The Revolt
It was the first expression of organised resistance against the British East India
Company
It began as a revolt of the sepoys of the British East India Company’s army but
eventually secured the participation of the masses.
The revolt is known by several names: the Sepoy Mutiny (by the British Historians),
the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion (by the Indian Historians), the Revolt of
1857, the Indian Insurrection, and the First War of Independence (by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar).
Causes of The Revolt
Political Cause
British policy of expansion: The political causes of the revolt were the British policy
of expansion through the Doctrine of Lapse and direct annexation. A large number of Indian rulers and chiefs were dislodged, thus arousing fear in theminds of other ruling families who apprehended a similar fate. Rani Lakshmi Bai’s adopted son was not permitted to sit on the throne of Jhansi. Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi were annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse.
Jaitpur, Sambalpur and Udaipur were also annexed. The annexation of Awadh by Lord Dalhousie on the pretext of maladministration
left thousands of nobles, officials, retainers and soldiers jobless. This measure converted Awadh, a loyal state, into a hotbed of discontent and intrigue
