The Indian Rebellion, the reforms of Dalhousie; the events in Awadh, Meerut, Cawnpore, Dehli, and Lucknow; how the British regained control. Flashcards
Explain how long term issues of British interference caused the Indian rebellion.
Drive against Thugee, 1835 the department of Thugee and Ducoity with Sleeman as its superintendent, hunted over 3,000 thugs. Allowed the justification of further modernising reforms.
Drive against Sati, made illegal in 1829 by Bentick. Claimed over 600 victims a year. Higher castes were deeply offended, perceived as an attack on their purity and the perpetuating the ‘superior’ culture on the natives. Against the advice of Ram Rohan Roy.
Missionary activity, created long term destabilising factors, advocated an English education for natives in the hope it would create a strong educated class, seen again as an attack on higher castes.
Explain how Dalhousie’s reforms caused Rebellion
Dalhousie was a dedicated moderniser.
Established British paramountcy which had been established since 1813, but he extended it with the British being able to intervene in affairs of state were they see fit.
Also introduced the doctrine of lapse, which meant that when local princes were incompetent or without an heir, the British could lawfully annex the region, despite Hindu law which stated that adopted sons could take power.
Explain how territorial annexations caused rebellion.
Sind in 1843, the Punjab in 1849 and Awadh in 1856 all deeply upset the native populations.
Doctrine of lapse saw the ruler of Awadh unfit and it was forcefully annexed in 1856 on the 7th of February. This annexation was the 7th of its kind, with the British announcing all land would be seized from the local talukdars. The rebellion was particularly intense in Awadh, showing how popular anger was rife as the region had been highly economically prosperous.
Military causes and short term triggers.
Rifle cartridges were greased by Pig and Beef fat, unacceptable to both Indian Muslims and Hindus. Such an obvious error was widely perceived as part of Britain’s dark plan for Christianisation.
Additionally, the general service enlistment act of 1856 meant that Bengali soldiers could be sent overseas, again, breaking strict tradition that travelling overseas lowered the caste status.
on the 9th of May 1857, 85 Sepoys were court martialled for refusing to load their rifles, boiling over into rebellion. Three sepoy regiments rose in revolt whilst the British were at Church, massacring European women and children.
What happened in Cawnpore and Delhi?
The munity spread throughout the Bengal army, The rebellion swept across India, with the British losing territory in the Punjab, Delhi and Awadh, with many discontented talukdars rising up against their land losses serving as the spark for peasant revolts which protested the land and tax systems.
On May 11th, the last Mughal monarch was resorted, however, attack by the Meerut Sepoys died out and he was not able to rally power to the ancient capital.
In Cawnpore, the British held out for 18 days before surrendering on June 27th. In surrender, they were promised safe passage down a river but fighting broke out, and 400 were killed on the banks and in boats. A further 200 Women and children were massacred before relief forces could arrive.
What happened in Lucknow?
Cawnpore showed British vulnerability, however Lucknow showed fierce resistance. Governor Lawrence took Europeans into a fortified residents at Lucknow with enough food and ammunition to last 5 months.
Lawrence was killed by a shell on July 4th, but successful relief eventually reached Lucknow . A force numbering 3,000 breached the siege in September, 87 days after the siege began, fighting through Awadh which was in full scale rebellion. A second relief force arrived in November, with 24 Victoria crosses awarded on the same day.
How did the British regain control?
The rebels were not totally cohesive: The British gained a foot hold and then supremacy as they were able to exploit the divisions of the Indian people, just like how they had done to take control in the first place. Army mutineers, angry peasants, talukdars and local princes were all unwilling to work together.
The centres of revolt in Delhi ,Lucknow and Cawnpore each had their own individual bases of power and rebels converged around different leaders.
Awadh came close to seriously threatening the British, the rebellion was involved on all levels, but this was not replicated elsewhere in India.
Not all of British India was affected: In many cases, alliances forged between the British and locals proved to be enduring, there were some good things about British rule that were better than the local alternatives. The other two presidency armies of Madras and Bombay remained loyal enough to supress the revolt. In Lucknow, 7000 of the soldiers under siege were in fact Indian.
What was the aftermath?
British public was disgusted and outraged, 25,000 people gathered in London to hear talks of a Holy war against Indians, Charles Dickens demanded Indians as a race should be raised “off the face of the earth.”
In India, retribution was terrible. Entire villages were massacred, In Cawnpore, mutineers were forced to lick clean blood stained buildings. 40 men were strapped to the barrels of cannons and blown apart.
The government of India act of 1856 ended company rule for good.
