In this post, there is comprehensive discussion of all topics of chapter 5 when people rebel 1857 and after notes of class 8 history ncert.This article has explained every topic of class 8 history chapter 5 when people rebel 1857 and after notes that would be very helpful for students to understand this chapter interestingly.
Class 8 History chapter 5 When People Rebel Notes
Policies and the People
Policies of East India Company had affected people,kings,queens, peasants, landlords,tribals, soldiers in different ways and all resisted against these policies.
Nawabs lose their power
- Since the mid-eighteenth century, nawabs and rajas gradually lost their authority and honour.
- Residents had been stationed in many courts to interfere in political affairs of rulers, the freedom of the rulers reduced, their armed forces disbanded by subsidiary alliance, and their revenues and territories taken away by stages.
- Many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests however the Company, confident of its superiority and military powers, turned down these pleas.
- In 1801, a subsidiary alliance was imposed on Awadh, and in 1856 it was taken over in the name of misgovernment by Dalhousie to ensure proper administration.
- In 1849, Governor-general Lord Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, family of king would be shifted out of Red Fort.
- In 1856, Canning declared that none of descendants of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar would be recognised as kings.
Peasants and Sepoys
- In the countryside, peasants and zamindars resented the high taxes and the rigid methods of revenue collection.
- Many peassants failed to pay back their loans to the moneylenders and gradually lost the lands they had tilled for generations.
- The Indian sepoys were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service.
- In 1824 sepoy were told to go to Burma by sea to fight for company and crossed the sea was considered the lose of their religious and caste sentiments
- In 1856 company passed a law that every new person take up employment had to agree to serve overseas if required.
- Sepoys families were living in villages that angered them
Responses to reforms
• The British passed laws to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
• English-language education was promoted.
• The Company allowed Christian missionaries to function freely and even own land and property.
• In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier and allowed an Indian who had converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors.
A Mutiny Becomes a Popular Rebellion
A large number of people began to believe that they have common enemy so people had to organise,communicate,take initiative and display the confidence.It was reflected by a massive rebellion.
A massive rebellion that started in May 1857 in Meerut by sepoys and threatened the Company’s presence in India.
Sepoys mutinied in several places and a large number of people from different sections of society rose up in rebellion to show armed resistance to colonialism .
From Meerut to Delhi
- On 8 April 1857, a young soldier, Mangal Pandey, was hanged to death for attacking his officers in Barrackpore.
• Some days later, some sepoys of the regiment at Meerut refused to do the army drill using the new cartridges, which were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs.
- On 9 May 1857, Eighty-five sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail for disobeying their officers.
- On 10 May, the soldiers marched to the jail in Meerut and released the imprisoned sepoys.They attacked and killed British officers, captured guns and ammunition and set fire to the buildings and properties of the British and declared war on the foreigners.
- On the 11May in morning, sepoys of Meerut reached Delhi and the regiments stationed in Delhi also rose up in rebellion.
- The soldiers forced their way into the Red Fort and declared Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader.
- The ageing emperor accepted the sepoys demand and wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organise a confederacy of Indian states to fight against the British
- Most small rulers and chieftains with the hope of regaining power and authority under the Mughal emperor joined the rebellion.
All such situations gave hope, courage and confidence to people to be inspired and enthused.
The rebellion spreads
- Regiment after regiment mutinied and took off to join other troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow.
- After them, the people of the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their authority.
- Nana Sahib, adopted son of late Peshwa Baji Rao lived near Kanpur expelled the British garrison and proclaimed himself as peshwa
- In Lucknow,Birjis Qadr, the son of deposed wajid Ali Shah was proclaimed as Nawab.His mother, Begum Hazrat Mahal organised the uprising against Britishers.
- In Jhansi,Rani Lakshmi Bai fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Shahib
- In Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh,Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh led an army.
- Ahmadullah Shah,a maulvi from faizabad caught imagination of people and raised huge forces of supporters and came to Lucknow to fight against British.
- In Delhi, large number of ghazis or religious warriors came together to wipe out the whites.
- Bakht Khan, soldier from Bareilly became a key military leader of rebellion.
- In Bihar,old Zamindar Kunwar Singh joined the rebel sepoy.
- The British were greatly outnumbered by the rebel forces and were defeated in a number of battles.
The Company Fights Back
• The company brought reinforcements from England to repress the revolt, passed new laws so that the rebels could be convicted with ease, and then moved into the storm centres of the revolt.
• In September 1857, Delhi was recaptured from the rebel forces.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment alongwith his wife Begum Zinat Mahal in Rangoon in October 1858.Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon jail in November 1862.
• Lucknow was taken in March 1858.
• Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858.
• Tantia Tope continued to fight guerrilla war in the jungles of Central India and was captured, tried and killed in April 1859 by Britishers.
• The British also tried their best to win back the loyalty of the people by rewarding loyal landlords to enjoy traditional rights over their lands.
- Those nawabs , rulers, sepoy,rajas revolted were tried and hanged.
Aftermath
Important changes introduced by Britishers after regain control by the end of 1859.
- The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown to ensure a more responsible management of indian affairs.
- A member of the British Cabinet was appointed Secretary of State with council for India and made responsible for all matters related to the governance of India.
- Governor General given the title of viceroy i.e, personal representative of the British Crown.
- All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future and policy doctrine of lapse was abolished.All rulers were made to acknowledge British Queen as sovereign
- The proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased.
•. The land and property of Muslims was confiscated on a large scale and they were treated with suspicion and hostility.
- The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the people in India.
- Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them security of rights over their lands.