how did the revolt of 1857 bring out the importance of delhi as a centre of power
Answers
The Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.
Siege of Delhi
Part of the Indian rebellion of 1857
1857 cashmeri gate delhi.jpg
Battle damage to the Kashmiri Gate in Delhi, 1857.
Date 8 June – 21 September 1857
Location
Delhi, Mughal Empire
Result
Decisive British-EIC victory
Fall of the Mughal Empire
Belligerents
British Empire
Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg East India Company
Native irregulars
Civilian volunteers
Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svgMughal Empire
Sepoy Mutineers
Commanders and leaders
British Empire Archdale Wilson
Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg John Nicholson †
Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg William Hodson
British Empire James Hope Grant
Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svgBahadur Shah II Surrendered
Mirza Mughal Executed
Mirza Khizr Sultan Executed
Bakht Khan
Strength
8,000 infantry
2,000 cavalry
2,200 Kashmiri irregulars
42 field guns
60 siege guns
12,000 sepoys,
approx. 30,000 irregulars,
approx. 100 guns
Casualties and losses
1,254 killed
4,493 wounded
approx. 5,000 killed and wounded
The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which the company had itself raised in its Bengal Presidency (which actually covered a vast area from Assam to Peshawar). Seeking a symbol around which to rally, the first sepoys to rebel sought to reinstate the power of the Mughal Empire, which had ruled the entire Indian subcontinent during the previous centuries. Lacking overall direction, many who subsequently rebelled also flocked to Delhi.