Early Rebellions against British Rule in India

Battle of Plassey

The Portuguese sailor Gama was the one who brought the Europeans' efforts to find a shipping route to India. He arrived in India in 1498. The Dutch, English, and French followed the Portuguese. Initially, the only goal of the foreigners was trade. But later, their desire to seize power in India, which was scattered into many princely states, led to many wars. Britain was the one who completely won. On December 31, 1600, the British established the East India Company. As the Mughal Empire began to decline in the 1740s, Britain defeated all other foreign powers and gained control of India.

Bengal was the first stronghold of the British in India. They abused their rights to trade and began building a fort in Calcutta. They also imposed taxes on Indian goods to Calcutta. This action by the British angered the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah. In 1756, he captured the British factory in Kasimbazar and attacked and captured Fort William in Calcutta. Then, a British army led by Robert Clive set out from Madras to capture Calcutta. In order to deceive and defeat the Nawab, the British bribed many of his courtiers, including the powerful Mir Jafar.

In June 1757, the Nawab's army and the British army clashed at a place called Plassey, near Murshidabad. The Nawab's army was led by those who had already made a secret agreement with the british. Therefore, the British won easily. Siraj-ud-Daulah was killed through Mir Jafar's treachery. Then the British appointed Mir Jafar as the ruler of Bengal. The Battle of Plassey laid the foundation for British rule in India.

Battle of Buxar

After the Battle of Plassey, Mir Jafar gave millions of rupees to Robert Clive and the East India Company as a reward for making him the Nawab. They kept demanding more. Mir Jafar was saddened when he realized that the British were planning to drain the entire wealth of Bengal. In 1760, the British replaced Mir Jafar with Mir Qasim. Mir Qasim was Mir Jafar's father-in-law. Thus, Mir Jafar, who had betrayed Siraj-ud-Daulah, was betrayed by the British within three years.

The new ruler of Bengal, Mir Qasim, gave the British many times more money than Mir Jafar had given. However, they did not stop demanding more money and made the lives of the common people of Bengal miserable. When the Nawab's cooperation waned, the British declared war on him. Mir Qasim decided to fight the British bravely. Thus, the stage was set for another war.

Mir Qasim was defeated in the battles with the British. In 1763, he entered Awadh (Uttar Pradesh) and formed an alliance with the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam. In October 1764, they attacked the British army at Buxar. However, they were defeated by the strong British force. Mir Qasim, who fled, was never heard from again. Shuja-ud-Daulah sought refuge in a neighboring country, and Shah Alam made peace with the British.

Fakir Sannyasi Rebellion

The Fakir Sannyasi Rebellion was one of the struggles that shook the British in India. It was a rebellion against the British led by religious leaders in Bengal in the late 18th century. The rebellion continued for three decades. The rebellion, which lasted from 1763 to 1800, was led by Muslim ascetics. Hindus also participated in the rebellion. The leaders, Bhawanipathak and Devi Chaudharani, were Hindus. Dismissed soldiers, farmers who paid heavy taxes, and zamindars whose lands were unjustly seized by the British, all rallied behind the ascetics. The monks believed that it was their duty to fight for the suffering people. The people fought the British with the weapons they had at their disposal. Majnushah was the leader who defeated the British through guerrilla warfare. The rebellion, which gradually subsided by beating up tax collectors and destroying British bases, gradually subsided.

Anglo-Mysore Wars

Hyder Ali of Mysore and his son Tipu Sultan were the rulers of south india who fiercely resisted the British through the Anglo-Mysore Wars.

First Mysore War (1767-1769)

Hyder Ali clashed with the British several times in the First Mysore War, which took place from 1767 to 1769. Finally, the British made peace with them.

Second Mysore War (1780-1784)

In 1780, Hyder Ali started fighting again. The British, who had been defeated by him many times, defeated Hyder Ali in 1781. After Hyder Ali's death, Tipu Sultan attacked the British who had planned to attack Mysore with about 5,000 soldiers. Realizing that Tipu could not be defeated by military force, the British brought the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Maratha rulers to their side. In addition, they assigned many spies to Tipu's army.

