Mason, Philip (1974), page 264 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. Political All rights reserved. Eleven of the sepoys were executed and hundreds more sentenced to hard labour. The forces were divided into three presidency armies: Bombay, Madras, and Bengal. [20], In 1857, the Bengal Army contained 10 regular regiments of Indian cavalry and 74 of infantry. Historians have identified diverse political, economic, military, religious and social causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Political, Economic, Social and Military causes. THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE REVOLT OF 1857 Following are three important causes of the revolt of 1857: Ill-treatment of Indian Soldiers - The East India Company discriminated against their Indian sepoys. Ruin of the Mercantile Class. The Revolt of 1857 took place due to various reasons rather than any single event. Following Political: Nana Sahib was refused pension, as he was the adopted son of pesewa Baji Rao II. … In some districts like Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur, Bose and Jalal argue that "the revolt took on a distinctly millenarian flavour. 5. Due to the need for technical specialists, the artillery units generally had a higher proportion of British personnel. The Indian soldiers were discriminated. Though paid marginally less than the Bombay and Madras Presidency troops, there was a tradition of trust between the soldiery and the establishment â the soldiers felt needed and that the company would care for their welfare. When soldiers of the Bengal army mutinied in Meerut on May 10, 1857, tension had been growing for some time. Saul, David (2003), page 294 "The Indian Mutiny", Penguin Books. However much of this sense of the invincibility of the British was lost in the First Anglo-Afghan War where poor political judgement and inept British leadership led to the massacre of Elphinstone's army (which included three Bengal regiments) while retreating from Kabul. Mason, Philip (1974), pages 305-306 "A Matter of Honour", London: Holt, Rhinehart & Winston. [7] Several years before the sepoys' mutiny, Lord William Bentinck had attacked several jagirs in western Bengal. MILITARY CAUSES. Causes of Revolt of 1857 The revolt of 1857 was initiated due to various factors which are stated below: Religious & Social Causes – racism or racial discrimination was believed to be a major reason for the revolt of 1857 wherein Indians were exploited and were kept away from mixing with Europeans. Indian sepoys formed more than 87% of British troops in India. Causes of Failure of Revolt. [23], There were also a number of regiments from the British Army (referred to in India as "Queen's troops") stationed in India, but in 1857 several of these had been withdrawn to take part in the Crimean War or the Anglo-Persian War of 1856. [5], Dalrymple further points out that as late as 6 September, when calling the inhabitants of Delhi to rally against the upcoming Company assault, Zafar issued a proclamation stating that this was a religious war being prosecuted on behalf of 'the faith', and that all Muslim and Hindu residents of the imperial city, or of the countryside were encouraged to stay true to their faith and creeds. The sepoys were local soldiers, the majority Hindu or Muslim, that were recruited into the Company's army. The moment at which the sepoys' grievances led them openly to defy British authority also happened to be the most favourable opportunity to do so.[24]. The musketry books also recommended that, "Whenever the grease around the bullet appears to be melted away, or otherwise removed from the cartridge, the sides of the bullet should be wetted in the mouth before putting it into the barrel; the saliva will serve the purpose of grease for the time being" This meant that biting a musket cartridge was second nature to the Sepoys, some of whom had decades of service in the company's army, and who had been doing musket drill for every day of their service. According to some historians, the revolt of 1857 was simply a Sepoy’s Mutiny. Historians have identified diverse political, economic, military, religious and social causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Causes of the Revolt of 1857: (a) Political Causes i. Doctrine of Lapse: Lord Dalhousie successfully annexed many Indian states to the English East India Company. Mutiny primarily led to the need for technical specialists, the East India Company: revolt! 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