Casa de Penlee, Penzance, Cornualles

The revolt of Cipayes , that the Indians regard sometimes as the first movement for the independence of their country, is one period of rising and rebellion in the North and the center of the India against the British domination in 1857 - 1858.

Origin

In fact of a movement limited to the armed forces like one it is not a question often presents it. Dissatisfaction thundered in India because of occidentalization campaign to forced march imposed by the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies (CAIO) and the General governor Dalhousie, convinced of their superiority.

Among the causes for dissatisfaction the interventions in the interior policy of the Indian States under protectorate were:

the doctrines of pre-emption or doctrines of Lapse , defined by Dalhousie, imposed the validation by the British authority of the adopted successors, traditionally, by the Hindu leaders without male heir. This validation not occurring obviously, the territories were thus annexed like Sâtârâ in 1848, Jhansi in 1853 and Nâgpur in 1854 by CAIO ;
the title of Peshwâ , hereditary Prime Minister traditional marathe, was refused in 1853 with Nânâ Sâhib, wire adoptive of the peshwa in station, and its removed pension;
the last emperor moghol Muhammad Bahâdur Shâh was seen meaning that it would be the last of his Dynastie.

The British also prohibited the Mariage of children, the tradition of the Satî, as they pursued and decimated the Thug S.

The Indians came from there to believe - not without some reasons - that the British had envisaged to convert them liking or of force with the Christianisme. Lastly, started to spread prophecy that the domination of CAIO did not have any more but for 100 years.

Cipayes

Cipayes (of the Hindî shipahi , soldier which gave also the word spahi ) were Indian soldiers being used in the army of the English Company of the Eastern Indies under the British orders of officers trained in the proper military academy of CAIO for the United Kingdom. The presidencies of Bombay, Madras and of the Bengal maintained their own army, each one having its characteristic commander-in-chief and maintained more troops than the official army of the British Empire. In 1857, they integrated some 200.000 Cipayes - against nearly 40.000 soldiers of British origin - who were dissatisfied with certain aspects of the military life.

In spite of their relatively weak balance, the transport of their luggage towards remote theaters of operation - the Afghanistan or the Burma, for example - remained with their expenses.

Moreover, CAIO recruited Indians of Caste other than Brahmane and Kshatriya. Moreover, in 1856, one required of Cipayes to be useful overseas what would have involved a large impurity for the members of the high castes.

However, the most famous reason is the use of animal grease in the manufacture of the cartouches of rifle Lee-Enfield. Indeed, the soldiers were to tear the cartridges with their teeth before charging them in their rifle, which was, considering this use, inconceivable for the Hindu soldiers and Musulman S which suspectaient, the ones the use of ox grease, the others that of lard. In February 1857, Cipayes refused to employ the news cartridges. The British replaced the cartridges by news manufactured containing plant oil and beeswax, but the rumor persisted.

In March 1857, Mangal Pande, soldier of the 34e indigenous regiment of infantry, attacked her British sergeant, wounded a regimental sergeant major and turned over the weapon against him. Like collective punishment, the whole regiment was dissolved, which other Cipayes found unjustified.

A few weeks later, the May 9th, with Meerut, 85 troops of the 3rd regiment of light cavalry refused to employ their cartridges and were condemned to public degradation and ten years of forced labors.

The revolt starts

The next day, the May 10th 1857, the 11th indigenous regiment of cavalry of the army of Bengal stationed with Meerut mutine. The soldiers release all the prisoners of the prison of the city and cantonment attack the where lived Europeans who all were exterminated, women and children included/understood and without reference to social class, as all the Indian Christians who were there. They set fire to then all the houses and go on Delhi. First of all, the British troops did not continue them.

The next day, in Delhi, the mutineers are joined by other Indians of the local bazaar. They attack the Fort red, kill five British - among whom a British officer and two women - and require that Bahadur Shah recover his throne. This last is let involve against its liking becoming thus the declared chief of the rebellion. Cipayes continue to massacre all Europeans or Christians whom they meet in the city.

Partisans and opponents

The rebels did not agree on all. Many Indians had joined the rebels in the idea to restore the empires moghol and marathe. The rânî Lakshmî Bâî which reigned on Jhansi, claimed in 1853 by the British, carried out a violent rebellion. Some chiefs of mutineers called with the Jihad and much of Moslem craftsmen united with the mutineers for religious reasons.

However, all the Indians did not support the rebellion. The Sikhs of the Panjâb did not appreciate the idea of a return of the capacity moghol of which they had undergone repression and fought in the British rows. In Oudh, the Moslems Chiite S did not see an good eye the return of Sunnite S to the capacity. Lastly, the major part of the south of the country remained apart from the events.

