The Rebellion of 1857

On 10 May 1857 sepoys at Meerut rebelled, killed some of their officers and marched to Delhi, where they proclaimed the elderly Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II as their leader. The uprising spread across northern and central India, especially in Awadh, Delhi and Bundelkhand, as soldiers were joined by princes, landholders and peasants. Leaders included Nana Sahib at Kanpur, Begum Hazrat Mahal in Lucknow and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, who died fighting in June 1858.

Both sides committed atrocities: rebels killed British men, women and children at Kanpur, and British forces carried out mass executions and destroyed villages in retaliation. Much of India, including most of the south, Bengal and Punjab, did not join, and Sikh and other Indian troops fought for the British. British forces recaptured Delhi in September 1857, and fighting ended in 1858. Bahadur Shah was exiled to Rangoon, ending the Mughal dynasty.