Why did the 1857 mutiny fail

Some important points to consider are:. From the list below, which enquiry question do you think offer most scope for an interesting, rigorous and sensitive approach to learning about the Indian Rebellion? Membership Contact us Support us About us. Historical Periods A-level topic guides Transition to university Choosing history Careers with history Competitions. Working with schools Guide to history in schools Public outreach Transition to university Publish with us About us.

More Close. Why study the Indian Rebellion? There are a number of reasons why you may wish to include a study of the Indian Rebellion in your key stage 3 curriculum: The history of the Indian Rebellion is powerful narrative full of dramatic events, fascinating characters and particular places.

It has enormous potential to fire pupils' curiosity and imagination. The Indian Rebellion was the greatest anti-colonial uprising against a European Empire during the nineteenth century. It represented a significant turning point in the long and complex relationship between Britain and India. A study of the Indian Rebellion can encourage pupils to consider fundamental questions of identity and diversity. An increased emphasis on significant events in Britain's colonial past, such as the Indian Rebellion, can help to create a more diverse and inclusive history curriculum.

For pupils of Asian origin, the Indian Rebellion represents a particularly important part of their heritage and personal identity. A vast range of sources are available to support pupils' enquiry into the Indian Rebellion. In recent years, sources have been uncovered and translated that allow the events of to be seen, for the first time, from an Indian perspective. The Indian Rebellion provides a rich context for the study of interpretations of history.

The Rebellion continues to be the focus of intense scholarly debate and competing popular representations. The Indian Rebellion resulted in the deaths and suffering of thousands of men women and children.

The extreme violence of the Rebellion, and the brutality of the British reprisals, calls for sensitive planning and teaching. What makes the Rebellion particularly emotive and controversial is its continued contemporary significance in India and in Britain, and its potential personal resonance for pupils of Asian origin.

Recent scholarship on the events of has emphasized the religious dimension of the Rebellion. Use a range of sources that allows pupils to explore Indian perspectives There is an abundance of first-hand narratives of the Rebellion from British soldiers and civilians.

Two recent works provide a fascinating insight into Indian perspectives: William Dalrymple in his stunning book, The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, Bloomsbury , makes extensive use of the Mutiny Papers from the Indian National Archives and provides a rich and fascinating insight into the motivation, experiences and dilemmas of the ordinary people of Delhi in Investigate the complex causes of the Rebellion The traditional explanation of the Indian Rebellion focuses on the controversy over the newly-introduced Enfield rifle cartridges greased with pork and beef fat.

A complex understanding of the causes of the Indian Rebellion will allow pupils to explore: Earlier Indian revolts against the British.

The significance of Mangal Pandey and his attack at Barrackpore in April It began in Barrackpore in March of , just before the summer heat of Hindustan arrived. Mangal Pandey, of the 34th Native Infantry, ran amok one evening, high off bhang marijuana mixed with milk.

He tried to raise a religious revolt against the British and attacked his British officers. He was arrested, then hanged. Yet the events really took off in Meerut two months later, in May. The Company had introduced a new Enfield rifle for soldiers sometime in April, yet there were rumors that their cartridges were greased with swine and cow fat.

Furthermore, the ends of the cartridges needed to be bitten off to fire properly, which of course would necessitate oral contact.

This offended both Hindus and Muslims. Hindu and Muslim soldiers interpreted this as a clandestine plot to convert India to Christianity, or at least to undermine their beliefs. You can see why it would have made sense, given the steady accumulation of grievances. Many sipahi s refused to load the new cartridges, leading to many being court-marshaled.

Learn more about how Britain adjusted to rapid change without the unrest that tore at other Western countries. On the 10th and 11th of May, the 11th Native Cavalry Regiment mutinied throughout the evening and early morning. They quickly overran their British officers and looted the armory. Tapping into existing resentment, the sipahi s soon overran most of North India with arms.

Company authority quickly disappeared in large areas of North India. Why would they rally around the Mughal emperor? The Mughal Emperor was still the symbol of sovereignty and one that could mobilize the masses. The sipahis and those who joined them absorbed many tracts of rural countryside west of Delhi. There, they found support among peasants, cultivators, and displaced weavers, who all felt the economic pains associated with British rule.

Recently-annexed Awadh was in outright revolt. Some changes, such as outlawing sati a widow's suicide by fire and child marriage, may have been well-meaning. But the British imposed them without any regard for Indian culture.

Fears that the British were also trying to force conversion to Christianity upon the Indian people led to a widespread feeling that the traditional way of life was threatened. After taking over the Punjab in , the Company reduced the number of British Army regiments in India.

This was for reasons of economy, and to send men to the Crimean War Of the , men on the Bengal Army establishment in , 24, were European and , were Indian sepoys infantry and sowars cavalry. This ratio was especially problematic given that discipline in the Bengal Army had for some time been inferior to that in the Company's other armies.

Poor terms of service and pensions, bad pay, lack of promotion, and increased cultural and racial insensitivity from British officers all contributed to the feelings of discontent among the Indian soldiers of the Bengal Army.

Many high caste Hindu sepoys also viewed attempts during the s to extend recruitment to lower caste Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims as a threat to their traditional social status. No single factor was in itself enough to start a rebellion. But the cumulative effect meant all that was needed was a catalyst to turn quiet discontent into a much more serious affair.

Rumours spread that the cartridges for the new rifle were greased with pig and cow fat. This made them offensive to both Muslims and Hindus, and added weight to existing concerns about forced conversion to Christianity.

When his comrades were ordered to restrain him they refused, but they stopped short of joining him in open revolt. Although only a handful of sepoys had been involved, the entire regiment was disbanded in disgrace. Sepoys elsewhere thought this too harsh a punishment.

The Mutiny proper began at Meerut on 10 May Eighty-five members of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, who had been jailed for refusing to use cartridges they believed to be at odds with their religion, were broken out of prison by their comrades. They ransacked the nearby military station and killed any Europeans they could find. Regimental colour centre of the 41st Native Infantry who attacked their officers and other Europeans at Sitapur on 3 June The situation rapidly escalated, and the British reacted slowly.

The following day Delhi fell to the mutineers. News of these events spread, encouraging further mutinies elsewhere. Some units were disarmed before they had the chance to mutiny. In other cases, British officers refused to believe their men would rebel until it was too late. Not everyone who mutinied took up arms against the British. Many simply went home and refused to assist either side. There were only 35, British soldiers in the whole subcontinent and these were widely scattered.

Reinforcements took months to arrive. Fortunately for the British, it was almost exclusively soldiers of the Bengal Army who mutinied. This was partly due to their fear of a return to Mughal rule. They also had little in common with the high caste Hindu sepoys of the Bengal Army.

The Rani of Jhansi lost her lands when her husband died without a male heir; and failed to regain them in the British courts. The Nawab of Furukabad reluctantly joined the revolt after sepoys arrived at his palace in June Most notorious was the deposition of the Nawab of Oudh on the grounds that he was unfit to rule.