Chapter - Rerview:

• From the middle of the 18th century, Nawabs and Rajas had seen their power eroded. They progressively lost their authority and honor.
• The inhabitants had been stationed in numerous courts, the freedom of the rulers reduced, their armed forces dismantled, and their revenues and territories removed in stages.
• Numerous family leaders have attempted to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests. For example, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Society to recognize her adoptive son as heir to the kingdom after her husband's death.
• The company even started planning how to terminate the Mughal dynasty. The Mughal king's name has been removed from coins minted by the Society.
• In the countryside, farmers and zamindars were dissatisfied with high taxes and rigid methods of collecting receipts.
• Many have not repaid their loans to lenders and have progressively lost the land they have been cultivating for generations.
• Indian burials employed by the Society also had reasons for dissatisfaction. They were dissatisfied with their pay, entitlements, and conditions of service.
• In addition, some of those new rules violated their religious beliefs and sensitivities.
• When in 1824 the sepoys were told to go to Burma by the sea route to fight for the Company, they refused to follow the order, though they agreed to go by the land route.
• Sepoys also reacted to what was going on in the campaign. A good number of them were farmers and had families in the villages. Thus the anger of the peasants spread rapidly amongst the sepoys.
• The English thought it was necessary to reform Indian society. Legislation has been passed to stop the practice of Sati and to encourage widows to remarry.The teaching of English has been actively encouraged.After 1830, the Society allowed Christian missionaries to operate freely in its field and even to own lands and possessions.In 1850, a new statute was adopted to facilitate conversion to Christianity. This law made it possible for an Indian converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors.
• Although the struggles between the leaders and the governed are not unusual, at times such struggles become widespread as popular resistance to the collapse of state power.
• Very many people are beginning to believe that they have a common enemy and are rising against the enemy at the same time.
• After about 100 years of conquest and administration, the English East India Company was confronted by a massive rebellion that began in May 1857 and threatened the very presence of the Company in India.
• Sepoys mutinied in several locations from Meerut and a large number of people from different sections of society arose in rebellion.
• After the English were routed from Delhi, there was no uprising during nearly a week. It took all that time to get the new people to travel. Then the outbreak of mutiny began.
• Regiment after regiment mutinied and departed to join other troops at nodes such as Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow.
• Nana Saheb, the adoptive son of the deceased Peshwa Baji Rao who lived near Kanpur, assembled the armed forces and expelled the British garrison from the city.
• At Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, son of the ousted Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. He also recognized Bahadur Shah Zafar for his suzerainty.
• In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebellious graves and fought the English with Tantia Tope, Nana Saheb's general. In the Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh, Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh raised and led an army of four thousand against the British who had taken over the administration of her state.
• As the 18th century rolled on by, there were some changes in the policies made. We are going to discuss these policies right now.

5. When People Rebel:

Q1. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibia of Jhansi that was refused by the British?

Ans: Rani  Lakshmibai of Jhansi   wanted  the kingdom after the death of recognize her husband but the British refused her plea.

Q2. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?

Ans: Those who converted to Christianity would inherit the property or his ancestors.

Q3. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use? 

Ans: The sepoys objected that the new cartridges that they were asked to use were coated with the fat of cows and pigs.

Q4. How did the last mughal emperor live the last years of his life?

Ans: Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor lived a very pathetic live during the last years of his life. He was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment; He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon. He died there after four years.

Q5. What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before may 1857?

Ans:- The following reasons are given below:

(i) Since the mid-18^th century Nawabs and Rajas had gradually lost their authority and honor. Residents had been stationed in many courts, the freedom of the rulers reduced, their armed forces disbanded and their revenues and territories taken away by stages.

(ii) The company decided to end the Mughal dynasty. in 1849 governor-general Dalhousie announced that after the  death of Banavur Shah Zafar the family of the king would be shited out of the red fort. In 1856, Governor –Genreal Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal emperor and after his death his descendants would be reconised as princies.

Q6. What impact did Bahadur shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?

Ans:- There  was a wide spread impact on the people of the whole country and its ruling families after Bahadur Shah Zafar support to the rebellion. These were he wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organize a confederacy of Indian states to fight with Bruisers.

Additional - Question:

Que: Why Nawabs lose their power?

Ans: Nawabs and rajas lost their authority and power since the mid-eighteenth century. In order to protect their interests, many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Company to recognise her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband. But, the Company turned down these pleas.

Awadh was one of the last territories to be annexed. In 1801, a subsidiary alliance was imposed on Awadh, and in 1856 it was taken over. The Company planned to bring down the Mughal dynasty to an end. In 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, his family would be shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place in Delhi to reside in. After Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal King, none of his descendants would be recognised as kings – they would just be called princes.

Que: What is peasants and the sepoys?

Ans: Peasants and zamindars from the countryside resented the high taxes and the rigid methods of revenue collection. Many lost their lands as they failed to pay back their loans to the moneylenders.

The Indian sepoys who were employees of the Company were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service. When sepoys were told to go to Burma to fight for the Company via sea route, they refused to go but agreed to go via land route. The Company passed a law in 1856, which stated that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas, if required.

Que: A Mutiny Becomes a Popular Rebellion?

Ans: A large number of people believed that they have a common enemy and rose up against the enemy at the same time. For such a situation to develop people have to organise, communicate, take initiative and display the confidence to turn the situation around.

In May 1857, English East India Company faced a massive rebellion. In several places, sepoys mutinied beginning from Meerut and a large number of people from different sections of society rose up in rebellion. It is considered as the biggest armed resistance to colonialism in the nineteenth century.

Que: What is rebellion spreads?

Ans: The British were routed from Delhi, and for almost a week there was no uprising. Regiments mutinied and troops joined nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao proclaimed himself Peshwa, gathered armed forces and expelled the British garrison from the city. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr proclaimed the new Nawab. In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Saheb. In the Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh, Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh raised and led an army against the British who had taken over the administration of her state.

The British were defeated in a number of battles. A situation of widespread popular rebellion developed in the region of Awadh in particular. Emergence of many new leaders. For example, Ahmadullah Shah, from Faizabad, Bakht Khan in Delhi, Kunwar Singh in Bihar.