that Oudh was too large a morsel to be swallowed in one go. Page-170-Ibid. Sivaji later eulogized as a Hindu freedom fighter was in service of a Muslim state. Page-113 to 120-North India between Empires-Op Cit. This was called the Enfield or Enfield-Pritchett rifle. 76. Later on after 1857, the British by and large accepted it as one of the principal causes of the rebellion of 1857. Pages-584 & 585-Cambridge History-British India-Op Cit. 32. Pages-513 & 518- The History of Christianity in IndiaSir William Kaye, 77. THE ATTACK ON SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. Sleeman by his deep knowledge of India and its languages was ideally suited for this task. The regiment was disbanded and those who led the opposition were hanged. Now they were just like any other common man living in Oudh. Thus, though 1857 which in itself was a positive affair resulted in retarding growth of progressive ideas in India which men like Dalhousie wanted to advance. A major cause of the outbreak of the revolt was the fear among the people that the British government was determined to destroy their religion and convert Indians to Christianity. The first important aspect of the whole affair is to broadly analyze the conduct of the races who conquered India. ‘Religion’ was not an issue in itself but the EEIC policy of discrimination made it an issue and ‘Religion’ in a symbolic sense was used as a slogan by the freedom fighters’ leaders in 1857. Even if the annexation of Oudh itself was not a negative step, the conduct of many officials of the EEIC alienated a vast majority of the populace. Page-586-Cambridge History-British India-1497-1858-Op Cit 81. Apendix-H – Delhi – 1857 Sir Henry Norman-London-1858. Mutinies started right from 1757 but these were over administrative, financial and caste matters and not to overthrow EEIC’s rule. Yet another factor was the greater centralization which reduced power of units commanding officers to reward or to punish 91. In this aspect, the East India Company was a sophisticated version of Mahmud Ghaznavi or Nadir Shah or Sivaji or Ahmad Shah Abdali. Page-169 & 182-Ibid. Their sole motivation was self-interest. The treaty also imposed on Oudh an annual payment of 1,600,000 Rupees. 91a. 65. The Bengal Army did fight for EEIC for hundred years but by 1857 it was no longer the force that it was in 1757. the ‘Greased Cartridges’ and the dispersal of the British or white troops and their overwhelming inferiority in number to the native troops. Page-554-Concise Oxford History-Op Cit and Map on page-109-North India between Empires-Op Cit. 35. From the strict legal point it can be criticized as unjust. You can change your ad preferences anytime. (2) West of Indus they had to eat food which they considered impure and this also soiled their caste. ‘Enfield’ because the trials were carried out at a place called ‘Enfield’ and ‘Pritchett’ because ‘Pritchett’ was the name of the man who invented its bullet 91a. 64. 61. 3. 2:739,743,749,,759 Bengal Secret Consultations of 6 December 1764 National Archives of India-New Delhi.Page-476-Concise Oxford History-Op Cit and Page-215-Cambridge History-British India-1497-1858 Op Cit.Page-74-North India Between Empires-Op Cit.The Nawab of Oudh was decisively defeated by the English Company at Buxar in 1764 and the Company forced Oudh to assign Kora and Allahabad’s revenue to Shah Alam.Half of the ceded area comprised territory which the Company had captured in 1764 but whose revenue it later assigned to Shah Alam the Mughal Emperor. THE REVOLT OF 1857APARNA.P 2. All Muslim invaders who attacked India from the north did not distinguish the Hindus from Muslims and subjected all Indians to indiscriminate looting. 86. There was however one subtle contradiction in all this. 53. Independence movements or wars never start with clear cut sides or clear cut ideas . Sleeman’s report was published in 1851. Page-200-A Popular History of India-Op Cit. It was a mutiny of course, not a war of independence. Causes of the Revolt of 1857. 36. There was yet another military cause which played a far more crucial role than the annexation of Oudh in alienating the Hindus who were the vast majority of the Bengal Army. At least till 1857 the British policies in India were more anti-Hindu and this demolishes the myth in Pakistan that the British were more anti-Muslim. It is further my intention that the whole population should be disarmed … as was done with such excellent effect in the Punjab in 1849 71’. These cartridges which the sepoys thought contained cow or swine’s fat was seen as an attack on the religion of both Hindus and Muslims. 50. Samajho All India UPSC Prelims Test Series: https://premium.samajho.com This is a Must Watch video for those who are preparing for any Entrance Exam. This feeling that both Hinduism and Islam were in danger played a decisive role in uniting both the Hindu and Muslims. The East India Company was there to stay. The multiple reasons, i.e., social & religious, political, economic, worked together to produce the Indian rebellion. The Pakistani public was at a loss once they learnt from the terms of the peace agreement of Tashkent that the impression that Pakistan had won the war of 1965 was false. Causes of 1857 Revolt. Books written after 1947 attempt to portray it as a struggle between ‘Hindus’ or ‘Muslims’ but it was never anything like that. 71. 