Rebels and the Raj: AHSEC Class 12 History notes

Summary

Late in the afternoon of May 10, 1857, sepoys in Meerut mutinied. They attacked government buildings, destroyed records, and set British property on fire. The ordinary people of the town joined them. That night, a group of sepoys rode toward Delhi.

The next morning, the sepoys reached the Red Fort. It was the month of Ramzan, and the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, had just finished his pre-dawn meal. The sepoys shouted from outside, telling him that they had killed all the Englishmen in Meerut because they were forced to bite cartridges greased with the fat of cows and pigs. This, they said, had defiled both Hindu and Muslim beliefs. Soon, more sepoys and common people in Delhi joined the uprising. Europeans were killed, and the rich were looted. The revolt spread beyond the control of the British. The sepoys entered the palace and demanded the emperor’s blessing. He hesitated but eventually agreed. This gave the rebellion a sense of legitimacy.

News of Delhi’s fall spread quickly. Over the next few days, sepoys in cantonments across North India mutinied. Everywhere, they followed a similar pattern. They fired a signal gun, seized the bell of arms, looted treasuries, and burned government buildings. They called upon Hindus and Muslims to unite and drive out the British. The rebellion soon turned into an open revolt. Peasants, seeing moneylenders and landlords as British allies, attacked them too. The revolt led to a breakdown of authority.

In the early months, the British were helpless. Some tried to escape, while others hid. A British officer compared their rule to a house of cards, which had collapsed. The normal routine of city life was disrupted. Newspapers reported food shortages, lack of drinking water, and fears of disease spreading.

The sepoys coordinated their actions across regions. Messages traveled between cantonments. Sometimes, village leaders gathered in panchayats to plan their next moves. The sepoys lived together, often sharing caste ties, and made collective decisions about their rebellion.

For leadership, the rebels turned to former rulers. Bahadur Shah had no real power but was forced to become their symbolic leader. Nana Sahib was similarly drawn into leading the uprising in Kanpur. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and Kunwar Singh of Bihar also became leaders. In Awadh, the people supported the son of the exiled Nawab. Many local religious leaders, like Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, preached against British rule, urging people to rise against oppression.

Rumors played a key role in the rebellion. The story of the greased cartridges spread fear among sepoys. Some believed that the British had mixed bone dust into flour to destroy their religion. Many feared that the British aimed to convert them to Christianity. Mysterious chapattis were passed from village to village, signaling an impending uprising.

The British had annexed Awadh in 1856, removing its Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah. This angered many, especially taluqdars, who lost their lands. Peasants, already burdened by high revenue demands, suffered more under British rule. Many taluqdars and peasants joined the rebellion, hoping to reclaim their lost privileges.

The rebellion was fueled by many grievances. Sepoys were angry about pay, harsh treatment, and racial discrimination by British officers. Many of them were from Awadh and shared the frustrations of their families. When they revolted, villagers joined them in large numbers.

The rebels had their own vision of rule. They rejected British policies and wanted to restore old systems. They promised lighter taxes for landlords, fewer restrictions for traders, and greater respect for Indian officials. They sought unity, appealing to both Hindus and Muslims.

The British crushed the revolt with brutal force. They passed laws allowing summary executions. Rebels were shot, hanged, or blown from cannons. Villages that supported the revolt were burned. Delhi, Lucknow, and Kanpur were retaken after heavy fighting. The British offered landowners their estates back if they sided with them. This divided the resistance.

British newspapers painted the rebels as barbaric, fueling demands for revenge. Paintings and cartoons in Britain showed English women and children in distress, urging harsh retaliation. Executions were carried out in public to spread fear.

Despite the defeat, the memory of the rebellion lived on. Later nationalists celebrated it as the First War of Independence. Leaders like Rani Lakshmi Bai became symbols of resistance. The revolt did not succeed, but it planted the seeds of future struggles against British rule.

Textbook solutions

Answer in 100-150 words

1. Why did the mutinous sepoys in many places turn to erstwhile rulers to provide leadership to the revolt?

Answer: To fight the British, leadership and organization were required. For these, the rebels sometimes turned to those who had been leaders before the British conquest. One of the first acts of the sepoys of Meerut was to rush to Delhi and appeal to the old Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, to accept the leadership of the revolt. Initially, he was horrified and rejected their appeal, but when some sepoys moved into the Mughal court within the Red Fort, in defiance of normal court etiquette, he realized he had few options and agreed to be the nominal leader. Similarly, in Kanpur, the sepoys and townspeople compelled Nana Sahib, the successor to Peshwa Baji Rao II, to join the revolt as their leader. In Jhansi, the rani was forced by popular pressure to assume leadership, and in Bihar, Kunwar Singh, a local zamindar in Arrah, led the rebellion. In Awadh, where the memory of the displaced Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s annexation was fresh, the populace hailed his son, Birjis Qadr, as their leader.

2. Discuss the evidence that indicates planning and coordination on the part of the rebels.

Answer: The pattern of the mutinies suggests planning and coordination among the rebels. The sepoys communicated between cantonments, as seen when the 7th Awadh Irregular Cavalry, after refusing the new cartridges, wrote to the 48th Native Infantry, saying they had acted for faith and awaited orders. Sepoys or their emissaries traveled between stations, spreading news and discussing rebellion. Proclamations in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian urged Hindus and Muslims to unite against the British. Decisions were taken collectively in sepoy panchayats, which were a regular occurrence in places like Kanpur. Rebels also disrupted British communication lines, such as cutting the telegraph line to Delhi. Chapattis were mysteriously distributed across villages, possibly as a signal. The coordination extended to leadership, where erstwhile rulers were compelled to join. In Awadh, Kunwar Singh led rebels, and in Lucknow, Birjis Qadr was hailed as leader. These factors indicate significant organization in the rebellion.

3. Discuss the extent to which religious beliefs shaped the events of 1857.

Answer: The events of 1857 were deeply influenced by religious beliefs. The immediate cause of the revolt was the issue of greased cartridges, which sepoys believed were coated with the fat of cows and pigs, violating both Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments. This led to widespread resentment among the sepoys. Additionally, there were rumors that the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour sold in the market, further increasing religious anxieties. The British policies, such as the introduction of Western education and Christian missionary activities, also fueled fears of religious conversion among Hindus and Muslims. Proclamations issued during the revolt called upon both communities to unite against the British in defense of their faiths. Religious leaders, such as Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, played a role in mobilizing people. The perception that British rule threatened religious traditions contributed significantly to the unity and intensity of the rebellion.

