A Call to Expel the British—the Azamgarh Proclamation

On May 10, 1857, in Meerut in northern India, soldiers from three Indian infantry regiments that were part of the army maintained by the British East India Company shot their British officers, released all prisoners from jail, and marched on the nearby city of Delhi, which fell on May 11. In June and July, similar mutinies occurred across northern India, and with scattered support from peasants, landowners, and a few native princes, for a time the rebellion appeared to threaten the very basis of British authority in India. In the following months, however, British forces regrouped, and with the help of loyal Indian troops, crushed the rebels in 1858. Though brief, the Indian Mutiny, or as it is also known, the Sepoy Rebellion, was bitterly fought, with atrocities committed by both sides. Two months after it ended, Parliament passed the India Act, which stripped the East India Company of its political authority and placed India directly under the Crown.

The significance of the Indian Mutiny continues to be widely debated. To some historians it represents the first true expression of Indian nationalism. To others, it was simply a series of army mutinies that never garnered much support outside the north. There is more unanimity about its causes. It was triggered by growing discontent among the Indian troops (sepoys) in the East India Company’s Bengal army, discontent that boiled over into rebellion when the British introduced new cartridges greased with cow fat, which made them obnoxious to Hindu soldiers, and pig fat, which made them obnoxious to Muslims. This was only the spark, however. The rebellion gained support from many different groups, some with specific grievances over British rule, and some with vague fears about British intentions. Some of these grievances and concerns are revealed in the document I would like you to read (you can by clicking here, please read pgs. 177-180).

The document, known as the Azamgarh Proclamation, was issued in the summer of 1857, supposedly by one of the grandsons of the eighty-two-year-old king of Delhi, Bahadur Shah. Although the king had little authority, even in Delhi itself, he was a descendant of the great Mughal rulers of previous centuries and still was considered “emperor of India,” since the Mughal Empire had never been officially abolished. Some of the rebels, including the author of the Azamgarh Proclamation, harbored the unrealistic dream of restoring Mughal authority once the British had been expelled. Primarily for this reason, the Indian Act, which stripped the East India Company of its political authority, also abolished the Mughal Empire.

I would also like you to consider the above picture for a moment as well (you can click on the picture to enlarge it). As I have already mentioned, the fighting in northern India in 1857-1858 was fierce. Both sides were responsible for numerous atrocities, i.e. the use of unprovoked and indiscriminant violence directed at defenseless victims. As the British soldiers (mainly loyal sepoys) retook cities that had been held by the rebels, they killed huge numbers of civilians. In addition, the British executed many suspected rebels without trial, often by hanging. Some of the suspects were tied to the barrel of cannons, which were then fired. Unforgettable and unforgivable for many British was the rebels’ execution of several hundred British occupants of the fortress at Kanpur, including many women and children, after they had surrendered and been guaranteed safe passage. In the aftermath of the rebellion, hastily constructed gallows, like the one photographed in the picture above in 1858, lined the ancient Grand Trunk Road in northern India.

After you finish reading the document, I would like you to consider and discuss the following: What incentives does the author of the proclamation offer to those who would join the rebellion? For each of the groups discussed (zamindars, merchants, artisans) what, according to the proclamation, have been the detrimental effects of British rule? What role does religion play in the proclamation? How do the views of the author of the proclamation differ from those of Rammohun Roy? What solutions for India’s problems does the proclamation suggest? How did the 1857 rebellion in India resemble or differ from the French Revolution? What is the difference between a rebellion and a revolution in your opinion? On the basis of the photo above, who seem to be the executioners? Is anyone who would likely have been involved in the execution missing from the photo? How do you explain this? Why do you think this photo was taken? Who do you think took it? For whom was it probably intended? Your thoughts…