Revolt of 1857 — Definition

Definition

The Revolt of 1857 was a major challenge to East India Company rule involving rebellious soldiers and diverse civilian groups in parts of northern and central India. It began as a military uprising at Meerut on 10 May 1857 and expanded through connections with political, agrarian and religious grievances.

Its participants did not share one uniform programme, and its geographical reach was uneven. Calling it merely a cartridge dispute misses accumulated discontent; describing it as a fully unified modern national movement misses differences in leadership and objectives.

Its defeat nevertheless transformed the framework of British government in India and became an enduring subject of historical interpretation.