When People Revolt 1857 and After Class 8 History Chapter 5 Notes

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When People Revolt 1857 and After Class 8 History Chapter 5 Notes

Nawabs lose their power

• Nawabs and rajas lost power and authority since the mid-eighteenth century.
• Residents were stationed in many courts, reducing the rulers’ freedom.
• Rulers’ armed forces were disbanded, and their revenues and territories were taken away gradually.
• Ruling families attempted to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests, such as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Nana Saheb, but were turned down.
• Awadh was annexed in stages: a subsidiary alliance in 1801 and full takeover in 1856.
• Governor-General Dalhousie cited misgovernance to justify British annexation of Awadh.
• The Company planned to end the Mughal dynasty, removing the Mughal king’s name from coins in 1849.
• Governor-General Dalhousie announced Bahadur Shah Zafar’s family would be moved out of the Red Fort after his death.
• In 1856, Governor-General Canning decided Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king; his descendants would only be called princes.

The peasants and the sepoys

• Peasants and zamindars in the countryside resented high taxes and rigid revenue collection methods.
• Many peasants lost their lands due to an inability to repay loans to moneylenders.
• Indian sepoys employed by the Company were discontented with their pay, allowances, and service conditions.
• New rules violated sepoys’ religious sensibilities and beliefs.
• Many believed that crossing the sea would cause them to lose their religion and caste.
• In 1824, sepoys refused to go to Burma by sea, preferring the land route, leading to severe punishment.
• In 1856, the Company required new recruits to agree to serve overseas if needed.
• Sepoys’ discontent was influenced by the conditions in the countryside, as many had families living there, spreading anger among them.

Responses to reforms

• The British believed Indian society needed reform.
• Laws were passed to stop the practice of sati and encourage the remarriage of widows.
• English-language education was actively promoted.
• After 1830, Christian missionaries were allowed to function freely and own land and property in British domains.
• In 1850, a new law made conversion to Christianity easier, allowing converts to inherit ancestral property.
• Many Indians felt the British were destroying their religion, social customs, and traditional way of life.
• Some Indians supported changes to existing social practices.

A Mutiny Becomes a Popular Uprising

• Struggles between rulers and the ruled can sometimes become widespread popular resistance, causing the power of the state to break down.
• A large number of people unite against a common enemy, leading to organized, communicated, and confident actions to change the situation.
• In 1857, such a situation developed in northern India, leading to a massive uprising against the English East India Company.
• The uprising started in May 1857, beginning with sepoy mutinies in Meerut.
• A large number of people from different sections of society joined the rebellion.
• Some consider this uprising the biggest armed resistance to colonialism in the nineteenth century.

From Meerut to Delhi

• On 8 April 1857, Mangal Pandey was hanged for attacking officers in Barrackpore.
• On 9 May 1857, 85 sepoys in Meerut refused to use new cartridges suspected of being coated with cow and pig fat, leading to their dismissal and a ten-year jail sentence.
• On 10 May 1857, other Indian soldiers in Meerut released the imprisoned sepoys, attacked and killed British officers, captured guns and ammunition, set British properties on fire, and declared war.
• The soldiers wanted to end British rule and chose the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader.
• The sepoys of Meerut reached Delhi on 11 May 1857, sparking a rebellion among the regiments there, leading to more attacks on British officers and property.
• The soldiers forced Bahadur Shah Zafar to accept leadership, and he called for a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British.
• The Mughal dynasty had ruled a large part of India, with smaller rulers controlling territories on behalf of the Mughal ruler.
• Many smaller rulers felt that under Mughal authority, they could regain their territories and power.
• The British had not anticipated the widespread rebellion, initially thinking the cartridge issue would subside.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support for the uprising inspired and motivated people, changing the situation dramatically.

The uprising spreads

• After the British were routed from Delhi, it took almost a week for news to spread before further uprisings began.
• Regiment after regiment mutinied and joined other troops in key locations like Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow.
• People in towns and villages also rebelled, rallying around local leaders, zamindars, and chiefs ready to fight the British.
• Nana Saheb, adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao, expelled the British from Kanpur, proclaimed himself Peshwa, and declared himself a governor under Bahadur Shah Zafar.
• In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, son of deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed Nawab and acknowledged Bahadur Shah Zafar’s suzerainty. His mother, Begum Hazrat Mahal, actively organized the uprising.
• In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined rebel sepoys and fought alongside Tantia Tope, Nana Saheb’s general.
• Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh led an army of four thousand against the British in the Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh.
• The British were greatly outnumbered and defeated in many battles, convincing people that British rule had collapsed and encouraging them to join the uprising.
• A widespread popular uprising developed in Awadh, with a telegram on 6 August 1857 from Lieutenant Colonel Tytler expressing fear of the British due to the rising zamindars and constant fighting.
• New leaders emerged, like Ahmadullah Shah from Faizabad, who predicted the end of British rule, raising a large force and fighting in Lucknow.
• In Delhi, many ghazis or religious warriors gathered to fight the British. Bakht Khan from Bareilly took charge of a large force and became a key military leader.
• In Bihar, zamindar Kunwar Singh joined the rebel sepoys and battled the British for many months.
• Leaders and fighters from across the country joined the fight against the British.

