Representations of 1857 Test - 2

Bakht Khan - He led the rebel forces during the revolt of 1857. He established the court of administration. He was the key figure in Delhi after Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar

• Bahadur Shah Zafar was declared the Mughal emperor by the rebels. After the revolt was crushed by the British he was arrested by Major William and deported to Burma in the year 1858.
• Mangal Pandey - He was the soldier of 34^th Bengal Native Infantry

The correct answer is Mysore.

Key Points

The Revolt of 1857

• It is also called the India's First War of Independence. It was started on 10 May 1857 at Meerut, as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army.
• The revolt of 1857 was an unprecedented event in the history of British rule in India.
• It united, though in a limited way, many sections of Indian society for a common cause. 
• Though the revolt failed to achieve the desired goal, it sowed the seeds of Indian nationalism.

Centers of The Revolt

• The revolt spread over the entire area from the neighborhood of Patna to the borders of Rajasthan.
• The main centers of revolt in these regions namely Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Jhansi, Gwalior, and Arrah in Bihar.

Arrah

• Kunwar Singh (Lion of Bihar) led the Indian Rebellion of 1857 at Arrah, Bihar. 
• He was the first Indian warrior after Shivaji Maharaj to prove the efficacy of warfare.
• Despite his old age, he fought bravely and puzzled the British forces for nearly a year.
• In the end, he was defeated by Major William Taylor and died on the battlefield on April 26, 1858, at Jagdishpur, Bihar.

Lucknow

•  it was the capital of Awadh. Begum Hazrat Mahal, one of the begums of the ex-king of Awadh, took up the leadership of the revolt. 

Kanpur

• The revolt was led by Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
• Tantia Tope was finally defeated, arrested, and hanged.
• Nana Saheb escaped but his brilliant commander Tantia Tope continued the struggle.
• The revolt was suppressed with terrible vengeance.
• The victory was short-lived. Kanpur was recaptured by the British after fresh reinforcements arrived.
• He joined the revolt primarily because he was deprived of his pension by the British.

Jhansi

• The twenty-two-year-old Rani Lakshmi Bai led the rebels when the British refused to accept the claim of her adopted son to the throne of Jhansi.
• She fought gallantly against the British forces but was ultimately defeated by the English.

Gwalior

• After Rani Lakshmi Bai escaped, she was joined by Tantia Tope and together they marched to Gwalior and captured it.
• Gwalior was recaptured by the British.
• Fierce fighting followed where the Rani of Jhansi fought like a tigress but died, fighting to the very end.
• Bihar- the revolt was led by Kunwar Singh who belonged to the royal house of Jagdispur, Bihar.

The correct answer is Nana Sahib.

• Nana Sahib was believed to be the leader of the Sanyasis and Fakirs conspiring against the British in 1857.

Key Points

• Nana Sahib was believed to be the leader of the Sanyasis and Fakirs in the 1857 Revolt.
• Sanyasi Revolt or uprising engulfed the area of Bengal {including modern Bangladesh}, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Anandamath, written by India’s first modern novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is the best reminder of the Sanyasi/Fakir Rebellion.
  • Vande Mataram, India’s National Song has been taken from this novel.
• The sanyasis, with a tradition of fighting against oppression, espoused the popular causes and organized raids on the company’s factories, state treasuries, and valiantly fought against the Company’s armed forces.

Additional Information

• Mangal Pandey belonged to the 34 Native Infantry.
• Bahadur Shah II was the last Mughal Emperor.
• Queen Zeenat Mahal was the wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

The policy of 'Doctrine of Lapse' was adopted by Lord Dalhousie.

Important Points

• According to this policy, if any Indian ruler dies without leaving any male heir, his kingdom would automatically pass over to the British.
• It was one of the methods of the East India Company to expand its territory.
• The Kingdom of Satara was the first kingdom to be annexed through this doctrine.
• The Kingdom of Sambalpur was annexed in 1850, the Kingdom of Udaipur was annexed in 1852, the kingdom of Nagpur and Jhansi was annexed in 1853 and 1854 respectively.
• The Kindom of Awadh was the final annexation in 1856 through the doctrine of lapse.

Additional Information

• Lord Dalhousie was the Governor-General from 1848 to 1856.
• He introduced the Doctrine of Lapse in 1847.

The Subsidiary Alliance was a 'Non- Intervention Policy' which was introduced by the Governor-General, Lord Wellesley to expand the British territory in Colonial India.

Important Points

• The Indian rulers were forced into Subsidiary Alliance by the Company.
• In Subsidiary Alliance, the company provided protection to the rulers from external forces.
• The rulers had to pay for the subsidiary forces provided by the company to them.
• Failing to pay for the subsidiary alliance, the company would annex the part of the territory of the ruler.
• The Nawab of Awadh failed to pay the payment which resulted in the annexation of half of his territory to the kingdom in 1801.
• In 1801, the Subsidiary Alliance was imposed in Awadh, according to which Nawab had to disband his military force, allow the Britishers to deploy the troops, and accept all the decisions imposed by the Britishers.

Hence, we can conclude that the Nawab had to follow all the terms and conditions laid by the company according to the Subsidiary Alliance.

