The Great Uprising of 1857
ICSE Class 8 · History & Civics · Chapter 8
What this chapter covers
- India in 1857 and the political causes
- Socio-religious causes
- Economic causes
- Military causes
- The immediate cause
- Leaders and spread of the uprising
- Consequences of the uprising
- Nature of the uprising
Key points
- The Great Uprising of 1857 was a large armed revolt against Company rule in northern and central India, begun by sepoys and joined by many other groups.
- Political causes: the Doctrine of Lapse (Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur), the annexation of Awadh in 1856, and the insult to the Mughal emperor.
- Socio-religious causes: racial discrimination, fear of conversion, and social laws seen as interference in religion.
- Economic causes: heavy land revenue, loss of land, ruin of artisans and loss of jobs after annexation.
- Military causes: low pay, little promotion for Indians, loss of bhatta and the fear of overseas service.
- Immediate cause: the greased cartridges of the Enfield rifle; Mangal Pandey at Barrackpore (March 1857) and the revolt at Meerut (10 May 1857).
- Leaders: Bahadur Shah Zafar and Bakht Khan (Delhi), Nana Saheb and Tantia Tope (Kanpur), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Kunwar Singh (Bihar).
- Consequences: end of Company rule (Act of 1858), the Queen's Proclamation, end of the Mughal dynasty, a reorganised army, divide and rule, and lasting inspiration for the freedom struggle.
- Nature: more than a mutiny but not yet a fully national movement; a popular revolt often called the First War of Independence.
Questions answered
Name the four groups of causes of the uprising of 1857.
Political, socio-religious, economic and military causes.
What was the Doctrine of Lapse? Name two states annexed under it.
The Doctrine of Lapse was the policy under which a dependent state passed to the Company if its ruler died without a natural son, since an adopted son was not accepted as heir. Satara and Jhansi were annexed under it (Nagpur, Jaitpur and Sambalpur are also correct).
Why did the annexation of Awadh anger the sepoys of the Bengal army?
Many sepoys came from Awadh, so their families suffered from the loss of the Nawab's rule and from new land settlements. They also saw that the Company had removed a ruler who had always been loyal to it.
Give two economic causes of the uprising.
Heavy land revenue that pushed peasants into debt and loss of land; the ruin of Indian weavers and craftsmen by cheap British machine-made cloth. (Loss of jobs after annexation is also correct.)
Why did the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 upset many sepoys?
It required new recruits to serve anywhere, including overseas, and many high-caste Hindus believed that crossing the sea would make them lose their caste.
What was the immediate cause of the uprising?
The rumour that the cartridges of the new Enfield rifle, which had to be bitten open, were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. This hurt the religious feelings of both Hindus and Muslims.
Match each leader with the centre where he or she led the uprising: Rani Lakshmibai, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Kunwar Singh, Nana Saheb.
Rani Lakshmibai – Jhansi; Begum Hazrat Mahal – Lucknow; Kunwar Singh – Jagdishpur in Bihar; Nana Saheb – Kanpur.
Give two reasons why the uprising failed.
It did not spread over the whole country, so the British could bring in troops from calm regions; the rebels had no single plan or command, while the British had better weapons and the telegraph and railway.