Delhi is taken again

The British were slow to react. Two columns left finally Meerut and Simla. They advanced slowly towards Delhi and fought, killed and hung many Indians all along the road. Moreover, British regiments left the theater of the Crimean War for India. After a two months walk, the British fought the principal army corps of the rebels close to Delhi with Badl-ke-Will be and forced it to seek refuge in the city. The British were not enough numerous to make an effective head office of Delhi, the rebels easily obtaining resources and reinforcements. Later, the British were joined by the column of the Sikhs soldiers of Panjâb and by elements Gurkha S.

However, the so much awaited heavy artillery did not guarantee an easy victory vis-a-vis the numerical superiority of Cipayes. The British ended up passing the door of the Cachemire and a week of street battles began. Sikhs were relaxed after the death of their commander. When the British reached the Strong red, Bahadur Shah had already fled with the Tombeau of Humayun. The British had taken again the city.

Bahâdur Shâh was finally stopped and, the next day, the British officer William Hodson cut down his sons Mîrzâ Moghul, Mîrzâ Khizr Sultan and Mîrzâ Abu Bakr of his own authority.

Cawnpore

In June, Cipayes confined in Cawnpore (Kanpur) under the orders of the Wheeler general rebelled - it with the tacit agreement of Nânâ Sâhib seems - and besieged the European cutting off. The British underwent three weeks of seat without water, knowing losses constantly. The June 25th, Nânâ Sâhib required their rendering and Wheeler had of another choice to only accept. When the British embarked on the river, their pilots fled and an exchange of shots followed. The Indians drew with the gun on the boats and covered the river of corpses, only a boat with 4 men succeeds in escaping. The surviving women and children were transported in Bibi-Ghar ( the house of the women ) with Cawnpore. The July 15th a group of men there entered and killed the occupants with the knife, then cut out the bodies before throwing the pieces in a well.

The British were dismayed and Cipayes lost many of their partisans. Cawnpore became the war cry of the British soldiers for the remainder of the conflict. Nânâ Sâhib had, him, disappeared with the Nepal where it will remain until its death.

When the British had taken again Cawnpore, the soldiers brought their prisoners cipayes to Bibi-Ghar and forced them to lick the bloodstains on the walls and the floor, then hung them.

Lucknow

The State d' Oudh (today the Uttar Pradesh) entered in rebellion shortly after the events of Meerut. The British commander of Lucknow, Henry Laurent, had had enough time to reinforce his position. He had 1.700 men, including Cipayes faithful. After first unfruitful attacks, the rebels started to bombard the British position. Laurent was one of the first victims. The rebels tried to open a breach in the fortifications with explosives and to cross those by means of underground tunnels which were the seat of engagements to the body with body. After 90 days of seat, the number of besieged was reduced to 300 Cipayes remained faithful, 350 British soldiers and with 550 not combatants.

The September 25th, they were joined by thousand soldiers of the Royal Highland Regiment . In October, another unit of Highlanders ordered by Colin Campbell raised them and the November 18th, they evacuated the position before turning over to cut off itself in Cawnpore taken again.

Revenge

End 1857, the British started again to gain ground. Lucknow was taken again in March 1858. Because of the beginning strapping of the rebellion and following the apparent treason of Nânâ Sâhib and with the butchery of Cawnpore, CAIO considered that it did not have any reason to act with humanity. The British press and the British government did not recommend any leniency. The soldiers did very few prisoners, if is not to carry out them afterwards. Whole villages were exterminated on suspicions of sympathy towards the rebels. The Indians called this period the wind of the devil .

The last rebels were demolished with Gwalior the June 20th 1858. Sporadic combat continued in 1859 but the majority of the rebels had been subjected. The condemned rebels were attached to the mouth of guns and were reduced of pieces.

The reorganization

The shortly after the rebellion, the British government decided to put the Indies under the direct control of the crown by founding the British Raj under the command of a Vice-roi of the Indies. They started reforms, tried to integrate the highest castes and the local leaders in the government of the Indies and removed the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies. They stopped the ground appropriations, issued the religious tolerance and admire Indians in the public office, mainly like subordinates. They also increased the number of British soldiers compared to the natives and only the British soldiers could henceforth be useful in artillery.

In 1877, the Reine Victoria gained the title of empress of the Indies . Bahadur Shah, as for him, was exiled with Rangoon where he died in 1862.

See too

conspiracy of the chapati for a theory on the release of the revolt

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