The correct answer is Lord Canning.Key Points

• Lord Canning (1856-1862) was the Viceroy of India during the 'Sepoy Mutiny' or the great revolt that took place.
• The Revolt of 1857 is an important landmark in India's history, which occurred during the governor generalship of Lord Canning.
• Sepoy Mutiny or First War of Independence, widespread but unsuccessful rebellion against British rule in 1857.
• Event during his regime - 
  • Revolt of 1857
  • Establishment of three universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857
  • Abolition of East India Company and transfer of control to the Crown by the Government of India Act, 1858
  •  Indian Councils Act of 1861 

 Additional Information

• Grievances of Sepoy:
  • Discrimination in payment and promotion.
  • Refusal of the British to pay foreign service allowance while fighting in remote regions such as Punjab or Sindh.
  • Religious objections of the high caste Hindu sepoys to Lord Canning's General Service Enlistment Act (1856) ordering all recruits to be ready for service both within and outside India.

The incorrect statement is - It was enthusiastically supported by the educated elite everywhere.

Revolt of 1857:

• The 1857 rebel witnessed diverse participation by following reasons-
  • The revolt had a socio-religious cause because the British interfered in religious practices of Sati, Women's education, etc.
  • The heavy tax on land and strict land revenue collection laws also frustrated the people.
  • Various saints, kings, queens, and noblemen from various parts of the country participated due to sudden and exploitative administrative practices.
• The revolt of 1857 was characterised by Hindu-Muslim unity.
  • The Sepoys and the common people of both the major communities i.e. Hindus and the Muslims fought together against the British.
  • Though there was some division between the Hindus and Muslims before the beginning of the revolt.
  • But the two communities sank their differences to get united and fight against the British Raj in 1857, which provided a new strength and energy to the uprising.
• The revolt spread over the entire area from the neighbourhood of Patna to the borders of Rajasthan.
  • The main centres of revolt in these regions namely Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Jhansi, Gwalior and Arrah in Bihar.
  • Thus, we can say that It was limited only to northern India.
• But, most of the educated elite stayed away from the revolt.
  • They believed that the British could only reform Indian society and modernise it.
  • They helped the Britishers to suppress the revolt.

Thus, we can say that the statement 'It was enthusiastically supported by the educated elite everywhere' is not correct regarding the revolt of 1857.

The correct answer is Awadh.

On the basis of maladministration, Dalhousie annexed, Awadh.

Additional Information

Lord Dalhousie followed the two-fold measure of ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ and ‘annexation on the grounds of maladministration’ in order to reinforce the process of British political expansion in India:

The doctrine of Lapse:

• The Doctrine of Lapse dictated that if a ruler died without a natural male heir, then the ruler’s kingdom would pass or ‘lapse’ to the British authorities. Curiously, the Doctrine held that the dependant states did not have the rights of adoption in this regard.
• The doctrine was applied in the case of several important states such as Jhansi, Nagpur and Satara.
• Under the pretext of this policy, the rulers of these states were pensioned off and their kingdom was annexed to the British empire.

This caused a lot of disenchantment in the Indian ruling class.

Annexation on the Grounds of Maladministration:

• Awadh was one of the first states to become a part of the Subsidiary Alliance system and had stayed true to its commitment to its terms and conditions.
• Although the Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, was an inefficient ruler, the maladministration in Awadh was as much a result of the Subsidiary system as it was of the incompetency of the Nawab.
• Despite this, Dalhousie annexed Awadh under the pretext of misgovernment in 1856.
• This played a major role in the subsequent rebellion of 1857.

The correct answer is Myanmar.

Key Points

• Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor in the Indian subcontinent.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar was the son of Akbar II. 
• After the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, none of his descendants was recognized as kings.
• On 11th May 1857, the soldiers captured Delhi and announced Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader and he was named "Shahenshah-i-Hindustan".
  • Later, he was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • The British exiled him to Rangoon (Burma/Myanmar) following his involvement in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
  • Bahadur Shah Zafar and his wife Begum Zinat Mahal were sent to prison in Rangoon in 1858.
  • Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon jail in 1862.

The revolt of 1857 was the conscious beginning of the Independence struggle against the colonial tyranny of the British.

• There are various names for the revolt of 1857 – India’s First War of Independence, Sepoy Mutiny, etc.
• It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers.
• This war of Independence marked the end of rule by the British East India company. 

Important Points

Mangal Pandey was the first soldier to be hanged for the 1857 revolt.

• He was an Indian soldier in the British army and is believed to be one of the key figures behind Sepoy Mutiny or India’s First War of Independence in 1857. 
• Due to his attack on two British soldiers, Mangal Pandey was hanged to death on April 8, 1857, at the age of 29.
• On 29 March 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company.
• This event and Pandey’s subsequent punishment led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857.
• Mangal Pandey’s mutiny did not directly cause the Revolt of 1857 but it did intensify the feeling of anger and frustration that Indian sepoys harboured against their English masters.

Additional Information

• Srimanth Mahadji Shinde (also spelt as Mahadji Scindia) was a Maratha statesman known for his crucial role in resurrecting Maratha power following the disastrous Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
• Batukeshwar Dutt, also known as B K Dutt, was a Revolutionary Freedom Fighter. He, who was involved in the Central Legislative Assembly Bombing Case of 1929, passed away on 20th July 1965 after an illness at the age of 54.