4. What were the measures taken to ensure unity among the rebels?

Answer: The rebels ensured unity by making proclamations in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian, calling upon both Hindus and Muslims to unite and rise against the British. Messages of rebellion were communicated between sepoy lines, and panchayats were held in the sepoy lines to make collective decisions. The rebels turned to leaders from different backgrounds, including former rulers like Bahadur Shah, Nana Sahib, and Rani Lakshmi Bai, as well as religious leaders like Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah. The proclamations issued during the revolt emphasized a shared Hindu-Muslim past and called for joint efforts to expel the British. Religious divisions were minimized, and even British attempts to create rifts, such as spending money to incite Hindus against Muslims, failed. The unity was reinforced by the widespread belief that British rule was corrupting their faith and way of life, leading people from various communities to participate collectively in the uprising.

5. What steps did the British take to quell the uprising?

Answer: Before sending out troops to reconquer North India, the British passed a series of laws to help them quell the insurgency. By a number of Acts, passed in May and June 1857, the whole of North India was put under martial law, and military officers and even ordinary Britons were given the power to try and punish Indians suspected of rebellion. The ordinary processes of law and trial were suspended, and it was declared that rebellion would have only one punishment—death.

The British began their task of suppressing the revolt by mounting a two-pronged attack. One force moved from Calcutta into North India and the other from the Punjab to reconquer Delhi. Attempts to recover Delhi began in early June 1857 but were only successful in late September. The British used military power on a massive scale, realizing they were not dealing with a mere mutiny but an uprising with widespread popular support. In Awadh, for example, a British official estimated that three-fourths of the adult male population was in rebellion. The region was brought under control only in March 1858 after protracted fighting.

In areas where big landholders and peasants had offered united resistance, the British tried to break their unity by promising to return estates to the loyal landholders while dispossessing the rebels. Many landowners either died in battle or fled to Nepal, where they perished from illness or starvation.

The British also resorted to brutal punishments to instill fear. Rebels were publicly executed by being blown from cannons or hanged in large numbers. These executions were widely publicized to serve as warnings against rebellion.

Short essay-type answers

6. Why was the revolt particularly widespread in Awadh? What prompted the peasants, taluqdars, and zamindars to join the revolt?

Answer: The revolt was particularly widespread in Awadh because of the recent British annexation of the kingdom in 1856. The British deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and exiled him to Calcutta, assuming he was unpopular. However, he was widely loved, and his removal led to widespread grief and resentment. The annexation disrupted the entire social and economic structure, leading to discontent among different sections of society.

The taluqdars, who had traditionally controlled land and power, were disarmed, their forts destroyed, and their estates confiscated under the British land revenue policy. Before annexation, taluqdars controlled 67% of the total villages in Awadh, but after the Summary Settlement of 1856, this number was reduced to 38%. Many taluqdars lost half or more of their estates. The British assumed that removing the taluqdars would benefit the peasants, but in practice, it increased the burden on them. The new revenue system imposed high demands and harsh collection methods, leaving peasants with no relief. Unlike the taluqdars, who sometimes provided concessions during difficult times, the British system was rigid, leading to direct oppression of peasants.

Since most sepoys in the Bengal Army were recruited from Awadh, they were directly affected by the grievances of their families. The dispossession of taluqdars and the increased tax burden on peasants meant that the rural population saw the British as their common enemy. Many taluqdars and peasants joined the revolt, providing both leadership and mass support. In Awadh, resistance lasted longer than in other regions, with Begum Hazrat Mahal leading the fight against the British in Lucknow. The taluqdars and their peasants formed the backbone of this prolonged struggle, aiming to restore their lost rights and privileges.

7. What did the rebels want? To what extent did the vision of different social groups differ?

Answer: The rebels of 1857 wanted to overthrow British rule and restore the traditional order that had existed before British annexations. The proclamations of the rebels condemned British policies, particularly their land revenue settlements, economic exploitation, and attempts to interfere with religious customs. They accused the British of destroying the way of life that was familiar and cherished. The rebels sought to reinstate the Mughal authority, with Bahadur Shah as the symbolic head of the rebellion, and to reestablish the pre-British socio-political structure.

Different social groups had varied reasons for joining the revolt. The sepoys revolted primarily due to concerns about their religious purity, which they believed was threatened by the use of greased cartridges and other British policies. Their grievances were also linked to their economic conditions and the increasing racial discrimination they faced from British officers.

The taluqdars and zamindars, who had been displaced by British land revenue policies, saw the revolt as a means to regain their lost lands and authority. They played a crucial role in leading the rebellion, particularly in Awadh, where the dispossession of the taluqdars had led to widespread discontent.

The peasants and artisans joined the uprising because they suffered under high revenue demands and economic exploitation. The influx of British goods had ruined local industries, and many artisans had lost their livelihoods. They saw the revolt as an opportunity to restore their traditional economic conditions.

Merchants were also dissatisfied with British monopolies over trade and sought a system where they would have greater control over commerce. Similarly, religious leaders, both Hindu and Muslim, opposed British rule, which they perceived as a threat to their faiths.

Despite these differences in motives, there was a strong call for unity among Hindus and Muslims, as reflected in the proclamations of the rebels, which emphasized the need to fight together against British rule. However, while all groups opposed the British, their vision for the future differed based on their social and economic interests.

8. What do visual representations tell us about the revolt of 1857? How do historians analyse these representations?

Answer: Visual representations of the Revolt of 1857 provide crucial insights into how the rebellion was perceived and remembered by different groups. British artists and newspapers often depicted the rebellion as a violent and barbaric uprising, emphasizing acts of mutiny and revenge. Paintings like “Relief of Lucknow” by Thomas Jones Barker glorified British heroes such as Colin Campbell and James Outram, portraying them as saviors who restored British control. Other artworks, such as Joseph Noel Paton’s “In Memoriam,” depicted British women and children as helpless victims of Indian rebels, fueling British calls for retribution.