35a. Page-171-Cambridge History- Indian Empire-Op Cit. The standpoint from which it is mostly condemned is morality or moral grounds but there is no morality in empire building or politics. Ibid. Hindu-Muslim Unity Factor. The struggle in India prior to 1757 and even after 1757 was between individuals who were ‘Muslims’ or ‘Hindus’ by pure chance and who manipulated their followers or subjects in a certain direction guided and propelled not by any religious convictions but by personal whims and subjective designs. Sir John Shore, the Governor General received a divine revelation that Wazir Ali was an illegitimate son45! As readers of brownpundits are well aware, major Amin is a military historian (and a very good one) who also has strong (and mostly “not academic”) opinions about history in general. Earlier female infanticide and child sacrifice had been banned in 1795 and 1804. Ibid. Page-585-Cambridge History-British India-1497-1858-Op Cit. 63. Revolt of 1857: Causes, Leaders Nature of the revolt • Revolt of 1857 began as a revolt of the sepoys but eventually secured the participation of the masses. The Mughals did employ many men of Turko-Mongol origin but political expediency and the demand and supply gap both necessitated a nobility drawn from a diverse array of Persian Afghan/Pathan and selected Indian background. Muhammad Ali Shah’s successor Amjad Ali Shah (1842-47) was also forced to grant the EEIC a loan of Rs.3,200,000 on his accession in 184262. In this case he actually threatened to resign. It began when Indian troops (sepoys) in the service of Britain’s East India Company refused to use purportedly tainted weaponry. It also affected large parts of North and Central India. UP and a bit of Bihar along with some chieftans of central India, and a helpless Mughal emperor. Page-168 & 169-A Clash of Cultures-Op Cit. The Revolt of 1857, also known as The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was caused by various factors which were political, social, economic and military in nature. Macaulay had been trying to promote the Indian cause since 1833 36. New probabilities and possibilities opened for political leaders, religious thinkers and all those who held positions of power or patronage. The Revolt of 1857, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Uprising of 1857, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoy Mutiny, are the different names for India’s First War of Independence against the British. The Mughals who came to India from Central Asia were exiles or political refugees. My dear friend At this conjuncture I believe that the reasons for the Revolt of 1857 is indeed many, the prime and the most important one being the religious sentiments being hurt. It took place among intensely religious Muslims and Hindus and don’t expect American Founding fathers among them . 35b. There was rumour about an old prophecy that the company's rule would end after a hundred years. Subsequently geographical and logistical factors forced him to also act as a part settler and thus he made present ‘Punjab’ and ‘Frontier’ a province of his empire. held by Chait Singh as a subsidiary of the Nawab38. It is true that the British treated their native soldiers much better than most native soldiers were treated by native rulers. Ahmad Shah Abdali later on portrayed as a purely Muslim hero could find no better governor of Muslim majority Lahore than ‘Kabuli Mal’34 a Hindu! Ibid. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Major Agha Humayun Amin (Retd0 was commissioned in March 1983 in 11 Cavalry (FF). Economic Causes. Page-138- A History of the British Army-Volume-XII-1839-1852-Hon J.W Fortescue-Macmillan and Company Limited, London-1927. The policies and laws introduced by the Company created discontentment among the rulers, landlords, peasants, tribals and sepoys and all wanted an end to the colonial rule. During the discussions while drafting the India Act of 1853 in the British Parliament a proposal was made to have Indian members in the viceroy’s legislative council. 43. Sir Charles Napier disbanded one and restored the allowances for the second. The Indian public which does not like sudden changes was applied with the new laws and customs which were anathema to the … looted the country and went back to their country of origin. Pages-3,11, and 19-Cambridge History-Volume VI-Op Cit. Page-230-J.W Fortescue- British Army-Volume-XII Op Cit. Thus we see that in the period between 1526 and 1707 the India of the Mughals was a state which had opened its doors to the ‘Natives’ as the British later degradingly referred to the Indians. This hurt all sections of society. It was the viceroy Lord Wellesley’s decision and was approved by the Board of Directors. ‘Nadir was not content to remain a mere brigand’ in words of Percy Sykes.Leaders of third world countries are much bigger brigands in terms of white collar fraud and juggling with bank loans etc! The British recruited from Oudh not because they regarded the Oudh Rajput or Brahman as suitable fighting material, but they did so because till 1845 the Hindustani was their best available choice. The EEIC however was not happy to allow Wazir Ali to stay so close to Oudh’s border. After nearly tow hundred years of british east India company rule, an overwhelming revolt spread all over India. Ibid. Historians have identified diverse political, economic, military, religious and social causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.. 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. 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