Question

what is the result of the revoltof 1857

Answer 1

The Revolt of 1857 is called the First War Of Independence.

It started as a small sepoy mutiny but later took form of a rebellion as many nawabs and rulers joined the movement.

The East India Company was successful in repressing the revolt. Hundreds of sepoys, rebels, nawabs and rajas were killed,tried or hanged. The leaders of the rebellion like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Tantiya Tope and Bahadur Shah Zafar were killed by the Company.

The Britishers introduced in some crucial changes after this rebellion in order to avoid it in future:

1) The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs.

The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, that is, a personal representative of the Crown. Through these measures the British government accepted direct responsibility for ruling India

2) All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. They were allowed to pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons. However, they were made to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount. This rule was introduced because the Doctrine of Lapse was one of the reasons that triggered the revolt.

3) It was decided that the proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased. It was also decided that instead of recruiting soldiers from Awadh, Bihar, central India and south India, more soldiers would be recruited from among the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans.

4) The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the people in India.

5). Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them security of rights over their lands.