The Company Fights Back

• The Company decided to repress the revolt with full force, bringing reinforcements from England and passing new laws for easy conviction of rebels.
• Delhi was recaptured in September 1857.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment; he and his wife Begum Zinat Mahal were imprisoned in Rangoon in October 1858, where he died in November 1862.
• The uprising continued even after the recapture of Delhi, with resistance lasting for two more years.
• Lucknow was retaken in March 1858.
• Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858.
• Rani Avantibai, after initial victory in Kheri, chose death when surrounded by the British.
• Tantia Tope continued guerrilla warfare in central India, supported by tribal and peasant leaders, until his capture and execution in April 1859.
• Victories against the British initially encouraged uprisings, but subsequent defeats led to desertions.
• The British attempted to regain loyalty by rewarding loyal landholders and promising safety and rights to those who submitted and had not killed white people.
• Despite these efforts, hundreds of sepoys, rebels, nawabs, and rajas were tried and hanged.

Aftermath

• By the end of 1859, the British had regained control of the country but had to change their policies.
• Significant changes introduced by the British included:

1. The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858, transferring the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown for more responsible management of Indian affairs.
   • A member of the British Cabinet was appointed Secretary of State for India, responsible for all governance matters, with a council to advise him called the India Council.
   • The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, representing the Crown, indicating the British government’s direct responsibility for ruling India.
2. Ruling chiefs were assured that their territories would not be annexed in the future and could pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons, but had to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount, making them subordinates of the British Crown.
3. The proportion of Indian soldiers in the army was reduced, and the number of European soldiers increased.
   • Recruitment shifted away from Awadh, Bihar, central India, and south India, focusing instead on Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Pathans.
4. The land and property of Muslims were confiscated on a large scale, and they were treated with suspicion and hostility, as the British believed they played a significant role in the uprising.
5. The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the Indian people.
6. Policies were created to protect landlords and zamindars, ensuring their security of rights over their lands.
   • These changes marked the beginning of a new phase in Indian history after 1857.

The Khurda Uprising – A Case Study

• Before the 1857 event, a similar event occurred at Khurda in 1817.
• Resentment against British colonial policies had been building since the early 19th century in different parts of India.
• Khurda, a small kingdom in southeastern Orissa, was populous and well-cultivated, consisting of 105 garhs, 60 large, and 1109 small villages at the beginning of the 19th century.
• Raja Birakishore Dev had to cede four parganas, the Jagannath Temple’s superintendence, and fourteen garjats’ administration to the Marathas.
• His son, Mukunda Dev II, sought to regain these territories and temple rights through negotiations with the British during the Anglo-Maratha conflict but was denied.
• Mukunda Dev II allied with other Orissa chiefs and the Marathas, leading to his deposition and the annexation of his territories by the British.
• The British granted him rights to manage the Jagannath Temple with a small revenue share and residence in Puri.
• The British resumed service tenures, adversely affecting the ex-militia, the Paiks, and increased revenue demands unreasonably.
• Many people deserted Khurda between 1805 and 1817 due to oppressive revenue policies.
• Buxi Jagabandhu, a dispossessed landholder, led the armed uprising in 1817.
• The grievances included the introduction of the sicca rupee, revenue payment in the new currency, rising prices of food and salt, and the auction of local estates bringing absentee landlords.
• The uprising began on 29 March 1817, with Paiks attacking government establishments and spreading the rebellion.
• Zamindars and ryots joined the Paiks enthusiastically, starting a ‘no-rent campaign’.
• On 14 April 1817, Buxi Jagabandhu led a large force, seized Puri, and declared Mukunda Dev II as their ruler.
• The British imposed Martial Law, captured the king and his son, and attempted to contain the uprising.
• Despite British efforts, the uprising spread with support from local leaders until its containment by May 1817.
• Buxi Jagabandhu continued the resistance until his surrender in May 1825.
• The British adopted a policy of leniency towards Khurda, reduced salt prices, reformed police and justice systems, and dismissed corrupt revenue officials.
• Ram Chandra Dev III, the king’s son, was granted control over the Jagannath Temple affairs with a financial grant.
• The Khurda uprising was a significant anti-British armed rebellion with far-reaching effects on British administration in Orissa, known as the ‘Paik Rebellion’.