He also passed decrees allowing Hindus who had converted to Christianity to be able to inherit property, which had previously been denied by local practice. What […] 4. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 291-292 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. It was only later on that other elements of society joined the revolt. The revolt of 1857 was a combination of political, economic, socio-religious and military causes. The military causes of Sepoy Mutiny primarily led to the outbreak of the 1857 revolt. As further evidence, he observes that the Urdu sources of the pre- and post-rebellion periods usually refer to the British not as angrez (the English), goras (whites) or firangis (foreigners), but as kafir (disbeliever) and nasrani (Christians). Enlistment Act of 1856 required Indian soldiers to be sent overseas for The soldiers performed well on the field of battle in exchange for which they were rewarded with symbolic heraldic rewards such as battle honours in addition to the extra pay or "batta" (foreign pay) routinely disbursed for operations committed beyond the established borders of Company rule. Often the British officers treated the sepoys rudely. Later, the attitudes of British officers changed with increased intolerance, lack of involvement and unconcern of the welfare of troops becoming manifest more and more. Because of all these reasons Kings, Princes, their courtiers and disbanded soldiers an… Mason, Philip (1974), pages 226-228 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. The sepoys' British officers dismissed these claims as rumours, and suggested that the sepoys make a batch of fresh cartridges, and greased these with pig and cow fat. that point of time. The rifling inside the musket barrel ensured accuracy at much greater distances than was possible with old muskets. 094: British Occupation of India - Part 9: The Causes and Impact of the Revolt of 1857 In this episode, we talk about The Causes and Impact of the Revolt of 1857 The Revolt of 1857 is also known by other names such as The Sepoy Mutiny, The Indian Mutiny, The Great Rebellion, The Indian Insurrection, India’s First War of Independence. Causes of the Revolt. NEWSLETTER : Get latest updates in your inbox. of Indian Soldiers -, The East India Company The Indian soldiers were also sent across the sea which was forbidden as per Hindu religious beliefs. Rich people like the merchants and moneylenders were therefore able to speculate in British land sales and drive out the most vulnerable peasant farmers. Also, other higher ranks were reserved for the English sepoys and not for the Indians. This included an increase in the taxation on land. All rights reserved. Causes of the Revolt of 1857: (a) Political Causes i. Doctrine of Lapse: Lord Dalhousie successfully annexed many Indian states to the English East India Company. [7] Several years before the sepoys' mutiny, Lord William Bentinck had attacked several jagirs in western Bengal. Briefly Christian organisations from Britain had additionally created 222 "unattached" mission stations across India in the decade preceding the rebellion. Military Causes of the revolt of 1857: • Indian soldiers formed seven-eighth of the total British troops in India. In the decade prior to the rebellion, the BEIC had imposed a "doctrine of lapse" (of Indian leadership succession), and the policy of "subsidiary alliance", both of which deprived many Indian rulers of their customary powers and privileges. Higher post in the army were reserved for the British. Larger The other causes of the Revolt of 1857 were the military policies of the British. Due to the need for technical specialists, the artillery units generally had a higher proportion of British personnel. The British treat the Indian soldiers very differently from their counterparts. Saul, David (2003), page 294 "The Indian Mutiny", Penguin Books. At other times however the Company directly or indirectly conceded the legitimacy of the sepoy's demands, such as when troops of the Bengal and Madras armies refused to serve in Sindh without batta after its conquest. Although the revolt began as a military rising and it appears to be a great sequel in the long series of a number of mutinies, its causes were deeply rooted in the changing conditions of the times. For instance, once the rebellion was underway, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar met the sepoys on 11 May 1857, he was told: "We have joined hands to protect our religion and our faith." Another important source of discontent among the Indian rulers was that the British policies of conquest had created significant unrest. In The sepoys rejected this, pointing out that they might very well forget and bite the cartridge, not surprising given the extensive drilling that allowed 19th century British and Indian troops to fire three to four rounds per minute. Other irregular units were raised in frontier areas from communities such as Assamese or Pashtuns to maintain order locally. The forces were divided into three presidency armies: Bombay, Madras, and Bengal. Political, Economic, Social and Military causes. This would have insulted both Hindu and Muslim religious practices; cows were considered holy by Hindus, while pigs were considered unclean by Muslims. When soldiers of the Bengal army mutinied in Meerut on May 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. The subsidiary alliance and the Doctrine of Lapse of Dalhousie angered Indian Princes. An uprising in several sepoy companies of the Bengal army was sparked by the issue of new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle in February 1857. Join NOW to get access to exclusive study material for best results. Mason, Philip (1974), page 226 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Related posts: What were few political and military factors responsible for the Revolt of 1857? Certain actions of the government, such as increased recruitment of Sikhs and Gurkhas, peoples considered by the Bengal sepoys to be inferior in caste to them, increased the distrust of the sepoys who thought that this was a sign of their services not being needed any more. However much of this sense of the invincibility of the British was lost in the First Anglo-Afghan War where poor political judgement and inept British leadership led to the massacre of Elphinstone's army (which included three Bengal regiments) while retreating from Kabul. This took the form of Muslim millenarianism, with preachers in Lucknow foretelling the end of the raj. Immediate Cause of Revolt. Sepoy’s Mutiny. Moreover, there was no scope of promotion and made to serve overseas. Such measures were considered a valid negotiating tactic by the sepoys, likely to be repeated every time such issues arose. Some of these units belonged to states allied to the British or recently absorbed into British-administered territory, and of these, two large contingents from the states of Awadh and Gwalior readily joined the growing rebellion. Revolt of 1857 – Causes . Many Indians felt that the company was asking for heavy tax from the locals. This is again seemed to be a biased analysis. list any three military causes of the revolt of 1857. However, traditionally it was a taboo for the The company had an unbroken series of victories in India, against the Marathas, Mysore, north Indian states, and the Gurkhas, later against the Sikhs, and further afield in China and Burma. Economic Causes: Added to political and administrative distrust for the British East India Company, … [21], The Bengal Army also administered, sometimes loosely, 29 regiments of irregular horse and 42 of irregular infantry. Lord Dalhousies policy of annexation and the Doctrine of lapse had made the Indian rulers angry and insecure. The transfer of the number 66th which was taken away from a regular Bengal Sepoy regiment of the line disbanded over refusal to serve without batta, and given to a Gurkha battalion, was considered by the Sepoy as a breach of faith by the company. THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE REVOLT OF 1857 Ruin of the Mercantile Class. The sepoys were paid much less than the British soldiers and were also given inferior food and accommodation. Related Questions to study. Since the batta made the difference between active service being considered munificent or burdensome, the sepoys repeatedly resented and actively opposed inconsiderate unilateral changes in pay and batta ordered by the Military Audit department. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 305-306 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 203-204 A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Indian sepoys formed more than 87% of British troops in India. [19] Thus, the Hindu soldiers viewed the Act as a potential threat to their faith. Dalhousie had also appointed Inam Commission with powers to confiscate land. The policy of Doctrine of Lapse was applied not only to Princes but also big Zamindars. Following are three important causes of the revolt of 1857: Ill-treatment of Indian Soldiers - The East India Company discriminated against their Indian sepoys. 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