What was the name of the rebellion in 1857 against British rule in India?
Answer
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The rebellion against British rule in India in 1857 was the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It began as a mutiny by sepoys—Indian soldiers serving the British East India Company—at Meerut on May 10, 1857, before spreading across northern and central India.
The uprising grew from several grievances, including military discrimination, heavy taxation, land annexations, resentment of British social and political interference, and fears about religious conversion. A widely repeated immediate trigger involved new rifle cartridges rumored to be greased with cow and pig fat, offensive to Hindu and Muslim soldiers. Rebels captured Delhi and proclaimed the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as their symbolic leader.
The conflict was defeated by 1858, after severe fighting and reprisals. Its name is contested: it is also called the Sepoy Mutiny, Revolt of 1857, or the First War of Indian Independence. Its consequences were decisive. The East India Company was abolished, and the British Crown assumed direct control over India.