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.
