The Indian Rebellion of 1857

A major uprising against the East India Company that began among its own Indian soldiers.

Background

Resentment had built up over annexations of Indian states, land revenue policies, and Company interference in customs. Soldiers in the Bengal Army also feared that new rifle cartridges were greased with animal fat, which offended both Hindu and Muslim religious sensibilities.

Course of events

The rebellion began at Meerut in May 1857 and quickly reached Delhi, where rebels declared the elderly Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar their leader. Fighting spread to Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi, where leaders such as Rani Lakshmibai took part. British forces recaptured the major centres by 1858 with brutal reprisals.

Legacy

In 1858 the British Parliament transferred the Company's powers to the Crown, beginning the period of direct British rule. The events are remembered in India as a first war of independence, although historians still debate their character.