Third Mysore War (1790-1792)

The growth of Mysore, which was the richest state in South India, threatened the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Peshwa of Maratha. It was in this situation that the British also started trying to subdue Tipu. In the Third Mysore War that took place in 1789, the British army clashed with Tipu's army near Srirangapatna. The Mysore army fought bravely, but when the attack from Hyderabad and the Marathas came, Tipu was defeated. As demanded by the enemy, he had to sign the 'Treaty of Srirangapatna'. Accordingly, he lost about half of the territories of Mysore. As if that were not enough, Tipu had to pay a huge amount of compensation to the British. About 3.3 crore rupees!

Fourth Mysore War (1798-1799)

Tipu immediately paid the British one crore rupees out of the huge compensation. Until the rest of the amount was paid, the British took Tipu's two sons as hostages and imprisoned them in the Vellore Fort. The ruined country and the unpayable debt forced Tipu to fight against the British again. However, his own bodyguard, Mir Sadiq, had already turned into a British spy. Unaware of this, Tipu clashed with the British army near Srirangapatna. Tipu fought bravely, but the spies changed the course of the war. Defeated again, Tipu retreated from the battlefield and hid in the Srirangapatna fort. But Mir Sadiq told the British the secret route to the fort. Tipu died a heroic death in the ensuing battle. With this battle in 1799, British rule in South India was strengthened.

Kattabomman Revolt

Veera Pandya Kattabomman, the ruler of Tirunelveli, was a vassal of the Nawab of Karnataka. He had loyal and brave tribal followers. Following the attack by the Company army, the Carnatic Nawab surrendered. But Kattabomman and his assistants did not surrender. They hid in the jungle. Realizing that an attack in the jungle was unwise, the Company army made a peace treaty with Kattabomman. However, the Company army, having learned of Kattabomman's hideout, violated the terms of the treaty and attacked him. Kattabomman and his followers fought back with bows and arrows for some time. However, his friend, the Raja of Pudukkottai, took a bribe from the Company army and betrayed Kattabomman. The English captured him and hanged him.

Vellore Mutiny

The brutality shown to Tipu by the British became a topic of discussion not only in Mysore but also in neighboring countries. Angered by this, a group of patriotic sepoys of the English army attacked the Vellore Fort. However, the English army, which arrived in force, killed all the sepoys. This incident is known as the 'Vellore Rebellion'. The Vellore Rebellion began in July 1806.

Paika Rebellion

The Gajapati kings had leased agricultural land to the Paika community of Odisha. This was the result of the Paika Uprising, which broke out in 1803 after the British East India Company was dissolved. An armed uprising broke out in 1817 under the leadership of Bakshi Jagabandhu. However, the East India Company suppressed the uprising. 

Kittur Uprising

The Kittur Uprising was a revolt that broke out in 1824 against the British taking over the princely state of Kittur (Karnataka) using the Doctrine of Lapse and Adoption. The British took over the kingdom after the death of Kittur Chinnamma's husband and son. Subsequently, Kittur Rani Chinnamma and Rayappa fought bravely against the British. Following the uprising, the agitators declared Kittur an independent state, but the British took over the kingdom.

Faraizi Revolt

The Faraizi Revolts took place in Bengal between 1838 and 1857. The name 'Farazi' means 'duty of Islam'. The Faraizi Revolts were similar to the Mappila Revolts that broke out in Bengal during the time of the Mappila Revolts. The Faraizi Revolt was one of the earliest revolts by the Muslim population of Bengal against the British. The British and the local landowners suppressed the revolt.

Anglo-Sikh Wars (Anglo Sikh War 1 & 2)

Ranjit Singh, son of Maha Singh, the ruler of Gujranwala, unified Punjab. The British were afraid to attack Ranjit Singh, who had a large army. However, after Ranjit Singh's death, the British invaded Punjab and the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out in 1845. The war ended with the Treaty of Lahore in 1846. In 1848, the British again invaded Punjab, leading to the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Although Punjab fought bravely, the British were victorious with the help of spies. In 1849, they annexed the Punjab province to the British Empire.