Meanwhile, nationalist representations in India from the 20th century emphasized the valor and heroism of figures like Rani Lakshmi Bai. Popular prints and poems celebrated her bravery, portraying her as a warrior who resisted British oppression. Such images became integral to the nationalist movement, shaping the collective memory of the rebellion.

Historians analyze these visual sources critically, understanding them as products of their time. British paintings and illustrations reflected colonial anxieties and justifications for harsh reprisals, while later nationalist imagery sought to construct a legacy of resistance. By examining such images alongside textual records, historians gain a more nuanced understanding of how the revolt was framed, remembered, and politically mobilized over time.

Extras

Additional questions and answers

1. What is mutiny?

Answer: Mutiny is a collective disobedience of rules and regulations within the armed forces.

2. What do you understand by revolt?

Answer: Revolt is a rebellion of people against established authority and power. The terms ‘revolt’ and ‘rebellion’ can be used synonymously. In the context of the revolt of 1857 the term revolt refers primarily to the uprising of the civilian population (peasants, zamindars, rajas, jagirdars) while the mutiny was of the sepoys.

3. When did the Meerut mutiny begin?

Answer: The sepoys in the cantonment of Meerut broke out in mutiny late in the afternoon of 10 May 1857.

4. On which date did the sepoys reach the Red Fort in Delhi?

Answer: The sepoys arrived at the gates of the Red Fort early in the morning on 11 May.

5. Who was the Mughal emperor during the revolt of 1857?

Answer: The old Mughal emperor during the revolt of 1857 was Bahadur Shah.

6. What was the bell of arms?

Answer: Bell of arms is a storeroom in which weapons are kept.

7. Define firangi.

Answer: Firangi, a term of Persian origin, possibly derived from Frank (from which France gets its name), is used in Urdu and Hindi, often in a derogatory sense, to designate foreigners.

8. Who was Nana Sahib?

Answer: Nana Sahib was the successor to Peshwa Baji Rao II, whom the sepoys and the people of the town in Kanpur gave no choice save to join the revolt as their leader. At the end of 1858, when the rebellion collapsed, Nana Sahib escaped to Nepal.

9. Who led the revolt in Jhansi?

Answer: In Jhansi, the rani was forced by the popular pressure around her to assume the leadership of the uprising.

10. Who was Kunwar Singh?

Answer: Kunwar Singh was a local zamindar in Arrah in Bihar who assumed the leadership of the uprising due to popular pressure.

11. Identify Birjis Qadr.

Answer: Birjis Qadr was the young son of the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. In Awadh, the populace in Lucknow celebrated the fall of British rule by hailing Birjis Qadr as their leader.

12. Who was Shah Mal?

Answer: Shah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh and belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators. He mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des, urging people to rebel against the British. Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer, turned it into a “hall of justice”, settling disputes and dispensing judgments. He was killed in battle in July 1857.

13. Who was Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah?

Answer: Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was one of the many maulvis who played an important part in the revolt of 1857. Educated in Hyderabad, he became a preacher and in 1856, was seen moving from village to village preaching jehad (religious war) against the British. He was popularly called Danka Shah – the maulvi with the drum (danka). When released from jail in Faizabad in 1857, he was elected by the mutinous 22nd Native Infantry as their leader and fought in the famous Battle of Chinhat.

14. What rumour triggered the sepoy mutiny in 1857?

Answer: The rumour that triggered the sepoy mutiny was about bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and that biting those bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. They were referring to the cartridges of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them.

15. Name the Governor General who annexed Awadh in 1856.

Answer: In 1856, Governor General Lord Dalhousie formally annexed the kingdom of Awadh to the British Empire.

16. Define Subsidiary Alliance.

Answer: Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798. All those who entered into such an alliance with the British had to accept certain terms and conditions:
(a) The British would be responsible for protecting their ally from external and internal threats to their power.
(b) In the territory of the ally, a British armed contingent would be stationed.
(c) The ally would have to provide the resources for maintaining this contingent.
(d) The ally could enter into agreements with other rulers or engage in warfare only with the permission of the British.

17. When was the Subsidiary Alliance imposed on Awadh?

Answer: The Subsidiary Alliance had been imposed on Awadh in 1801.

18. Who was the Nawab of Awadh annexed in 1856?

Answer: Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was the Nawab of Awadh who was dethroned and exiled to Calcutta when the kingdom was annexed in 1856.

19. Identify Henry Hardinge.

Answer: Henry Hardinge was a Governor General who attempted to modernise the equipment of the army. The Enfield rifles that were introduced initially used the greased cartridges the sepoys rebelled against.

20. Who described Awadh as “a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day”?

Answer: In 1851 Governor General Lord Dalhousie described the kingdom of Awadh as “a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day”.

21. What was the Summary Settlement of 1856?

Answer: The Summary Settlement of 1856 was the first British revenue settlement after the annexation of Awadh. It was based on the assumption that the taluqdars were interlopers with no permanent stakes in land and proceeded to remove the taluqdars wherever possible, aiming to settle the land with the actual owners of the soil.

22. Who was Begum Hazrat Mahal?

Answer: Begum Hazrat Mahal was the wife of the Nawab of Awadh. Many taluqdars loyal to the Nawab joined her in Lucknow to fight the British.

23. What were ishtahars?

Answer: Ishtahars were notifications issued by rebel leaders to propagate their ideas and persuade people to join the revolt.

24. Name the Governor General who annexed Awadh in 1856.

Answer: In 1851 Governor General Lord Dalhousie described the kingdom of Awadh as “a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day”. Five years later, in 1856, the kingdom was formally annexed to the British Empire.

25. Define Subsidiary Alliance.

26. Explain the pattern of the sepoy rebellion.

Answer: The sequence of events in every cantonment followed a similar pattern. The sepoys began their action with a signal, often the firing of the evening gun or the sounding of the bugle. They first seized the bell of arms and plundered the treasury. They then attacked government buildings – the jail, treasury, telegraph office, record room, bungalows – burning all records. Everything and everybody connected with the white man became a target. Proclamations in Hindi, Urdu and Persian were put up in the cities calling upon the population, both Hindus and Muslims, to unite, rise and exterminate the firangis. As the news of the mutiny in one town travelled to the next the sepoys there took up arms.

