Revolt of 1857

Medley, a British historian, characterized the 1857 revolt as a 'war of races' - meaning a racial conflict between the British and Indians. This terminology reflected the colonial view of the uprising as fundamentally about racial tension and hierarchy rather than political grievances. Other historians like S. N. Sen used different descriptors.

V. D. Savarkar, in his book 'The Indian War of Independence of 1857', was the first to characterize the revolt as a 'war of independence' - framing it as a nationalist freedom struggle rather than a mutiny or sepoy rebellion. This terminology reframed the event from a military uprising to a political independence movement, emphasizing its anti-colonial nature.

Correct Answer: Nana Sahib

The 1857 revolt began at Barrackpore (March 29), spread to Meerut (May 10) and Delhi (May 11-12), then expanded to Lucknow later (May 30-June). Lucknow was one of the last major centers to witness the inception of the revolt. The timing shows the rebellion's progression - it started in eastern India and moved toward Lucknow, which joined after the initial flashpoints had already erupted.

John Nicholson, a British military leader, was instrumental in recapturing Delhi from the rebels in September 1857. He led the assault and was fatally wounded during the siege of Delhi. Nicholson became a colonial hero for his role in suppressing the revolt at Delhi, which was the epicenter of the rebellion. Other generals suppressed different areas - Campbell at Lucknow, Hugh Rose in central India.

The 1857 revolt began on March 29, 1857, at Barrackpore when Mangal Pandey revolted. However, Berhampur (in Bengal) witnessed the very first sparks in late February 1857 when the 19th Native Infantry refused to use the new Enfield cartridges, even before Mangal Pandey's famous rebellion. This makes Berhampur the earliest site of unrest, though Barrackpore is more famous as the starting point.

Doctrine of Lapse is a formula devised by Lord Dalhousie, governor-general of India (1848–56), to deal with questions of succession to Hindu Indian states.

» Satara was annexed in 1848.
» Sambalpur was annexed in 1849.
» Karauli was annexed in 1852.
» Jhansi was annexed in 1854.

The Indigo Revolt (1859-1860) in Bengal was indeed one of the first major peasant uprisings after the 1857 revolt. Indigo planters forced peasants to cultivate indigo on unfair terms, leading to widespread rebellion. The other options either occurred earlier (Pagal Panthi movement in 1830s) or much later (Punjab Peasant's revolt in 20th century, Moplah uprisings had earlier outbreaks).

Begum Hazrat Mahal led the 1857 revolt from Lucknow after her husband (Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Awadh) was exiled to Kolkata. She refused to accept the British pension and led the rebel forces in Lucknow, declaring her son Birjis Qadr as the ruler. Kanpur was led by Nana Saheb, Bareilly by Khan Bahadur Khan, and Arrah had Kunwar Singh.

Veer Kunwar Singh (1777-1858), one of the leaders of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, belonged to a royal Kshatriya (Rajput) house of Jagdispur, currently a part of Bhojpur district, Bihar, India.

After the 1857 revolt, the Governor-General of India was NOT renamed to Secretary of State. Instead, the Governor-General's title was changed to Viceroy of India, while a NEW position called Secretary of State for India was created in the British Cabinet. The other options (A and B) DID happen - double government ended, and the 15-member Council of India was established to assist the Secretary of State.

Sahib won the confidence of Charles Hillersdon, the Collector of Cawnpore. It was planned that Nana Saheb would assemble a force of 1500 soldiers, in case the rebellion spread to Kanpur.

General Bakht Khan, a veteran of the Anglo-Afghan Wars, led the rebel forces in Delhi during the 1857 revolt. He brought soldiers from Bareilly and became the commander-in-chief of the rebel army in Delhi after arriving there in July 1857. Lucknow had Begum Hazrat Mahal, Kanpur had Nana Saheb, and Bareilly had Khan Bahadur Khan.

The revolt of 1857 began on May 10, 1857, in Meerut when Indian soldiers (sepoys) rebelled against their British officers, marched to Delhi, and declared Bahadur Shah Zafar as the Emperor of India. March and April 1857 were too early - the mutiny had not yet started, and June 1857 was after it had already begun and spread.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was defeated by General Sir Hugh Rose in March-April 1858 after a fierce battle. John Nicholson died during the capture of Delhi in 1857, Colin Campbell led the relief of Lucknow, and William Taylor was not a prominent figure in the Jhansi campaign.