Rebels and the Raj Class 12 Notes History Chapter 11 - CBSE

Chapter : 11

What Are Rebels And The Raj ?

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The revolt of 1857 started from the cantonment area of the Meerut in May 1857.
The revolt expanded to the major towns like Lucknow, Kanpur and Bareilly in no time.
As soon as the sepoys in one district took up arms, the sepoys in the other district got for the revolt ready.
The first action of the sepoys was to seize the arms, and loot the treasury of the British.
The zamindars and moneylenders also faced resistance from the sepoys as they were seen as the agents of the British.
The participation of the Hindus and Muslims showed the communal harmony between the two sides.
There was coordination among the sepoys of the various cantonment areas that led to the vast magnitude of the revolt.
The 7th Awadh Cavalry has refused to use the cartridges of the new rifles in the early May of 1857.
The sepoys turned to the old Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to become the leader of their revolt. Bahadur Shah had no other choice than to accept the leadership of the revolt.
In Kanpur, the sepoys made Nana Sahib, the successor of the Peshwa Baji-Rao II their leader.
In Jhansi, the leadership of the revolt was held by Rani Laxmibai.
Kunwar Singh assumed the leadership of the revolt in Arrah in Bihar.
Shah a local leader motivated the peasants to revolt against the British in Barhout in Uttar Pradesh.
The rumours and prophecies played a significant role in the expansion of the revolt of 1857 through a large part of India.
The most common rumour was that the greased cartridges of the new Enfield rifles were made of the fat of cows and pigs which would pollute the religion of Hindus and Muslims.
Another rumour was that the British had mixed the bone dust of the cows and pigs in the flour to pollute the religion of Hindus and Muslims.
There was a fear among the sepoys that the British wanted to convert the Indians into Christianity.

There was a prophecy that the rule of the British will come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey.
The British also reformed several laws like widow remarriage and Sati.
The British annexed several kingdoms like Awadh, Satara, Jhansi, etc. on the grounds of maladministration of the absence of an heir.
The British introduced their own set of rules and regulations which is perceived as an infringement of the choice of the native people.
The native people started viewing the British system as an alien and oppressive system.
The system of Subsidiary Alliance was imposed in the kingdom of Awadh in 1801. This system made the Nawab of Awadh dependent on the British administration for every major decision.
The Subsidiary Alliance system was started by Lord Wellesley to establish the authority of the British government over the territories of India.
British wanted to gain control of the Awadh as the territory was suitable for growing Indigo. In 1856 they occupied the region.
The Nawab of Awadh was widely loved by the people and his removal led to the rise of hatred among the people against the British. Awadh became the centre of the revolt of 1857.
The Summary Settlement of 1856 were brought by the British government for downgrading the status of the taluqdars led to the disturbance in the entire social order.
The economic situation of the peasants in Awadh got ruined due to the establishment of the British administration.
The relationship between the sepoys and the white officers started deteriorating from the 1840s. The white officers considered themselves racially superior and often abused the native soldiers.
Awadh was known as the ‘Nursery of the Bengal Army’.
One of the features of the revolt of 1857 was the unity of Hindus and Muslims.
The British took a lot of steps to curb the rebellion of 1857. The martial law was imposed in the whole of North India. The military officers of the British were given the power to try the Indians.
The British forces from Calcutta moved to North India and from Punjab, they moved to Delhi.
The British also used diplomacy in cases breaking the unity of the different sections in the revolt.
The zamindars were promised their dispossessed lands by the British if they stop their resistance.
The ‘Relief of Lucknow’ was a painting by Thomas Jones Barker.
Henry Lawrence was the commissioner of Lucknow who got killed.
Colin Campbell was made the commander of the British forces in India and under him, the British gained control of Lucknow.
The British painters portrayed the action of the British officials in good light. They were seen as a protector force.
Some paintings depicted brave women protecting their honour from the rebels.
The revolt of 1857 was celebrated as the First war of independence.