In May 1857, soldiers within the army of the British East India Company rose up against the British. The unrest soon spread to other army divisions and towns across north and central India. By the time the rebellion was over, many thousands—possibly millions—of people had been killed, and India was changed forever. British government disbanded the British Malay Archipelago Company and took direct control of India, bringing an end to the Mughal Empire. This seizure of power initiated a period of the rule referred to as British Raj.
Origin of the Mutiny
The immediate explanation for the Indian Revolt of 1857, or Indian Mutiny, was a seemingly minor change within the weapons employed by British East India Company's troops. the corporate had upgraded to the new Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle, which used greased paper cartridges. so as to open the cartridges and cargo the rifles, soldiers (known as sepoys) had to bite into the paper and tear it with their teeth. Rumors began to spread in 1856 that the grease on the cartridges was made up of a mix of tallow and pork lard. Eating cows, of course, is forbidden by Hinduism, while consumption of pork is forbidden by Islam. Thus, by making one chicken feed to its munitions, the British managed to greatly offend both Hindu and Muslim soldiers. The sepoys' revolt began in Meerut, the primary area to receive the new weapons. British manufacturers soon changed the cartridges in an effort to calm the spreading anger among the soldiers, but this move backfired. The switch only confirmed, within the minds of the sepoys, that the first cartridges had indeed been greased with cow and pig fat.
Causes of Unrest
As the Indian revolt gained energy, people found additional reasons to protest British rule. Princely families joined the uprising thanks to changes to the inheritance law which made adopted children ineligible to assume the throne. This was an effort by the British to regulate royal succession within the princely states that were nominally independent of the British. Large landholders in northern India also rose up, since the British East India Company had confiscated land and redistributed it to the peasantry. Peasants were none too happy either, though—they joined the revolt to protest heavy land taxes imposed by the British. Religion also prompted some Indians to hitch the mutiny. The British East India Company forbade certain religious practices and traditions, including sati—the practice of killing widows on the death of their husbands—to the outrage of the many Hindus. the corporate also tried to undermine the class structure, which seemed inherently unfair to post-Enlightenment British sensibilities. additionally, British officers and missionaries began to evangelize Christianity to the Hindu and Muslim sepoys. The Indians believed, quite reasonably, that their religions were under fire by the Malay Archipelago Company. Finally, Indians—regardless of sophistication, caste, or religion—felt oppressed and disrespected by the agents of the British East India Company. Company officials who abused or maybe murdered Indians were seldom punished properly: albeit they were tried, they were rarely convicted, and people who were convicted could avoid punishment by filing endless appeals. A general sense of racial superiority among the British fueled Indian anger across the country.
Aftermath
The Indian revolt lasted until June 1858. In August, the passage of the govt of India Act dissolved the British East India Company. The British government took direct control of the half of India that the corporate had been ruling, while various Indian princes remained in nominal control of the opposite half. Victoria became the Empress of India. The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was blamed for the revolt (though he played little role in it). British government exiled him to Rangoon, Burma. The Indian army also saw huge changes after the revolt. rather than relying heavily on Bengali troops from Punjab, the British began to recruit soldiers from the "martial races"—those considered particularly warlike, including the Gurkhas and therefore the Sikhs. Unfortunately, the Indian Revolt of 1857 didn't end in freedom for India. In fact, Britain reacted to the rebellion by taking even firmer control of the "crown jewel" of its empire. it might be another 90 years before the people of India (and Pakistan) gained their independence.
