Indian Rebellion of 1857
In 1857 a sepoy mutiny spread into a broad rebellion across northern India against East India Company rule before its brutal suppression.
Overview
Grievances over taxation, annexation, and perceived interference in religion had primied the Bengal army. Rifle cartridges rumored to be greased with cow and pig fat offended Hindu and Muslim sepoys alike, and troops at Meerut rose in May 1857, marching on Delhi and restoring the aged Mughal emperor as a figurehead. Rebels killed Europeans at Kanpur, and British reprisals, including mass executions by cannon, matched rebel violence in savagery. Delhi fell in September 1857, Lucknow resisted until 1858, and Tatya Tope guerrillas fought into 1859. The uprising ended Company rule; the crown took direct control in 1858. Indian nationalism later honored 1857 as the first war of independence.
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