The Indian Mutiny of 1857‚58 began as a revolt of Indian soldiers (sepoys) in the Bengal army of the British East India Company. However, it soon developed into a widespread uprising against British rule in India.
Causes of the Mutiny
The sepoys were dissatisfied with their pay and changes in regulations which they interpreted as a plot to force them to adopt Christianity. This belief was strengthened when the British furnished the soldiers with paper powder cartridges waterproofed with grease made from the fat of cows (sacred to Hindus) and of pigs (anathema to Muslims). Use of cartridges required the user to bite off its end so that the powder could be poured into the musket muzzle. The British replaced the cartridges when the mistake was realized but suspicion persisted.
The Revolt
Despite the army's sometimes savage reconquest, the British government did recognize the urgent need for reform. The East India Company was abolished and rule assumed directly by the British crown. Expropriation of land was discontinued, religious toleration was decreed, and Indians were admitted to subordinate positions in the civil service.
Many factors had combined to create a climate of social and political unrest in India prior to the revolt. The political expansion of the East India Company and its harsh land policies as well as the introduction of European ways, threatened traditional India.
On May 10th 1857 the sepoys revolted at Meerut. Soon Delhi was captured and the Mughul ruler Bahadur Shah II proclaimed emperor of all India. The mutiny spread rapidly through north central India, and, by the end of June, Cawnpore had fallen to the sepoys of Nana Sahib, and Lucknow was besieged. Troops (largely British) led by generals Colin Campbell and Henry Havelock achieved the reconquest. Delhi fell in September and Lucknow (abandoned in November) was retaken in March 1858. The rebellion was marked by atrocities on both sides, the British taking savage reprisals for the massacres perpetrated by the rebels.