Revolt of 1857 - Causes, Impact, Failure, List of Important Leaders Involved, FAQ (2024)

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.

The revolt began on May 10, 1857, at Meerut as a sepoy mutiny. It was initiated by sepoys in the Bengal Presidency against the British officers.

Revolt of 1857
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This War of Independence marked the end of rule by the British East India Company. Post this, India was directly ruled by the British government through representatives known as Governor-General.

This article provides all relevant information related to the 1857 revolt and its causes and effects. This is an important topic for the Civil Services Exam and other government exams.

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Revolt of 1857 - Causes, Impact, Failure, List of Important Leaders Involved, FAQ (1)

Immediate Reason of Revolt of 1857

The immediate factor was the introduction of the ‘Enfield’ rifle. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Indian sepoys believed that the cartridge was greased with either pig fat or made from cow fat. This was against the Hindu and Muslim sentiments. Thus they were reluctant to use the ‘Enfield’ rifle. This was a flashpoint to enrage the soldiers against the British. As a result was believed to be the immediate factor for the revolt of 1857.

Causes of Revolt of 1857

Watch a video on the causes of the 1857 Revolt from our expert faculty below:

Revolt of 1857 - Causes, Impact, Failure, List of Important Leaders Involved, FAQ (2)

The 1857 revolt was initiated due to various factors which are stated below:

  • Religious & Social Causes – Racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing with Europeans. The whites also started interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of Indians and tortured them as well.

To know more about the Social causes for revolt of 1857, refer to the linked article.

  • Political Causes – The British expansion had led to the propagation of unjust policies that led to the loss of power of the Nawabs and Zamindars residing at various places of India. The introduction of unfair policies like the policy of Trade and Commerce, the policy of indirect subordination (subsidiary alliance), the policy of war and annexation, the policy of direct subordination (doctrine of lapse), the policy of misgovernance (through which Awadh was annexed) greatly hampered the interests of the rulers of the native states, and they one by one became victims of British expansionism. Therefore, those rulers, who lost their states to the British, were naturally against the British and took sides against them during the revolt.
  • Economic Factors – There were various reforms in the taxation and revenue system that affected the peasants heavily. British Government had imposed and introduced various administrative policies to expand their territory.
  • Military Factors: Another major cause was the General Enlistment Act of July 25 1856. Passed 10 months before the rebellion, the act required that new recruits to the Bengal Army to accept a commitment for general service. Earlier the enlisted men of the Bengal Army had been exempted from serving overseas as they believed that such an act would be against their beliefs. But the Madras and Bombay regiments had no such inhibitions. Governor-General Lord Dalhousie felt it unfair that the burden of deployment fell squarely on the smaller presidency armies. With the signing of the act, sepoys of the Bengal Army felt that it would also prevent their sons from following their footsteps while fearing the prospect of serving overseas.

The major policies are listed below:

  • Permanent Settlement in Bengal

To more about such important land revenue systems, check the linked article.

These three settlements were highly exploitative, and in particular, the Permanent settlement had created a devastating impact. Thus the peasants were greatly encouraged to overthrow the British Government from India which led to their active participation in the revolt of 1857.

Military Factors – The Indian soldiers faced a lot of discrimination from the British officials with respect to their salaries, pensions, and promotions. Indians were subjugated in the military while their European counterparts faced no such discrimination. This led to discontent and was a major military factor that resulted in the 1857 revolt.

To know more about military factors in detail, refer to the linked article.

Vellore Mutiny

The Vellore Mutiny took place even before the revolt of 1857 (50 years before). It erupted on 10th July 1806 in Vellore, present-day Tamil Nadu, and lasted only for a day, but it was brutal and it was the first major mutiny by the Indian sepoys in the East India Company.

Impact of Revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 shook the foundation of the British East India Company and disclosed their inefficiency in handling the Indian administration. The major impact was the introduction of the Government of India Act, 1858 which abolished the rule of the British East India Company and marked the beginning of the British Raj that bestowed powers in the hands of the British government to rule India directly through representatives.

