British Empire Flashcards
(43 cards)
When did the Indian mutiny begin and end?
1857-1858.
What is a sepoy?
A native Indian working as a British soldier.
What happened on the 10th of May 1857?
Sepoys working for the British shot a couple of British soldiers.
By the 1850s how much of the British army in India were sepoys?
It was mainly made up of sepoys, there were 200,000 that were Islamic or Hindus.
What were the sepoys unhappy about before the main catalyst for the rebellion (4pts)?
- They felt that they weren’t being treated well.
- Had no hope of promotion.
- Were being sent into the most dangerous situations.
- Were being pressured to convert to Christianity.
What was the main catalyst for the Indian mutiny?
In the January of 1857 the sepoys were provided with new guns and ammunition. The ammunition was coated in grease from pigs and cows.
What was the problem with bullets with pork and beef fat for the sepoys?
Hindus can’t kill or use any products from cows. Muslims can’t kill or use any pigs.
What happened after the new ammunition was given to the sepoys?
To begin with the sepoys were ignored, but when 85 sepoys refused the ammunition they were sent to prison. The whole of northern India was engulfed by conflict.
Where were the major conflicts during the Indian mutiny?
Delhi, Cawnpore and Lucknow.
How long did the conflict last in the Indian mutiny?
Roughly 18 months.
How did the Indian mutiny end?
The British soldiers defeated the sepoys.
What happened to India after the Indian mutiny?
The British government took over from the East India Company, and set up the India Office with an appointed a viceroy.
What did the British do after 1858 that gave the sepoys and Indians more freedom?
They began to interfere less with religion and education, as well as beginning to allow Indians to have jobs in the local government.
What was the ratio of British people to Indians that worked in running India by 1900?
9/10 jobs were still British people.
What do the British and Indian people call the Indian mutiny?
The British call it the Indian mutiny or the sepoy rebellion. The Indian call it the first war of independence or the great rebellion.
What were the punishments for captured rebelling sepoys during the mutiny?
Being tied to a canon and it being fired into their backs and whipping.
When was it discovered how to sail to India and who by?
In 1496, Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama, discovered how to sail to India.
When was the East India Company set up?
It was set up in 1600.
When and what was the battle of Plassey?
It happened in 1757 and was fought between around 3,000 company soldiers and 40,000 Indians led by Prince Sirajud Daulah. The East India Company won and they gained Bengal.
When was most of India under the control of the British?
1850.
Who granted the charter for the East India company?
Sir James Lancelot and Queen Elizabeth.
What happened in the great Bengal famine, and when was it?
It was in 1770 and killed ten million people.
What significant event happened in 1858?
The governance of India act was passed, making Queen Victoria II an empress.
What were the British Empire’s methods of expansion?
War, discovery, settlers, and trade.
