UNIT 8 THE SEPOY REBELLION ALSO KNOWN AS THE GREAT INDIAN MUTINY 1857-1858

SEPOY REBELLION It was a prolonged period of armed uprisings in India against British colonial rule It was started by Indian troops called sepoys who were controlled by the British The Indian’s resentment grew since the British did not respect their religious and cultural traditions

As the soldiers began to rebel many of them were imprisoned and a mutiny broke out As the soldiers marched to Delhi many joined the mutiny and as they reached the city the Sepoys slaughtered many British soldiers and civilians They restored the power of the Mogul emperor As word spread so did the mutiny across the continent

and set out to destroy all Indians After numerous defeats the British forces organized and set out to destroy all Indians Eventually the British retook Delhi but sporadic Fighting took place for the next year The rebel leader Tantia Topi was captured and executed in 1859 this marked the end of the rebellion

British and Indians Battle

Sepoy Mutiny

Tantia Topi

Consequences The Mogul Empire was officially abolished British assumed direct rule of India Queen’s Proclamation of 1858; Queen Victoria will be the First Empress of India The British no longer trusted the Indians They exploited and repressed them 2,034 British were killed in battle 8,987 died of diseases and other causes It is unknown how many Indians died The rebellion will be the first step in Indian nationalism

DELHI 1911 In 1911 Delhi became the capital of British India New Delhi was planned as a Garden City to Demonstrate the superiority of the British Empire That year they also held the Delhi Durbar “Court Of Delhi” to celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as the Emperor and Empress of India Many members of the Indian royalty attended *It is an example of how British imperialism impacted India

Coronation Durbar

IMPERIAL CROWN Crown created for the Delhi Durbar