To know more about the major Impact of the revolt of 1857, refer to the linked article.

Causes of Failure of the Revolt of 1857

The 1857 revolt was eventually not successful in ousting the British from the country because of several factors.

  1. The sepoys lacked one clear leader; there were several. They also did not have a coherent plan by which the foreigners would be routed.
  2. Indian rulers who aided the revolt did not envision any plan for the country after the British were defeated.
  3. Majorly northern India was affected by this revolt. The three presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras remained mostly unaffected.

List of Important Leaders associated with the Revolt of 1857

Place Revolt of 1857 – Important Leaders
DelhiBahadur Shah II, General Bakht Khan
LucknowBegum Hazrat Mahal, Birjis Qadir, Ahmadullah
KanpurNana Sahib, Rao Sahib, Tantia Tope, Azimullah Khan
JhansiRani Laxmibai
BiharKunwar Singh, Amar Singh
RajasthanJaidayal Singh and Hardayal Singh
FarrukhabadTufzal Hasan Khan
AssamKandapareshwar Singh, Maniram Dutta Baruah
OrissaSurendra Shahi, Ujjwal Shahi

Revolt of 1857
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Related Links:

Paika RebellionTribal Uprising
Government of India Act, 1935Government of India Act, 1858
Modern Indian HistoryMoplah Rebellion of 1921

Frequently Asked Questions – Revolt of 1857

Q1

Who coined the name Sepoy Mutiny?

In India, the term First War of Independence was first popularized by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1909 book The History of the War of Indian Independence.

Q2

What was the immediate reason for the revolt of 1857?

The immediate factor was the introduction of the ‘Enfield’ rifle. It was said that the cartridge of this rifle was wrapped in the fat of cow and pig. The cartridge had to be bitten off before loading it into the gun. Thus the Hindu and Muslim soldiers were reluctant to use the ‘Enfield’ rifle.

Q3

What are the causes of Revolt of 1857?

There are many reasons that led to the revolt of 1857. Major reasons for the revolt can be broadly classified into – Political, Social, Economic, Religious, Military, etc. The causes have been discussed in this article under respective sections.

Q4

What are the important points of Revolt of 1857?

The main impact of the 1857 revolt was the abolishment of the East India Company, India was under the direct control of British authority, The Indian administration was directly controlled by Queen Victoria. The second major impact that the revolt of 1857 created was to develop unity & patriotism in the nation.

Q5

What was the main objective of 1857 revolt?

The major goal of the uprising was to prevent the assimilation of Indians into Western and British culture. Indians felt that the British wanted to strip them of their ethnic and religious identities. Another goal of the uprising was to slow down the acquisition of Indian lands by the British East India Company.

Revolt of 1857 - Causes, Impact, Failure, List of Important Leaders Involved, FAQ (2024)

FAQs

What were the causes and impact of the revolt of 1857? ›

Religious & Social Causes – Racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing with Europeans. The whites also started interfering in the religious and cultural affairs of Indians and tortured them as well.

What were the causes for the failure of the revolt of 1857? ›

The following were the causes of the failure of 1857 Revolt:
  • The Revolt was a failure due to localized and poorly organized.
  • The Revolt lacked mass support.
  • The lack of common ideal among sepoys was the cause of the failure.
  • It was hard to find a leader who has the military capability and political skills.

Who was the leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857? ›

On 29 March 1857 at the Barrackpore parade ground, near Calcutta, 29-year-old Mangal Pandey of the 34th BNI, angered by the recent actions of the East India Company, declared that he would rebel against his commanders.

Was an absence of leadership the main reason why the War of Independence in 1857 failed? ›

The attempt to overthrow the British and expel them from India was unsuccessful. Indeed, lack of leadership was one of the reasons why the War of Independence failed but it was backed up by several other factors. Firstly, there was no experienced leader among them to lead the Indian soldiers.

What were the political causes of the revolt? ›

The Political Causes of Revolt of 1857 include the policies made by the British government to expand their rule over India. It includes the policy of Misgovernance, the policy of direct subordination, the policy of war and annexation, the policy of indirect subordination, and the policy of Trade and Commerce.

