Modern Indian History
🔒 Log in to trackRevolt of 1857 and Peasant & Tribal Uprisings
🔒 Log in to trackIn 1857, Indian soldiers of the Company army, called sepoys, rose in revolt. It spread across north and central India before the British crushed it. In 1858 the British Crown took over India from the Company. Peasant and tribal revolts are asked in the same set of questions.
The spark: greased cartridges
The revolt had one quick trigger and many deeper causes. The trigger was a rumour about the new Enfield rifle.
Its cartridges were said to be greased with cow and pig fat. Soldiers had to bite them open. This was only the immediate cause.
| Date | Place | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 29 March 1857 | Barrackpore | Mangal Pandey of the 34th Native Infantry attacked his officers. He was hanged on 8 April. |
| 10 May 1857 | Meerut | 85 troopers of the 3rd Light Cavalry had been jailed for refusing the cartridges. The sepoys broke out and marched to Delhi. |
| Next | Delhi | They proclaimed the old Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) "Emperor of India". |
Watch: Barrackpore was the first spark. The revolt itself broke out at Meerut on 10 May.
Deeper causes
- Political: Doctrine of Lapse (Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur); Awadh annexed (1856); disrespect to the Mughal family; Nana Saheb's pension stopped.
- Economic: heavy land revenue; ruin of handicrafts; drain of wealth; loss of zamindari and talukdari rights.
- Social and religious: reform laws such as sati abolition; the Religious Disabilities Act (1850) let converts inherit property; rumours about railways and telegraphs; missionary work.
- Military: poor pay and promotion; Indians kept out of officer ranks; the General Service Enlistment Act (1856) meant service across the sea, which many feared would cost them caste.
Tip: In a "which was NOT a cause" question, look for an event after 1857, such as the Partition of Bengal.
Centres, leaders and British officers
| Centre | Indian leader | British officer |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah II; General Bakht Khan | John Nicholson, Hodson |
| Kanpur | Nana Saheb, with Tantia Tope and Azimullah Khan | Colin Campbell |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal | Colin Campbell |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai | Hugh Rose |
| Arrah / Jagdishpur (Bihar) | Kunwar Singh, aged about 80 | William Taylor, Vincent Eyre |
| Faizabad | Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah | — |
| Bareilly | Khan Bahadur Khan | — |
The revolt spread through the Ganga plain, central India and parts of the Deccan. Bombay, Madras, Bengal proper and most of Punjab stayed quiet. Some historians call it a "sepoy mutiny". V.D. Savarkar called it the "First War of Independence".
How it ended
- September 1857: the British took back Delhi. Bahadur Shah was tried and exiled to Rangoon. Hodson shot his sons.
- June 1858: Rani Lakshmibai died fighting at Gwalior.
- 1859: Tantia Tope was captured and hanged.
The Governor-General during the revolt was Canning.
The Act of 1858
The Government of India Act, 1858 ended Company rule. India came under the British Crown.
- A Secretary of State for India took charge in London.
- The Governor-General got the title Viceroy. Canning was the first.
- Queen Victoria's Proclamation was read at Allahabad on 1 November 1858. It promised no more annexations and no interference in religion.
- The army was rebuilt on "divide and rule" lines.
Peasant and tribal uprisings
| Movement | Year | Region | Leader or key fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paika rebellion | 1817 | Odisha | Bakshi Jagabandhu; against the British land system |
| Kol uprising | 1831 | Chotanagpur | Tribal lands taken by outsiders |
| Santhal Hul | 1855–56 | Rajmahal hills (Jharkhand) | Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu; against moneylenders and revenue men |
| Indigo revolt | 1859–60 | Bengal | The play Neel Darpan by Dinabandhu Mitra |
| Munda Ulgulan | 1899–1900 | Chotanagpur | Birsa Munda ("Dharti Aba"); led to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) |
| Faraizi movement | — | Bengal | Dudu Mian |
| Moplah uprising | peak 1921 | Malabar (Kerala) | Linked to the Khilafat movement |
| Bardoli Satyagraha | 1928 | Gujarat | Vallabhbhai Patel; he earned the title "Sardar" |
| Tebhaga | 1946 | Bengal | Sharecroppers asked for two-thirds of the crop |
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
1857 centre ↔ leader
"Who led the revolt at…", or a match-the-column of centres and leaders.
Recall the seven pairs: Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Arrah, Faizabad, Bareilly.
Remember the helpers too: Tantia Tope (Kanpur), Bakht Khan (Delhi).
Match first the pairs you are surest of, then cut options.
Every centre had one main leader, so one sure pair removes most options.
Match: A. Kanpur B. Lucknow C. Jhansi D. Bareilly with 1. Begum Hazrat Mahal 2. Khan Bahadur Khan 3. Nana Saheb 4. Rani Lakshmibai
Show solutionHide solution
Kanpur–Nana Saheb (3); Lucknow–Hazrat Mahal (1).
Jhansi–Lakshmibai (4); Bareilly–Khan Bahadur Khan (2).
A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
Causes: immediate trigger and deeper causes
"Immediate cause of the revolt", "General Service Enlistment Act", or "which was NOT a cause".
Immediate cause = greased cartridges of the Enfield rifle.
Deeper causes: political, economic, social-religious, military.
For a "NOT a cause" option, pick anything that happened after 1857.
A cause must come before the event, so later events are always wrong.
