ia_2009_b_

=B. Summary of Evidence (500-600 words) Tips]=

The Indian Mutiny of 1857 stared on the 10th of may as a mutiny of the sepoys (Indian soldier loyal to a European power) in eastern British India, in the town of Meerut, this inspired many other mutinies and civilian riots and rebellions, mainly throughout the upper Gangetic plain and central India as is agreed by Bandyopadhyay in his writings From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India "The 1857 rebellion was by and large confined to northern Indian Gangetic Plain and central India". The worst of the hostilities were restricted to the Uttae Pradesh region, northern Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, Gurgaon and Uttarakhand. These rebellious uprisings threatened the Honourable East India Company’s (HEIC) power in that area, and it was only due to the fall of Gwailor, during the end of June 1858, that the rebellion was successfully stamped out. The rebel forces were quick to secure large amounts of the Northwest Provinces and Oudh, including the city of Delhi, where they promptly establish the Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Emperor of Hindustan, “He died on Friday November 7 1866 at the age of 89. At the time of death he had next to him Queen Zeenat Mahal and Princess Raunaq Zamani Begum.”. The response by the Company came rapidly by the September of 1857 along with the aid of British reinforcements, Delhi was promptly recaptured. Though however prompt the recapture of Delhi is seen is still took most of 1958 for the suppression of the rebellion in Oudh to be completely achieved. Though there were violent regions of rebellion there were also calm regions of company controlled India such as the Bengal Province, the Madras presidency and the Bombay Presidency. In the freshly annexed region of Punjab, the Sikh princes decided to support the HEIC and provided both her soldiers and support. By not joining the rebellion several larger states, such as Travancore, Kashmir, Hyderabad and the smaller states of Rajputana, were acting, in the words of the Governor-General Lord Canning as [the company’s] "breakwaters in a storm" In some of the regions, most notably Oudh, the rebellion being staged adopted a different façade, it seem that is was becoming a patriotic revolt against the European presence in the country. The rebel leaders became cult heroes among the rapidly growing Indian nationalist movement, in particular the Rani of Jhansi.

This map (insert) shows the different Indian states during the revolt of 1857. The different colours show the different situations of different areas at the time.

The rebellion showed itself to be an utmost important millstone in Indian national history, it lead to the disbanding of the HEIC in 1858, and forced the British rulers to recognise and appreciate the presence of the army, the financial system and the administration of India. Thus after this point India was governed from London by a new cabinet, the British government India Office. This new system for the governing of India lasted until 1947.