Indian rebellion of 1857.
Brutal execution of Indian soldiers who participated in the Indian rebellion of 1857 by British cannons
1857–1858 was a period of armed uprising and rebellions in mostly northern and central India against British colonial rule on the subcontinent. The war brought about the end of the British East India Company's regime in India, and led to a century of direct rule of the Indian subcontinent by Britain: the British Raj.
The events of this period are known many Indians as the First War of Independence and the War of Independence of 1857 and to the British, and many western historians, variously as the Indian Mutiny, the Sepoy Mutiny, the Sepoy Rebellion, the Great Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857. The Indian rebellion of 1857 is a modern name for the conflict.
The history of the rebellion is, to this day, an ongoing battle between two competing narratives, the history claimed by the British, who won the war, and the history claimed by the rebellious Indians, who were defeated. The fact that atrocities were perpetrated by both sides during the conflict only adds further to the controversy.
The British East India Company win the power of Diwani in the Bengal after winning the 'Battle' of Plassey in 1757. Their victory in the Battle of Buxar in 1764 won them the Nizamat of Bengal as well. Soon after, the British East India Company began to vigorously expand its area of control in India.
In 1845 the Company managed to extended its control over Sindh province after a gruelling and bloody campaign(of Napier's 'Peccavi' fame). In 1848 the Second Anglo-Sikh War took place and the British East India Company gained control of the Punjab as well. In 1853 the leader of the Marathas, Nana Sahib was denied his titles and his pension was stopped.
In 1854 Berar was annexed into the Company's domains. In 1856 the state of Awadh/Oudh was also annexed by the British East India Company. Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was told that he would be the...