The First War of Independence ( The Great Uprising of 1857)

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The Great Uprising of 1857 was a large revolt against British rule that began as a sepoy mutiny at Meerut on 10 May 1857 and soon spread across North India. It is important because it shook British po…

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The immediate cause was the issue of greased cartridges for the Enfield rifle. A rumour spread that the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat. Hindu and Muslim sepoys were offended, because bit…

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Mangal Pandey was a Brahmin sepoy at Barrackpore who refused to use the greased cartridges on 29 March 1857. He killed two English officers and was hanged on 8 April 1857. He is remembered as the firs…

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At Meerut, about 86 sepoys refused to use the greased cartridges. They were dismissed and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. On 10 May 1857, their companions revolted, killed the officers, attacked t…

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Bahadur Shah II was the last Mughal emperor and had symbolic importance for Indian unity. The rebels declared him Emperor of India because they wanted a common leader against the British. His name hel…

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Bahadur Shah II, also called Bahadur Shah Zafar, was the last Mughal Emperor. He was declared Emperor of India by the rebels at Delhi. Later, he was captured, sentenced to life imprisonment, and depor…

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Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, led the uprising at Kanpur. He captured the fort, proclaimed himself Peshwa, and acknowledged Bahadur Shah as Emperor. After defeat by General Havelo…

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Tantia Tope was a trusted general of Nana Sahib and later of Rani Laxmi Bai. He helped recapture Kanpur and fought at Gwalior. After the uprising, he was caught, tried, and hanged.