What is the conclusion of the revolt of 1857? ›

The revolt of 1857 failed to initially achieve their predominant effects against the British giant superpower, however, due to the rebellion, thousands of Indian citizens gained self-confidence to achieve independence in near future.

What were the effects of the mutiny of 1857? ›

Aftermath. The immediate result of the mutiny was a general housecleaning of the Indian administration. The East India Company was abolished in favour of the direct rule of India by the British government.

What was the outcome of the revolt? ›

After the 1857 revolt, British parliament passed the Government of India Act, 1858, according to which the Crown took over the administration of India from the East India company. All properties of the East India Company were transferred to the Crown.

Which factors affected the first war of independence? ›

Perhaps the more important causes were people's discontentment with the land taxes taken by the British government, the seizure of many kingdoms and princely states by the British, and above all, people's desire for freedom from foreign rule.

Who were the leaders of 1857? ›

Here is a detailed overview of these leaders and their contributions:
  • Mangal Pandey (Barrackpore) ...
  • General Bakht Khan (Delhi) ...
  • Nana Saheb (Kanpur) ...
  • Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow) ...
  • Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi) ...
  • Kunwar Singh (Bihar) ...
  • Tatya Tope (Kanpur/Gwalior) ...
  • Maulvi Liaquat Ali (Allahabad)
Jun 14, 2023

What impact did the uprising of 1857 have on the Mughal rule? ›

Complete answer: The Mughal rule had already come to an end with the British domination in India. The Mughal ruler had become a puppet in the hands of the British. The last British ruler Bahadur Shah Jafar was deported to Rangoon in Myanmar after the 1857 revolt was unsuccessful.

Who fought in the Indian rebellion of 1857? ›

The 1857-8 Sepoy Mutiny in India was started by Indian East India Company soldiers (sepoys) unhappy with their pay and the institutional discrimination against them and their religious beliefs. Sepoys in various parts of India attacked and killed their officers and then took certain cities like Delhi.

What problems did the Indian Muslims face after the War of Independence? ›

The post 1857 period posed many challenges which were multifarious in nature including the loss of political power, the ruin of their economic bases and a threat to the annihilation of Islamic culture both material and non material. Among these the attacks on Islam by certain orientalists were the most serious.

Why did the Great Rebellion in India fail? ›

The Sepoy Mutiny failed due to the following reasons: Although the Hindus and Muslims had a common enemy , they were not exactly on friendly terms with each other. The rebellion lacked effective coordination with which they could not fulfill their objectives.

What was the vision of unity in the revolt of 1857? ›

One of the most important features of the 1857 Revolt was the unity exhibited by the Hindus and Muslims. This unity was the strength of the rebels. It was clear from the declarations they made. They were addressed to all the people irrespective of their religious faith.

How did the British relationship to India change after the Uprising of 1857? ›

After 1857

The Mughal dynasty was terminated, as was the Company. The British government took over direct rule, replacing the Company's administrative apparatus with an Indian Civil Service (which became the Indian Administrative Service after independence).

What measures were taken to ensure unity among the rebels of 1857? ›

The following measures were taken to ensure unity among the rebels : (i) In all their proclamations, the rebels repeatedly appealed to all sections of society. They did not take caste or creed into consideration. (ii) Many proclamations were made by the Muslim princes.

What steps did the British take to suppress the revolt? ›

  • Marshall Law was clamped throughout the north India.
  • All Englishmen were empowered to punish Indians.
  • The common process of law and trial was brought to an end.
  • British army assisted from many sides.
  • Many native states assisted against rebels.
  • Rebel cruelly punished. Related Solutions.

Who was hanged to death for attacking British officers in Barrackpore? ›

Mangal Pandey was arrested and sentenced to death after he attacked British officers in Barrackpore on March 29, 1857. Anticipating a revolt, British authorities moved up his initial execution date from April 18 to April 8, when he was hanged.

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