![]() ![]() With the removal of some princes, a whole network of employment was lost, especially for soldiers and armourers. Indians were not happy with the British justice system and police that imposed these fiscal obligations. Ever since the 1793 Bengal Permanent Settlement, the EIC had been rapaciously extracting taxes from the peoples it governed, even in times of crisis. ![]() The ordinary people of princely states also suffered. The aggressive expansionist policies of the EIC led to several princely states actively joining the Sepoy Mutiny and others remaining neutral. Even accusations of poor governance led to some princes losing their throne. Indian princes not being allowed to pass on their territories to an adopted son when they had no direct heir – the Doctrine of Lapse – was one method of acquisition, particularly after 1848 when the Marquess of Dalhousie (1812-1860) became EIC Governor-General. In short, the segregation of men from officers and a lack of communication between the two groups was building a powder keg of mutual suspicion.Ĥ5 of the 74 sepoy regiments in the Bengal army rebelled.Īnother serious bone of contention was the EIC's policy of taking over princely states whenever it could get away with it. The cartridge rumour fueled others, such as that sepoy flour was being mixed with cow and pig bones or that their salt was being deliberately contaminated with pig and cow's blood (the salt did have a red tinge, but this came from the sacking used to transport it). The animal fat grease of pig or cow offended Hindu and Muslim beliefs since the cartridges had to be prepared by mouth (as it happened the grease came from neither of these taboo animals). The final straw was the introduction of greased cartridges for compulsory Enfield rifles. Indian soldiers were not happy either with the obligation to serve outside India, which would require Hindus to perform costly rites of purification, or the institutional racism that prevented them from ever becoming officers. Neither had sepoy wages been raised for over 50 years, meaning that in real terms their pay had lost half of its value since 1800. The sepoys were not happy that they received much lower pay compared to British EIC soldiers. There had been several small-scale uprisings since 1806, but these had been ruthlessly quashed. The sepoys had several grievances, which they felt, despite peaceful protest, were not being addressed by the EIC. British snobbery and institutional racism.Concerns for traditional Indian manufacturing industries facing unfair competition from EIC imports.Concerns that traditional Indian cultural practices were under threat.Indian princes had lost their states or had to pay high protection fees to the EIC.The sepoys' unwillingness to serve abroad.Sepoys were suspicious that rifle cartridges used animal fats they could not touch as part of their religious beliefs.Sepoys were unhappy with the pay inequality compared to British soldiers.The main causes of the Sepoy Mutiny may be summarised as: At the time of the Sepoy Mutiny, the EIC employed around 45,000 British soldiers and over 230,000 sepoys. ![]() The sepoys were well-trained and well-equipped, and they helped the EIC expand its control across India, especially following the four Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767-1799) and the two Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849). Dependency on such a large number of Indian soldiers was a risk for the Company, but one it had to take given the difficulties in recruiting British soldiers and enticing men of experience to defect from the regular British Army. Many Indians joined the EIC for better pay than was possible elsewhere and as a chance to improve their status in traditional Indian society. The average ratio of Indian troops to British in EIC armies in the 19th century was around 7:1. Sepoys far outnumbered European soldiers. These latter troops were first known as peons and then sepoys – a corruption of the Persian term sipahi. From 1765, only Britishers could hold officer rank in the EIC armed forces, but the rank-and-file majority was made up of Indian soldiers. ![]() Unknown Artist (Public Domain) Sepoys in the EIC ArmyĪlthough the East India Company was established as a trading company, from the mid-18th century, it employed its own army to protect its interests and to expand its territorial possessions. ![]()
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