27. How did ordinary people participate in the 1857 revolt?

Answer: The ordinary people of the town and surrounding villages joined the sepoys in Meerut. In Delhi, the ordinary people of the city joined the sepoys who entered the city. When ordinary people began joining the revolt, the targets of attack widened. In major towns like Lucknow, Kanpur and Bareilly, moneylenders and the rich also became the objects of rebel wrath, as peasants saw them as oppressors and allies of the British. In most places their houses were looted and destroyed. Everywhere, peasants poured into towns and joined the soldiers and the ordinary people of the towns in collective acts of rebellion.

28. How were the plans for rebellion communicated among rebels?

Answer: There was communication between the sepoy lines of various cantonments. After the 7th Awadh Irregular Cavalry refused the new cartridges, they wrote to the 48th Native Infantry about their actions. Sepoys or their emissaries moved from one station to another. People were thus planning and talking about the rebellion. Panchayats, composed of native officers drawn from each regiment, were a nightly occurrence in the Kanpur sepoy lines, suggesting some decisions were taken collectively. The experience of François Sisten, a native Christian police inspector, suggests plans were communicated and discussed; a Muslim tahsildar from Bijnor enquired about the progress of “the work” in Awadh, indicating shared knowledge and planning among potential rebels.

29. Why did Bahadur Shah initially refuse the leadership of the revolt?

Answer: Bahadur Shah’s first reaction to the sepoys’ appeal to accept the leadership of the revolt was one of horror and rejection.

30. Why did taluqdars participate actively in the rebellion?

Answer: The annexation of Awadh dispossessed the taluqdars of the region. The British were unwilling to tolerate their power, disarmed them, and destroyed their forts. The British land revenue policy, specifically the Summary Settlement of 1856, further undermined their position and authority by removing them from land they had held for generations, based on the assumption they were interlopers. This led to a significant reduction in the number of villages they held. The dispossession of taluqdars meant the breakdown of an entire social order and the disruption of ties of loyalty and patronage with peasants. Many taluqdars were loyal to the Nawab of Awadh and joined Begum Hazrat Mahal in Lucknow to fight the British.

31. Why did sepoys mistrust the new cartridges introduced by the British?

Answer: Sepoys mistrusted the new cartridges because of the rumour that they were greased with the fat of cows and pigs, and biting those bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. This fear spread rapidly, and no amount of assurances from British officers could stop its circulation.

32. How did rumours about bone dust affect the revolt?

Answer: There was a rumour that the British government had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims by mixing the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour sold in the market. This led sepoys and common people in towns and cantonments to refuse to touch the atta. This fear and suspicion stirred men to action and reinforced the call for rebellion.

33. Describe the prophecy associated with the Battle of Plassey.

Answer: The response to the call for action was reinforced by the prophecy that British rule would come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey, on 23 June 1857.

34. Explain the impact of British annexation policies on Indian rulers.

Answer: On a variety of pleas, like misgovernment and the refusal to recognise adoption, the British annexed not only Awadh, but many other kingdoms and principalities like Jhansi and Satara. Once these territories were annexed, the British introduced their own system of administration, laws, land settlement, and revenue collection. This created disaffection in all annexed areas. It seemed to the people that all that they cherished and held sacred – from kings and socio-religious customs to patterns of landholding and revenue payment – was being destroyed and replaced by a system that was more impersonal, alien and oppressive. In Awadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled, causing widespread grief and loss.

35. Describe the attitude of British officers towards sepoys before the 1857 uprising.

Answer: In the 1820s, white officers made it a point to maintain friendly relations with the sepoys, taking part in their leisure activities like wrestling, fencing, and hawking. Many were fluent in Hindustani and familiar with local customs and culture, acting as disciplinarian and father figure rolled into one. However, in the 1840s, this began to change. Officers developed a sense of superiority, started treating sepoys as their racial inferiors, riding roughshod over their sensibilities. Abuse and physical violence became common, increasing the distance between sepoys and officers. Trust was replaced by suspicion.

36. Why was Awadh important to the British?

Answer: The British became increasingly interested in acquiring the territory of Awadh because they felt the soil there was good for producing indigo and cotton, and the region was ideally located to be developed into the principal market of Upper India. By the early 1850s, the takeover of Awadh was expected to complete the process of territorial annexation that had begun almost a century earlier.

37. What immediate effect did the exile of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah have on Lucknow?

Answer: The exile of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah caused a widespread sense of grief and loss in Lucknow. One contemporary observer wrote: “The life was gone out of the body, and the body of this town had been left lifeless … there was no street or market and house which did not wail out the cry of agony in separation of Jan-i-Alam.” The removal of the Nawab also led to the dissolution of the court and its culture, causing a whole range of people – musicians, dancers, poets, artisans, cooks, retainers, administrative officials and so on – to lose their livelihood.

38. What impact did British rule have on the taluqdars of Awadh?

Answer: Before the British, taluqdars controlled land and power, maintained armed retainers, built forts, and enjoyed autonomy as long as they accepted the Nawab’s suzerainty and paid revenue. The British were unwilling to tolerate their power. Immediately after annexation, taluqdars were disarmed and their forts destroyed. The Summary Settlement of 1856 removed taluqdars wherever possible, based on the assumption they were interlopers. Their share of villages significantly decreased from 67 per cent to 38 per cent. This dispossession undermined their position and authority.

39. Describe the initial British response to the rebellion.

Answer: In the months of May and June, the British had no answer to the actions of the rebels. Individual Britons tried to save their own lives and the lives of their families. British rule, as one British officer noted, “collapsed like a house made of cards”.

40. How did the British re-establish their control over Delhi?

Answer: The British mounted a two-pronged attack to reconquer Delhi. One force moved from Calcutta into North India and the other from the Punjab. British attempts to recover Delhi began in earnest in early June 1857, but it was only in late September that the city was finally captured after heavy fighting and losses on both sides, partly because rebels from all over North India had come to defend the capital.