Which of these was NOT a cause of the Revolt of 1857? (a) Doctrine of Lapse (b) General Service Enlistment Act (c) Partition of Bengal (d) Annexation of Awadh
Show solutionHide solution
Lapse, Awadh (1856) and the 1856 Act all came before 1857.
The Partition of Bengal came in 1905.
(c) Partition of Bengal
Course of the revolt and the Act of 1858
"The revolt began at Meerut on", Bahadur Shah's fate, or what the 1858 Act did.
Timeline: Barrackpore 29 March → Meerut 10 May 1857 → Delhi → Delhi falls September 1857.
Bahadur Shah II: tried and exiled to Rangoon.
1858 Act: Crown rule, Secretary of State, Viceroy (Canning), Queen's Proclamation.
The 1858 Act is the one big change that followed the revolt.
The Government of India Act, 1858 did which of these?
Show solutionHide solution
It ended Company rule; the Crown took over.
A Secretary of State was created; Canning became the first Viceroy.
Transferred rule from the East India Company to the British Crown
Peasant or tribal uprising ↔ leader
"The Santhal rebellion was led by", Birsa Munda, Paika rebellion, Bardoli, Tebhaga.
Recall the uprisings table: movement, year, region, leader.
Tie each tribe to its leader: Santhal–Sidhu and Kanhu, Munda–Birsa.
Use the region to cut options: Odisha, Chotanagpur, Bengal, Malabar, Gujarat.
Each uprising has one leader and one region, and the options mix them up.
The Santhal rebellion of 1855–56, called the Hul, was led by:
Show solutionHide solution
Santhal = Sidhu, by the first letter.
Birsa Munda led the Munda Ulgulan, a different tribe.
Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu
British officer who crushed the revolt
"Who suppressed the revolt at…" or "Hugh Rose fought against".
Jhansi → Hugh Rose.
Kanpur and Lucknow → Colin Campbell.
Delhi → John Nicholson, Hodson.
Bihar → William Taylor, Vincent Eyre.
Only four British names repeat, so the centre fixes the officer.
The British officer who defeated Rani Lakshmibai was: (a) Colin Campbell (b) Hugh Rose (c) John Nicholson (d) Hodson
Show solutionHide solution
Campbell = Kanpur and Lucknow; Nicholson and Hodson = Delhi.
Jhansi = Hugh Rose.
(b) Hugh Rose
Order of uprisings
"Arrange these movements in chronological order" with tribal or peasant revolts.
Write the year next to each: Paika 1817, Kol 1831, Santhal 1855, Indigo 1859, Munda 1899.
Later ones: Moplah 1921, Bardoli 1928, Tebhaga 1946.
Check the first and last items against the options.
Years are far apart, so sorting takes seconds once the years are known.
Arrange in order: 1. Munda Ulgulan 2. Paika rebellion 3. Santhal Hul 4. Indigo revolt
Show solutionHide solution
Paika 1817, Santhal 1855, Indigo 1859, Munda 1899.
So the order is 2, 3, 4, 1.
2, 3, 4, 1
Shortcuts that save time
Kanpur–Nana Saheb · Lucknow–Begum Hazrat Mahal (the Lady) · Jhansi–Rani Lakshmibai · Bihar (Jagdishpur)–Kunwar Singh, the old hero.
Kunwar Singh led the revolt of 1857 in which region?
Show solutionHide solution
"Bihar Kunwar" in the memory line.
His home was Jagdishpur; he fought at Arrah.
Jagdishpur / Arrah, Bihar
Santhal = Sidhu (1855) · Munda = Birsa, at the millennium's end (1899–1900).
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Saying the revolt broke out at Barrackpore.
Barrackpore was Mangal Pandey's earlier act (29 March). The revolt broke out at Meerut (10 May 1857).
Saying Colin Campbell defeated Rani Lakshmibai.
Rani Lakshmibai was defeated by Hugh Rose. Campbell fought at Kanpur and Lucknow.
Saying Bahadur Shah Zafar was sent to the Andamans.
He was exiled to Rangoon.
Linking Kunwar Singh with Gwalior.
Kunwar Singh fought in Bihar (Arrah, Jagdishpur). Gwalior is where the Rani died.
Calling the greased cartridge the main cause.
It was only the immediate cause. The deeper causes were political, economic, social and military.
Mixing the Santhal Hul and the Munda Ulgulan.
Santhal Hul 1855–56 = Sidhu and Kanhu. Munda Ulgulan 1899–1900 = Birsa Munda.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Trigger: greased Enfield cartridges (cow and pig fat rumour).
Barrackpore, 29 March 1857 (Mangal Pandey) → Meerut, 10 May 1857 (outbreak) → Delhi.
Kanpur–Nana Saheb, Lucknow–Hazrat Mahal, Jhansi–Lakshmibai, Arrah–Kunwar Singh, Bareilly–Khan Bahadur Khan.
Hugh Rose defeated the Rani; Colin Campbell took Kanpur and Lucknow.
Bahadur Shah II exiled to Rangoon; Delhi fell in September 1857.
Act of 1858: Crown rule, Secretary of State, Canning first Viceroy; Proclamation at Allahabad, 1 Nov 1858.
Uprisings: Paika 1817, Kol 1831, Santhal 1855, Indigo 1859, Munda 1899, Bardoli 1928, Tebhaga 1946.
Practice: 13 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 13 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.