Princes & Maharajahs
Mutinous sepoys, 1857. NAM 1971-02-33-495-22
There was no single state of India in 1857, but instead there were a large number of principalities ruled by princes and maharajahs.
These local rulers were angered by the East India Company’s annexation of native states. Equally unpopular was the policy of lapse, which said that the lands of any ruler dying without a male heir would be forfeit to the Company. They also felt oppressed by the Company's land tax.
Local rulers were seen as having the authority to lead a campaign against the British, and in many cases they were a natural focal point for mutineers. Where they may have preferred to deal differently with the British, the arrival of large numbers of rebel sepoys at their gates often forced them to take up the cause. Many, however, remained neutral or felt that more could be gained by supporting the British.
Eye of the Storm
Photograph of the Emperor Bahadur Shah taken during his captivity in Delhi, c1859.
NAM 1971-12-40-4
The city of Delhi became the centre of the uprising. It was the seat of Bahadur Shah (1775-1862), the old Mughal Emperor. The mutineers from Meerut had immediately gone there to ask for his support and his leadership, which he reluctantly gave.
Delhi occupied a key strategic position between Calcutta and the new territories of the Punjab. The recapture of Delhi was a priority for the British.