Kuka Rebellion

The Kuka Rebellion was a peasant revolt in Punjab led by Guru Ram Singh against the British. The Kuka Rebellion is also known as the Kuka Movement. The Kukas or Namdharis were a sect within the Sikh religion. The Kuka Rebellion of the 1840s aimed to eliminate caste and similar discrimination among the Sikhs. Guru Ram Singh, who joined the Sikh army, took responsibility for social reform activities after the death of the previous leader of the Kukas, Balak Singh. The Kuka Rebellion is known as the first major uprising of the people of Punjab against British rule. The Kukas engaged in activities such as boycotting British-made goods and British education. They aimed to overthrow British rule. It was an act of political independence. However, the British who suppressed the rebellion exiled Ram Singh to Burma.

Wahhabi Movement

The 'Wahhabi Movement' was started by some who realized that the British were creating discord among the followers of Islam. However, due to the increasing public support for the Wahhabis, a judge named Norman sentenced the leader of the Wahhabis, Amir Khan, to death on charges of treason. Then, the activists of the Wahhabi movement killed Norman in the court premises. With this, the British exiled the Wahhabis to the Andamans. Later, when the Indian Viceroy Lord Mayo arrived in the Andamans, one of the Wahhabis, Sher Ali, killed him. After the emergence of a moderate named Syed Khan, the hostility between the British and the Wahhabis decreased.

Indigo Revolt

The farmers of Bengal used to earn their livelihood by producing indigo from the indigo plant. But when the British started indigo cultivation in Bengal, the condition of the farmers deteriorated. The landlords cultivated the land for the British. However, the landlords paid meager wages to their dependents. The farmers who demanded fair wages were subjected to torture. The farmers, who were suffering from hunger, attacked the British and destroyed the factories. The press and the locals supported the farmers. The agitation intensified when Grant, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, initiated disciplinary measures. In this situation, the government appointed a commission headed by an officer named W.S. Setankar. The commission then ruled that the British should withdraw from forcing the farmers to work. Gradually, the strike began.

Tribal Revolts in India

Not only the native kings, but also many tribal groups in India have fought fiercely against the british. One of their most important struggles was the Santhal Revolt. The Santhal rebellion, an indigenous people of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, took place in 1855. The Santhal soldiers who fought bravely were all shot dead by the British army at Murshidabad. The hill people of Bengal, the Chuvarans, the Kurichyas of Kerala, the Munda tribes of Ranchi, the Nayakas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the Kachanagas of Assam, and the hill tribes of the Rampa region of Andhra Pradesh, all raised rebellions at various times, questioning British rule. All these rebellions were brutally suppressed by the British.

Major tribal revolts

■ Bill Rebellion (1818–31) - Western Ghats

■ Koli Rebellion (1824–28, 1839, 1899) - Gujarat

■ Khasi Rebellion (1846–48, 1885, 1914) - Meghalaya, Assam

■ Naikad Rebellion (1858–59) - Gujarat

■ Rampa Rebellion (1879) - Coastal Andhra Pradesh

■ Kachang Rebellion (1882) - Cachar region, Assam

■ Munda Rebellion (1899–1900) - Chotanagpur region (led by Birsa Munda)

■ Kuki Rebellion (1917–19) - Manipur

Santhal Rebellion

In the face of the spirit of the Indians, The Santhal Rebellion was a struggle that frightened the British. The Santhals are the indigenous people of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. They took up arms against the British when they were dissatisfied with their taxes and policies. The Santhals fought to drive out the British under the leadership of Sidho, Kanhu, and Tilkamaji. The rebellion began on June 30, 1855. The Santhals defeated the first English army they encountered and advanced towards Kolkata. Finally, the British army surrounded the Santhals with guns and artillery at Murshidabad. However, they continued to fight until the last Santhal died! Except for the first freedom struggle of 1857, there has never been a rebellion in India in which so many people were massacred.