The Sepoy mutiny of 1857 is a well known Indian revolution during British colonization. It is sometimes referred to as the Great rebellion, Revolt of 1857 or the Sepoy mutiny. This revolt took the British by surprise when it began as they had been blinded by their thought that they had taken control over two thirds of India.
As a way of maintaining control over trade in India, the British East Indian Company decided to recruit native population or Sepoys into its troops. This move was also followed by the British government took the locals into their army. They then trained them on their fighting methods and how to use their weapons. They would later use them in fighting their conquests and maintaining stability.
The number of the native population in the army soon outnumbered that of their European counterparts. With this strong army, the British were able to maintain control in almost all of India. With this control, the British were now able to affect their rule to the locals by; commencing evangelical and missionary work, introducing their technology, their administrative system and land ownership practices. Many of the locals saw this as an invasion of their way of life.
Though not many of the natives were in agreement with what the Europeans were doing, they could do nothing. But this was bound to change when a situation happened that sparked them to cause a revolution. In the year 1853 the British Company decided to make an improvement of the weapons used. They introduced greased paper cartridges that required one to open it using the teeth in order to load the firearm. Following this improvement, rumors started flowing around that the grease used on the cartridges had been made from pork and beef fat.
As it would be, the local people did not like this. The reason being according to their religion which is Hindu, they were not allowed to eat beef since a cow was sacred. For the Islam, eating pork was also not allowed since a pig is unclean according to this religion. Therefore, the Sepoys saw the introduction of these new cartridges as a way of forcing them all into Christianity.
The revolution began in Meerut, which was the first district to get the new weaponry. Here, the mutineers killed any European they came across with. They then moved to other areas namely Delhi, Cawnpore, Rajputna, Lucknow, Sahib and Oudh. In an attempt to calm the anger among the sepoys, British manufactures decided to change the cartridges and removed the grease. But this only confirmed to the locals the rumors were true.
Two months later into the revolution, it was revealed that more than two hundred women, men and children had been brutally murdered, the British decided to avenge these deaths. They would capture suspected rebels and then execute them. This they continued as retaliatory attacks for six months and they were able to restore their power in 1858.
For many Indian people, the Sepoy mutiny of 1857 is considered the beginning of the fight of independence. They would later attain independence in 1947, ninety years after the revolution. But the rebellion had succeeded in sending a strong message to their colonialists that their days were numbered on their land.
As a way of maintaining control over trade in India, the British East Indian Company decided to recruit native population or Sepoys into its troops. This move was also followed by the British government took the locals into their army. They then trained them on their fighting methods and how to use their weapons. They would later use them in fighting their conquests and maintaining stability.
The number of the native population in the army soon outnumbered that of their European counterparts. With this strong army, the British were able to maintain control in almost all of India. With this control, the British were now able to affect their rule to the locals by; commencing evangelical and missionary work, introducing their technology, their administrative system and land ownership practices. Many of the locals saw this as an invasion of their way of life.
Though not many of the natives were in agreement with what the Europeans were doing, they could do nothing. But this was bound to change when a situation happened that sparked them to cause a revolution. In the year 1853 the British Company decided to make an improvement of the weapons used. They introduced greased paper cartridges that required one to open it using the teeth in order to load the firearm. Following this improvement, rumors started flowing around that the grease used on the cartridges had been made from pork and beef fat.
As it would be, the local people did not like this. The reason being according to their religion which is Hindu, they were not allowed to eat beef since a cow was sacred. For the Islam, eating pork was also not allowed since a pig is unclean according to this religion. Therefore, the Sepoys saw the introduction of these new cartridges as a way of forcing them all into Christianity.
The revolution began in Meerut, which was the first district to get the new weaponry. Here, the mutineers killed any European they came across with. They then moved to other areas namely Delhi, Cawnpore, Rajputna, Lucknow, Sahib and Oudh. In an attempt to calm the anger among the sepoys, British manufactures decided to change the cartridges and removed the grease. But this only confirmed to the locals the rumors were true.
Two months later into the revolution, it was revealed that more than two hundred women, men and children had been brutally murdered, the British decided to avenge these deaths. They would capture suspected rebels and then execute them. This they continued as retaliatory attacks for six months and they were able to restore their power in 1858.
For many Indian people, the Sepoy mutiny of 1857 is considered the beginning of the fight of independence. They would later attain independence in 1947, ninety years after the revolution. But the rebellion had succeeded in sending a strong message to their colonialists that their days were numbered on their land.
