Question

Bahadur Shah Zafar was initially reluctant to participate with the sepoys

to go against the British. What made him participate in the rebellion?​

Answer 1

There was a wide spread impact on the people of the whole country and its ruling families after Bahadur Shah Zafar's support to the rebellion. These were:

He wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organize a confederacy of Indian states to fight with Britishers. All small and big kingdoms, kings, Nawabs, Rajas, princes, zamindars, chiefs and even many Hindu and Muslim religious leaders welcomed this initial step taken by the Emperor and joined hands to rebel against the British.

Regiment after regiment mutinied and started to join other troops at nodal points like- Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow.

The people of towns and villages also joined the rebellion in mass and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and rulers who were prepared to regain their lost authority and fight against the British.