The Sepoy Mutiny: When India rose up against the British East India Company

The background of the mutiny can be traced back to the British East India Company.

The company had been increasing their political control over India since the 1600s, and by the 1850s, it was clear that they were there to stay.

The East India Company would take possession of Indian territories in which a ruling king died without an heir under the "doctrine of lapse" policy.

The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856.

The technique was open to abuse, and the firm made use of it to acquire regions in an unjust manner.

The British government began to exert more control over the company in the early 1800s, and this led to increased taxes and restrictions on trade.

This made life very difficult for the people of India, and they began to resent the British presence. 

The company utilised a large number of Indian soldiers, known as 'sepoys', to maintain order and defend trading posts.

The sepoy troops were usually led by British officers.

The causes of the rebellion were many. The growing number of Christian missionaries in India began to confirm Indian suspicions that the British intended to convert them to Christianity.

Christian missionaries began streaming into India in greater numbers, adding weight to rumors about conversions.

The sepoys were angry about new cartridges that were being forced on them to use.

It was widely rumoured that these cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat, which offended the religious beliefs of the sepoys.

They felt that they had no choice but to rebel against the British government.

In addition, the people of India were tired of being oppressed by the British. They wanted to be able to govern themselves, and they saw the Sepoy Mutiny as an opportunity to do just that.

The mutineers proclaimed Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, as the symbolic leader of the rebellion, even though he was largely a figurehead with little real power.

On March 29, 1857, Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in the Bengal Army, fired the first shot of India's First War for Independence on the parade ground at Barrackpore.

His unit was about to be disarmed and disciplined after refusing to use new rifle cartridges.

Pandey revolted by shooting at and injuring a British Lieutenant Baugh. However, he missed and hit Baugh's horse instead.

After this, Pandey attacked with a talwar (sword) and injured him before being subdued by other soldiers.

Pandey was shot in the chest during the fight. However, although he survived the injury, he was tried and hanged on April 8, 1857.

During May and June 1857, more Indian troops had revolted against the British. The sepoy units in southern India remained loyal, but many from the Bengal Army rebelled in the north.

Early violence in the mutiny was directed against European civilians. In Meerut, near Delhi, mobs of angry Indians attacked British homes and businesses. They attacked men, women, and children indiscriminately.

The British responded by sending in troops to quell the unrest. This only served to increase the level of violence, and soon all of India was in a state of chaos.

In Delhi, the sepoys captured the city and proclaimed a new emperor. They held the city for several months before being driven out by British troops. 

One of the most brutal episodes of the mutiny occurred in Cawnpore (now Kanpur).

It began on June 5, 1857, when a number of Indian regiments besieged British forces and civilians under General Hugh Wheeler.

The siege lasted for three weeks, during which the British were trapped with limited supplies.

Finally, on June 27, Nana Sahib offered them safe passage to Allahabad, but as they attempted to evacuate via boats at Satichaura Ghat, they were ambushed.

Then, on July 15, 1857, around 200 British women and children who were held captive in a house called Bibighar in Cawnpore were brutally killed.

The British troops eventually regained control of Cawnpore, but not in time to prevent the atrocity from happening.

The incredible challenge that the British forces faced in trying to seize back control is probably best demonstrated during the Siege of Lucknow.

The immediate trigger for the siege was the mutiny of the sepoys stationed in Lucknow on May 25, 1857.

On the same day, British Commander Henry Lawrence had directed all women and children in Lucknow to seek shelter in the Residency, the city's main fortress.

Along with some British and Indian troops, they held out under siege conditions for six months.

They were besieged by rebel sepoys under Nana Sahib Peshwa and later joined by troops from Avadh (also known as Awadh), led by Begum Hazrat Mahal.

These additional troops had seized control of Avadh after expelling its Nawab Wajid Ali Shah from the kingdom during early June 1857.

Then they had then proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa, the ruler of Avadh.

During late June and early July 1857, a British column sent to relieve Lucknow was defeated at the Battle of Chinhat.

Another relief force was subsequently sent, which was also defeated in the First Battle of Lucknow on 30 July 1857. 

In September 1857, a small British force managed to break through the rebel defenses and reach the Residency, but the force had lost too many troops in reaching them and it was too risky to evacuate the civilians.

By this stage, the rebels cut off all supplies to the garrison, and it was not until November that further troops arrived under Lieutenant General Sir Colin Campbell.

The Second Battle of Lucknow ended with the relief of the Residency on 16 November 1857.

The Siege of Lucknow showed that despite superior British military forces, the rebels were capable of putting up a prolonged and determined resistance.

The siege also resulted in the death of many innocent civilians, which further served to increase anti-British sentiment in India.

On September 20, 1857, Delhi was recaptured by British forces, aided by Sikh and Gurkha soldiers, after three months of fighting.

This was seen as the beginning of the end for the revolt.

The British were eventually able to establish control in some areas, despite the fact that fighting continued into early 1858.

The rebels were defeated, but the methods used by the British were so cruel that many people in the Western world were appalled. 

Some British officers, furious at events such as the slaughter of women and children at Cawnpore, felt that hanging mutineers was too merciful. 

Mutineers were frequently shot on the spot when they were discovered. One of the most brutal penalties used was to put mutineers on a cannon's mouth and fire it, completely destroying the victim.

In the aftermath of the mutiny, the Bengal Army, which had formed the backbone of the rebellion, was disbanded, and the British drastically restructured the Indian military to prevent future uprisings.

At its conclusion, the rebellion resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, with estimates suggesting that around 100,000 Indian soldiers and civilians were killed, while British losses numbered around 10,000.

The uprising was recognised as over on July 8, 1859, but the consequences of the mutiny were far-reaching.

Following the suppression of the rebellion, Bahadur Shah II was captured, tried, and exiled to Rangoon.

Then, the British Parliament passed the Government of India Act in 1858, which formally dissolved the British East India Company and transferred all administrative control of India to the British Crown.

This led to increased regulation of trade and industry, and more restrictions on the rights of Indians. 

The East India Company had been in India for over 250 years, but the uprising of 1857 caused the British government to dissolve it and assume direct authority.

Following the suppression of the Indian Mutiny, India was legally considered a British colony, governed by a viceroy. 

Queen Victoria also added 'Empress of India' to her royal title. Outside Delhi, in roughly the location where bloody fighting had occurred 20 years earlier, an event known as the Imperial Assemblage took place in 1877.

The event was a means of 'publicly announcing Your Majesty's present title to the Chiefs and princes of India'. 

Lord Lytton, the viceroy of India, celebrated a number of Indian rulers at an elaborate ceremony.