41. Explain how Bahadur Shah became the nominal leader of the rebellion.

Answer: One of the first acts of the sepoys of Meerut was to rush to Delhi and appeal to the old Mughal emperor to accept the leadership of the revolt. Bahadur Shah’s first reaction was one of horror and rejection. It was only when some sepoys had moved into the Mughal court within the Red Fort, in defiance of normal court etiquette, and demanded that the emperor give them his blessings, that the old emperor, realising he had very few options, agreed to be the nominal leader of the rebellion. Surrounded by the sepoys, Bahadur Shah had no other option but to comply. The revolt thus acquired a kind of legitimacy because it could now be carried on in the name of the Mughal emperor.

42. Discuss the causes behind the widespread participation of peasants in the revolt.

Answer: When ordinary people began joining the revolt, the targets of attack widened. In major towns like Lucknow, Kanpur and Bareilly, moneylenders and the rich also became the objects of rebel wrath. Peasants not only saw them as oppressors but also as allies of the British. In most places their houses were looted and destroyed.

The dispossession of taluqdars in areas like Awadh meant the breakdown of an entire social order, disrupting the ties of loyalty and patronage that had bound the peasant to the taluqdar. Under the British, the peasant was directly exposed to overassessment of revenue and inflexible methods of collection, with no guarantee that in times of hardship or crop failure the revenue demand would be reduced or collection postponed.

The grievances of the peasants were carried over into the sepoy lines since a vast majority of the sepoys were recruited from the villages of Awadh. This link between the sepoys and the rural world had important implications; when the sepoys defied their officers and took up arms, they were joined very swiftly by their brethren in the villages. Everywhere, peasants poured into towns and joined the soldiers and the ordinary people of the towns in collective acts of rebellion.

43. Explain the role of Shah Mal in organising local resistance.

Answer: Shah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh and belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators. He mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des (eighty-four villages), moving at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British. As in many other places, the revolt against the British turned into a general rebellion against all signs of oppression and injustice. Shah Mal’s men attacked government buildings, destroyed the bridge over the river, and dug up metalled roads – partly to prevent government forces from coming into the area, and partly because bridges and roads were seen as symbols of British rule. They sent supplies to the sepoys who had mutinied in Delhi and stopped all official communication between British headquarters and Meerut. Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer, turned it into a “hall of justice”, settling disputes and dispensing judgments. He also set up an amazingly effective network of intelligence.

44. Discuss Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah’s role in the 1857 revolt.

Answer: Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was one of the many maulvis who played an important part in the revolt of 1857. Educated in Hyderabad, he became a preacher when young. In 1856, he was seen moving from village to village preaching jehad (religious war) against the British and urging people to rebel. He moved in a palanquin, with drumbeaters in front and followers at the rear, and was popularly called Danka Shah – the maulvi with the drum (danka). British officials panicked as thousands began following the maulvi and many Muslims began seeing him as an inspired prophet. When he reached Lucknow in 1856, he was stopped by the police from preaching in the city. Subsequently, in 1857, he was jailed in Faizabad. When released, he was elected by the mutinous 22nd Native Infantry as their leader. He fought in the famous Battle of Chinhat in which the British forces under Henry Lawrence were defeated. He came to be known for his courage and power, and many people believed he was invincible and had magical powers.

45. What grievances did the taluqdars of Awadh have against the British?

Answer: The annexation of Awadh in 1856 displaced not just the Nawab but also dispossessed the taluqdars of the region. Before the British, taluqdars had controlled land and power, maintained armed retainers, built forts, and enjoyed autonomy as long as they accepted the Nawab’s suzerainty and paid revenue. The British were unwilling to tolerate the power of the taluqdars. Immediately after annexation, the taluqdars were disarmed and their forts destroyed. The British land revenue policy, specifically the Summary Settlement of 1856, further undermined their position and authority. This settlement was based on the assumption that taluqdars were interlopers with no permanent stakes in land and proceeded to remove them wherever possible. Consequently, the taluqdars’ share of villages dropped significantly from 67 per cent to 38 per cent, with those in southern Awadh being the hardest hit, some losing over half their villages. As expressed by Hanwant Singh, the Raja of Kalakankar, the British drove out their King and sent officers to examine land titles, taking away lands that had been in his family for time immemorial.

46. Discuss how sepoy dissatisfaction evolved into an open rebellion.

Answer: For decades, the sepoys had complained of low levels of pay and the difficulty of getting leave. By the 1850s, their relationship with superior white officers underwent a significant change as officers developed a sense of superiority and started treating the sepoys as their racial inferiors, riding roughshod over their sensibilities. Abuse and physical violence became common, and trust was replaced by suspicion.

The episode of the greased cartridges for the new Enfield rifles, rumoured to be coated with the fat of cows and pigs which would corrupt their caste and religion if bitten, spread like wildfire across the sepoy lines of North India in early 1857. This rumour, combined with others like bone dust mixed in flour and fears of forced conversion to Christianity, stirred men to action. The sepoys’ fears about the cartridges, grievances about leave, and the increasing misbehaviour and racial abuse by white officers were communicated back to their villages, especially in Awadh.

On 10 May 1857, sepoys in the Meerut cantonment broke out in mutiny. It began in the native infantry lines, spread to the cavalry and the city. They captured the bell of arms, attacked white people, ransacked and burnt their property, destroyed government buildings, cut the telegraph line to Delhi, and rode off towards Delhi. Arriving on 11 May, they told the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah about the cartridges corrupting the faith of Hindus and Muslims alike and demanded his blessings. Surrounded by the sepoys, Bahadur Shah complied, giving the revolt legitimacy. This sequence, joined by ordinary people and spreading to other cantonments, marked the evolution of sepoy dissatisfaction into an open rebellion.

47. Why did the rebels view British rule as a threat to Indian religions?

Answer: The rebels viewed British rule as a threat to their religions due to several interconnected factors. The immediate cause was the introduction of new rifle cartridges rumoured to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs; biting these was believed to corrupt the religious faith and caste of both Hindus and Muslims. This incident tapped into deeper fears and suspicions that the British government had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Indians. Rumours circulated that the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour sold in the market and that they intended to convert Indians to Christianity, a perception aggravated by the activities of Christian missionaries.

