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Discuss the evidence that indicates planning and coordination on the part of the rebels.


The Revolt of 1857 was well-planned and well-coordinated. It is evident from the following points :

(i) There was coordination and harmony between sepoys and the ordinary people. Both wanted to target the white people.

(ii) The revolt got a tinge of legitimacy as it was carried forward under the leadership of Bahadur Shah, the last Mughal Emperor in India.

(iii) The Hindus and the Muslims united and rose together against the white people.

(iv) There was communication between the sepoy lines of various cantonments.

(v) Another example of good planning and organisation can be cited from Awadh where Captain Hearsey of Awadh Military Police was provided protection by his Indian subordinates during the mutiny. The 41st Native Infantry, which had killed all its white officers, insisted that the military police would either kill Captain Hearsey or hand over him as prisoner. But the military police refused to kill Captain Hearsey. At last they decided to settle the issue in a panchayat having native officers drawn from each regiment.

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What steps did the British take to quell the uprising?


The British took following steps to quell the uprising of 1857:

(i) Despatching Troops : The British officials send different groups of sepoys and forces. These troops were despatches against the rebels and reconquer in North India.

(ii) Framing of Laws : They passed a series of laws to help their troops to quell the insurgency. By a number of acts, passed in May and June 1857, not only was the whole of North India put under martial law.

(iii) Empowerment of the English : British military officers and even ordinary English citizens were empowered to try and punish Indian suspected of rebellions.

(iv) Harsh Punishment : Sever punishments were given to rebellion. It was put out that rebellion would have only one punishment death.

(v) Recapturing of Delhi : Recognizing the symbolic value of Delhi (it was capital of Mughal emperors since the days of Sahajahan), the British mounted a two-prolonged attacked on the city. One force moved from Calcutta into North India and the other from the Punjab–which was largely peaceful–to reconquer Delhi. British attempts to recover Delhi.

(vi) Punishments to people of Delhi : Britishers try to crush the people of Delhi upto their maximum strength. They started their sinful efforts in this regard in early June 1857. They took more than four months to finally capture this city. The fighting and losses on both sides were heavy. One reason for this was the fact that rebels from all over North India had come to Delhi to defend the capital.

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Why did the mutinous sepoys in many places turn to erstwhile rulers to provide leadership to the revolt?


(a) To fight the British, leadership and organisation was required. For this reason rebels turned to the erstwhile rulers.

(b) One of the first acts of the sepoys was to visit Delhi and pressurise the Mughal emperor to become their leader.

(c) When he reluctantly complied, the revolt acquired a kind of legitimacy because it could now be carried on in the name of the Mughal Emperor.

(d) In Kanpur the people and sepoys gave Nana Sahib no choice but to join the revolt. In Jhansi also the Rani gave in to popular pressure.

(e) In Lucknow (Awadh) the people celebrated the outbreak of the revolt by hailing Birjis the son of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as their leader.

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Discuss the extent to which religious beliefs shaped the events of 1857.


(i) The Christian missionaries were assuring material benefits to Indians to convert them to Christianity. So many people of India became antagonistic towards the British.

(ii) Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India, initiated reforms in the Indian society. He abolished customs like sati and permitted remarriage of the Hindu widows. Many Hindus viewed these steps against the ideology of Hinduism.

(iii) The British introduced western education, western ideas and western institutions in India. They set up English-medium educational institutions. But many Hindus considered these steps as attempts to encourage religious conversion.

(iv) Many people felt that the British were destroying their sacred ideals that they had long cherished.

(v) Many Hindus were enraged when the Christian missionaries criticised their scriptures or religious books.

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What were the measures taken to ensure unity among the rebels?


The following measures were taken to ensure unity among the rebels:

(i) In all their proclamations, the rebels repeatedly appealed to all sections of society. They did not take caste or creed into consideration.

(ii) Many proclamations were made by the Muslim princes. A few others were issued in their names. But all such proclamations took into consideration the sentiments of the Hindus.

(iii) The rebellion had an equal participation of both the Hindus and the Muslims. They had equally to lose or gain.

(iv) Many pamphlets were issued which glorified the co-existence of different communities under the Mughal Empire. Bahadur Shah appealed to all the Muslims to fight in the name of Muhammad. He also exhorted the Hindus to rise against the white people in the name of Mahavir. There was a complete unity between the Hindus and the Muslims.

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