Revolt of 1857: Causes

The Revolt of 1857, the biggest uprising against the East India Company, began at Meerut on 10 May 1857 and was caused by political, economic, social-religious and military grievances, with the greased cartridge as the spark.

Political causes

• Doctrine of Lapse: Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and others were annexed. Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Baji Rao II, lost the pension, and Rani Lakshmibai lost Jhansi.
• Annexation of Awadh (1856): Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was removed on the charge of misrule. Awadh was the home of many sepoys of the Bengal Army, and nobles and taluqdars lost their land and honour.
• Insult to the Mughal emperor: Dalhousie said Bahadur Shah's successors would give up the Red Fort, and Canning announced the emperor's descendants would not be called kings.
• Foreign rule, with Indians kept out of higher posts, was disliked.

Economic causes

• Heavy land revenue, and auction of land under the new settlements. Inam Commission (1852) resumed rent-free lands in Bombay, ruining many landlords.
• Ruin of artisans and handicrafts by cheap British goods; the drain of wealth.
• Taluqdars of Awadh lost estates under the summary settlement of 1856.
• Peasants, who made up most of the Bengal Army, felt the economic hardship of their families.

Social and religious causes

• Reforms such as the abolition of sati, the Widow Remarriage Act (1856) and English education made orthodox people fear for their religion.
• The Religious Disabilities Act (1850) let converts keep inheritance rights, and the activity of Christian missionaries (sometimes backed by officials) caused fear of conversion.
• Racial arrogance of the British.

Military causes

• The Indian sepoys were paid less than British soldiers and could not rise beyond the rank of subedar.
• General Service Enlistment Act (1856) required sepoys to serve overseas, which Hindu high-caste sepoys disliked (loss of caste on crossing the sea). The Post Office Act (1854) withdrew the free postage of sepoys.
• Defeats in the First Afghan War (1842) had shown that the British could be beaten.
• Number of British troops in India was small compared with Indian troops.

The immediate cause: the greased cartridge

The new Enfield rifle had cartridges that had to be bitten open. A rumour said they were greased with cow and pig fat, which offended both Hindus and Muslims. The cartridge was distributed in early 1857.