These anxieties were further contextualized by British policies implemented since the late 1820s, aimed at “reforming” Indian society through Western education, Western ideas, and institutions, and laws abolishing customs like sati and permitting the remarriage of Hindu widows. These actions, along with annexations, were seen by many as destroying cherished socio-religious customs and replacing them with an alien and oppressive system. Rebel proclamations, such as the Azamgarh Proclamation, explicitly referred to the British as “infidels” and “enemies of both the religions” (Hinduism and Islam), calling upon religious leaders and the populace to join a “holy war” for the “preservation of their religion” and faith against the perceived threat posed by British rule.

48. Explain the methods used by the British to suppress the rebellion.

Answer: The British employed a combination of legal measures, military force, political tactics, and brutal repression to suppress the rebellion of 1857. Firstly, they passed a series of Acts in May and June 1857, placing North India under martial law. These laws suspended ordinary legal processes and empowered military officers and even ordinary Britons to try and punish suspected rebels, with death being the primary punishment. Secondly, armed with these special laws and reinforcements brought in from Britain, they launched large-scale military operations. A major focus was the reconquest of Delhi, achieved in late September 1857 after protracted fighting. The suppression campaign in the Gangetic plains involved slow, village-by-village reconquest against widespread popular resistance. Thirdly, the British used military power on a gigantic scale but also employed political strategies to break rebel unity, particularly in regions like Uttar Pradesh. They promised to return estates to loyal landholders while dispossessing those who had rebelled, rewarding loyalty. Fourthly, the suppression was characterized by extreme brutality and a powerful urge for vengeance and retribution, fueled by reports of rebel atrocities reaching Britain. Rebels were executed using brutal methods like being blown from guns or hanged from gallows. These executions were often conducted publicly and theatrically as a “performance of terror” designed to instill fear, and images of these acts were widely circulated. Despite some calls for moderation, the dominant sentiment in Britain favoured ruthless repression to restore British honour and demonstrate invincibility.

49. How did the rebels attempt to establish alternative administrative structures?

Answer: Once British rule had collapsed in major centres like Delhi, Lucknow, and Kanpur, the rebels made attempts to establish some kind of alternative structure of authority and administration. Although these structures were often short-lived, they demonstrated the rebels’ intention to restore the pre-British world, particularly the eighteenth-century Mughal order. The leaders reverted to the culture of the court. They made appointments to various posts, organized the collection of land revenue, arranged for the payment of troops, and issued orders aimed at maintaining control, such as directives to stop loot and plunder. Chains of command were also laid down within the rebel army to coordinate the fight against the British. These administrative structures were primarily designed to meet the demands of the ongoing war. While most of these structures could not survive the eventual British military onslaught, in Awadh, where resistance was most prolonged, more organized efforts, including plans for counter-attacks and established hierarchies of command, remained in place as late as the last months of 1857 and the early part of 1858.

50. What role did visual representations play in influencing British public opinion about the rebellion?

Answer: Visual representations, including paintings, drawings, etchings, posters, and cartoons produced by the British, played a crucial role in shaping British public opinion during and after the 1857 revolt. These images, often circulated alongside sensationalist newspaper reports, narrated the events, particularly the alleged violence of the mutineers, in ways that inflamed public feelings in Britain. Many visuals were created to provoke specific emotions and reactions. Some paintings, like Thomas Jones Barker’s “Relief of Lucknow,” celebrated British military heroes and the ultimate triumph of British power, reassuring the public and reinforcing a sense of national pride and resilience. Other images, such as Joseph Noel Paton’s “In Memoriam,” focused on the suffering of British civilians, depicting English women and children as helpless victims facing dishonour and death. These representations stirred anger, fury, and provoked demands for retribution and revenge by portraying the rebels as violent, brutish, and demonic. Cartoons and allegorical figures published in the British press, like those in Punch magazine, explicitly sanctioned brutal repression and violent reprisal, framing vengeance as both necessary and just to uphold British honour and demonstrate invincibility. Images depicting the brutal execution of rebels were also widely circulated, contributing to a climate where extreme violence was accepted. Furthermore, visual media ridiculed calls for clemency, reinforcing the dominant public demand for harsh punishment. Thus, visual representations were powerful tools in constructing a particular narrative of the revolt that justified British actions and mobilized public support for suppression.

51. How did the annexation of Awadh lead to widespread dissatisfaction among different social groups?

Answer: The annexation of Awadh created widespread dissatisfaction across various social groups for several reasons:

Nawab and Associated Elites: Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled on the plea that the region was being misgoverned. Contrary to British assumptions, he was widely loved, and his departure caused widespread grief and loss. His removal led to the dissolution of the court and its culture, stripping musicians, dancers, poets, artisans, cooks, retainers, administrative officials, and others of their livelihoods.

Taluqdars: The annexation directly displaced the taluqdars. They were disarmed, their forts were destroyed, and the Summary Settlement of 1856 systematically undermined their position and authority by removing them from their lands, viewing them as interlopers. Their share of villages significantly decreased, causing material loss and loss of status.

Peasants: Peasants faced heavily overassessed revenue demands (increases of 30 to 70 per cent) and inflexible collection methods under the British system. They lost the traditional safety nets provided by taluqdars, such as consideration during hardship, crop failure, or festivities, and the ties of loyalty and patronage were broken. They felt the new system was impersonal, alien, and oppressive.

Sepoys: Since a large majority of the Bengal Army’s sepoys were recruited from Awadh’s villages, the grievances felt by their families in the countryside—due to the annexation’s impact on landholding and revenue—were transmitted to the sepoy lines. This compounded their own discontents regarding low pay, leave difficulties, racial abuse from British officers, and the religiously offensive greased cartridges. The sepoys identified the firangi raj with the end of their world and the breakdown of things they valued.

52. Explain why the British felt compelled to resort to harsh measures of suppression.

Answer: The British felt compelled to resort to harsh measures of suppression for several reasons. Firstly, as soon as they began counter-insurgency operations, they realised they were not dealing with a mere mutiny but an uprising that had huge popular support, especially in areas like Awadh where three-fourths of the adult male population was estimated to be in rebellion, and the countryside and people were entirely hostile. Secondly, stories and visual representations of the violence allegedly committed by the rebels against British women and children inflamed public feelings in Britain, leading to widespread demands for revenge and retribution. Violent repression came to be seen as necessary and just. Thirdly, threatened by the rebellion, the British felt they had to demonstrate their invincibility and meet the challenge to British honour and power ruthlessly. To quell the insurgency, the British passed a series of laws in May and June 1857, putting North India under martial law and giving military officers and even ordinary Britons the power to try and punish Indians suspected of rebellion, with death being the only punishment in many cases, thus suspending ordinary processes of law and trial. The urge for vengeance and retribution was expressed in the brutal way rebels were executed – blown from guns or hanged from gallows – which were performed theatrically in the open to instil fear, functioning as a performance of terror.

53. Analyse the Azamgarh Proclamation and explain how it addressed different sections of Indian society.

Answer: The Azamgarh Proclamation, issued on 25 August 1857, is a key source detailing the rebels’ perspective and vision. It explicitly states that the people of Hindostan, both Hindoos and Mohammedans, are being ruined under the tyranny and oppression of the “infidel and treacherous English.” It calls upon all wealthy people, especially those connected to Mohammedan royal families, to stake their lives and property for the public well-being. It appeals for unity, highlighting that Hindoos and Mussalman Chiefs have joined the “reigning Indian crusade” and urges everyone to side with the Badshahi (imperial) government, asserting that the English will lose their footing in India.

The proclamation specifically addresses different sections of society:

Zemindars: It highlights how the British imposed exorbitant revenue demands (Jumas), ruined zemindars by auctioning their estates for arrears, and disgraced them in courts. It criticizes the high costs of litigation and annual taxes for amenities. It promises that under the Badshahi Government, Jumas will be light, their dignity will be safe, and every zemindar will have absolute rule in their own zemindary.

Merchants: It points out that the British monopolised the trade of valuable merchandise, leaving only trifles for the people, and taxed traders’ profits through various means. Merchants were liable to imprisonment and disgrace. It promises that under the Badshahi Government, these practices will end, and trade of every article, by land and water, will be open to native merchants, urging them to aid the cause with men and money.

Public Servants: It notes that natives in British civil and military services have little respect, low pay, and no influence, with all posts of dignity and emolument reserved for Englishmen. It calls on them to abjure loyalty to the English, side with the Badshahi Government, and promises them better salaries (200-300 rupees) and entitlement to high posts in the future.

Artisans: It states that Europeans, by introducing English articles, have thrown native artisans like weavers, cotton dressers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and shoemakers out of employment, reducing them to beggary. It assures that under the Badshahi Government, native artisans will be exclusively employed by the kings, rajahs, and the rich, ensuring their prosperity, and urges them to renounce English services.

Pundits, Fakirs and Other Learned Persons: It identifies them as guardians of the Hindoo and Mohammadan religions, respectively, and calls upon them to join the “holy war” against the Europeans, who are enemies of both religions, as the war was raging on account of religion.

Additional MCQs

1. On what date did the mutiny begin in Meerut?

A. 10 May 1857
B. 11 May 1857
C. 12 May 1857
D. 9 May 1857

Answer: A. 10 May 1857

2. Which action did the sepoys take at the onset of the mutiny in Meerut?

A. Burned bungalows
B. Captured the bell of arms
C. Blocked the telegraph
D. Seized the post office

Answer: B. Captured the bell of arms

3. What did the sepoys believe was contained in the new cartridges?

A. Poison
B. Cow and pig fat
C. Oil
D. Water

Answer: B. Cow and pig fat

4. On what date did the sepoys reach the gates of the Red Fort in Delhi?

A. 10 May 1857
B. 11 May 1857
C. 12 May 1857
D. 13 May 1857

Answer: B. 11 May 1857

5. Which religious observance was taking place in Delhi when the sepoys arrived at the Red Fort?

A. Diwali
B. Eid
C. Ramzan
D. Holi

Answer: C. Ramzan

6. What did the sepoys demand from the Mughal emperor at the Red Fort?

A. Financial aid
B. Military reinforcements
C. His blessings
D. Immediate surrender

Answer: C. His blessings

7. What was the effect of the sepoys’ arrival at the Red Fort on the legitimacy of the revolt?

A. It weakened the revolt
B. It gave the revolt legitimacy
C. It caused internal conflict
D. It halted the uprising

Answer: B. It gave the revolt legitimacy

8. What signal often marked the beginning of the mutinies in various cantonments?

A. Ringing of a church bell
B. Firing of the evening gun
C. Blowing of a conch
D. Shouting a battle cry

Answer: B. Firing of the evening gun

9. Immediately after the signal, what did the sepoys first seize?

A. British uniforms
B. The bell of arms and treasury
C. The telegraph office
D. The jail

Answer: B. The bell of arms and treasury

10. Which of the following government buildings was NOT specifically mentioned as being attacked?

A. Jail
B. Treasury
C. Library
D. Post office

Answer: C. Library

11. Which term is used in the text as a derogatory reference to foreigners?

A. Videshi
B. Firangi
C. Sipahi
D. Bandook

Answer: B. Firangi

12. Which cavalry unit wrote to the 48th Native Infantry after refusing the new cartridges?

A. 7th Awadh Irregular Cavalry
B. 3rd Light Cavalry
C. 41st Native Infantry
D. 22nd Native Infantry

Answer: A. 7th Awadh Irregular Cavalry

13. What does the formation of panchayats among the sepoys indicate?

A. Centralised command
B. Collective decision-making
C. British leadership
D. Random disorganisation

Answer: B. Collective decision-making

14. Who was the Mughal emperor that was compelled to bless the rebellion?

A. Bahadur Shah
B. Wajid Ali Shah
C. Shah Jahan
D. Akbar

Answer: A. Bahadur Shah

15. Which leader emerged in Kanpur to lead the revolt?

A. Nana Sahib
B. Kunwar Singh
C. Birjis Qadr
D. Rani of Jhansi

Answer: A. Nana Sahib

16. Who was the local zamindar from Arrah in Bihar that joined the revolt?

A. Shah Mal
B. Kunwar Singh
C. Gonoo
D. Sisten

Answer: B. Kunwar Singh

17. Which leader did the people of Lucknow hail after the annexation of Awadh?

A. Nana Sahib
B. Rani of Jhansi
C. Birjis Qadr
D. Wajid Ali Shah

Answer: C. Birjis Qadr

18. Who was known as Danka Shah and led the mutinous 22nd Native Infantry?

A. Shah Mal
B. Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah
C. Charles Ball
D. Captain Hearsey

Answer: B. Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah

19. In which battle did Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah distinguish himself against Henry Lawrence’s forces?

A. Battle of Chinhat
B. Battle of Delhi
C. Battle of Lucknow
D. Battle of Meerut

Answer: A. Battle of Chinhat

20. What was the central rumour regarding the new cartridges that spread among the sepoys?

A. They contained poison
B. They were coated with cow and pig fat
C. They were made of lead
D. They were faulty

Answer: B. They were coated with cow and pig fat

21. Who is said to have initiated the rumour about biting the cartridges, according to Captain Wright’s report?

A. A Brahmin sepoy
B. A low-caste khalasi
C. A British officer
D. A local trader

Answer: B. A low-caste khalasi

22. Which prophecy regarding British rule circulated during the uprising?

A. British rule would end on 1 January
B. British rule would end on 23 June
C. British rule would end on 10 May
D. British rule would end on 25 December

Answer: B. British rule would end on 23 June

23. What unusual item was distributed from village to village and seen as an omen?

A. Swords
B. Chapattis
C. Flowers
D. Letters

Answer: B. Chapattis

24. Which Governor General described Awadh as “a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day” in 1851?

A. Lord Dalhousie
B. Lord Canning
C. Lord Wellesley
D. Lord Hardinge

Answer: A. Lord Dalhousie

25. In what year was the kingdom of Awadh annexed by the British?

A. 1851
B. 1856
C. 1857
D. 1860

Answer: B. 1856

26. What alliance, imposed in 1801, rendered the Nawab of Awadh increasingly dependent on the British?

A. Treaty of Amity
B. Subsidiary Alliance
C. Military Pact
D. Commercial Treaty

Answer: B. Subsidiary Alliance

27. What was the effect of the Summary Settlement of 1856 on the taluqdars’ control over villages in Awadh?

A. 80% to 60%
B. 50% to 30%
C. 67% to 38%
D. 90% to 70%

Answer: C. 67% to 38%

28. By how much did revenue demand increase in some parts of Awadh after annexation?

A. 10–20%
B. 20–30%
C. 30–70%
D. 70–90%

Answer: C. 30–70%

29. What legal measure did the British introduce in May and June 1857 to suppress the rebellion?

A. Peace treaties
B. Martial law
C. Civil administration
D. Economic embargoes

Answer: B. Martial law

30. Under the special laws passed by the British, what was the sole punishment for suspected rebels?

A. Imprisonment
B. Exile
C. Death
D. Fines

Answer: C. Death

31. From which two regions did the British forces advance to reconquer Delhi?

A. Calcutta and Punjab
B. Bombay and Delhi
C. Calcutta and Madras
D. Punjab and Bengal

Answer: A. Calcutta and Punjab

32. How did a British officer describe the villagers of Awadh during the counter-insurgency operations?

A. Organised militia
B. Intangible but numerous
C. Loyal and disciplined
D. Well-armed soldiers

Answer: B. Intangible but numerous

33. Until when did heavy fighting continue before the British brought Awadh under control?

A. December 1857
B. March 1858
C. May 1857
D. January 1858

Answer: B. March 1858

34. Which painting by Thomas Jones Barker commemorated the rescue of the Lucknow Residency?

A. In Memoriam
B. Relief of Lucknow
C. Justice
D. Clemency of Canning

Answer: B. Relief of Lucknow

35. Who painted “In Memoriam”, which depicts English women and children in distress?

A. Thomas Jones Barker
B. Joseph Noel Paton
C. James Outram
D. Colin Campbell

Answer: B. Joseph Noel Paton

36. Which British journal published the cartoon titled “The Clemency of Canning”?

A. Illustrated London News
B. Punch
C. The Times
D. Guardian

Answer: B. Punch

37. What does the image “The British Lion’s Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger” symbolise?

A. Victory in battle
B. Repression and terror
C. Peaceful reconciliation
D. Diplomatic negotiations

Answer: B. Repression and terror

38. In the allegorical image of justice by Punch, what two items does the figure hold?

A. Sword and shield
B. Gun and whistle
C. Scales and book
D. Crown and scepter

Answer: A. Sword and shield

39. According to the text, what is the distinction between a mutiny and a revolt?

A. Mutiny is civilian; revolt is military
B. Mutiny is military; revolt is civilian
C. Mutiny is peaceful; revolt is violent
D. They are identical

Answer: B. Mutiny is military; revolt is civilian

40. What consequence did the removal of the Nawab have on the local court culture in Awadh?

A. Expansion of court functions
B. Dissolution of the court
C. Reformation of traditions
D. Restoration of patronage

Answer: B. Dissolution of the court

41. What role did visual representations play in the twentieth-century nationalist movement regarding the 1857 revolt?

A. They promoted British rule
B. They suppressed historical memory
C. They celebrated the revolt and its heroes
D. They trivialised the events

Answer: C. They celebrated the revolt and its heroes

42. When was Delhi finally captured by British forces during the reconquest?

A. Early May 1857
B. Late September 1857
C. July 1857
D. March 1858

Answer: B. Late September 1857

43. Which publication featured a cartoon titled “The Clemency of Canning” that mocked a gesture of leniency?

A. Punch
B. Illustrated London News
C. Delhi Urdu Akhbar
D. The Times

Answer: A. Punch

44. What two categories does the document use to differentiate the uprising of 1857?

A. Protest and Riot
B. Mutiny and Rebellion
C. Coup and Uprising
D. Insurrection and Sedition

Answer: B. Mutiny and Rebellion

45. Which native Christian police inspector’s experience in Sitapur is detailed in the text?

A. François Sisten
B. Charles Ball
C. Captain Hearsey
D. Hanwant Singh

Answer: A. François Sisten

46. Which British officer was protected by his Indian subordinates during the mutiny?

A. Captain Hearsey
B. Colonel Inglis
C. James Outram
D. Henry Lawrence

Answer: A. Captain Hearsey

47. What reason did the 41st Native Infantry give for demanding the death or capture of Captain Hearsey?

A. His incompetence
B. His betrayal of trust
C. They had killed all their white officers
D. His mistreatment of sepoys

Answer: C. They had killed all their white officers

Ron'e Dutta

Ron'e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.

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