CBSE Class 12 · Rebels and the Raj: The Revolt of 1857 and Its Representations

What the Rebels of 1857 Wanted: Unity, Grievances and Alternative Power (Class 12 History)

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Rebel proclamations of 1857 called on Hindus and Muslims to unite against firangi raj, condemned annexations, broken treaties, heavy revenue, foreign trade and threats to religion, and promised zamindars, merchants, servants, artisans and the learned a better life under a Badshahi government. Rebels also set up short-lived administrations that looked back to the Mughal world.

Understand What the Rebels Wanted

Why this topic matters. Section 3 of Theme 10 asks what the rebels themselves wanted. Boards set 3-mark questions on the appeal for unity in proclamations, on the aims of the rebels, and on why reconstructing their views depends on British sources, plus 4-mark sources such as the sepoys' arzi and the Azamgarh Proclamation. NCERT section 3 (3.1-3.3), Sources 5-6, and the opening of section 5.

1. The problem of sources.

The victors recorded their own trials and heroism and dismissed the rebels as ungrateful and barbaric.
Repression meant silencing the rebels' voice; few could record their version, and most were sepoys and ordinary people who were not literate.
Apart from a few proclamations and ishtahars (notifications) and some letters, historians depend heavily on what the British wrote, which reveals officials' minds but little about the rebels' aims.
British material includes letters, diaries, autobiographies, official histories, memos, the mutiny records volumes, and newspaper stories that inflamed demands for revenge.

2. The vision of unity (3.1).

Proclamations appealed to all sections, irrespective of caste and creed.
Many were issued by or in the names of Muslim princes, but even these addressed Hindu sentiments.
The war was one in which Hindus and Muslims had equally to lose or gain.
Ishtahars glorified the coexistence of communities under the Mughal Empire.
The proclamation under Bahadur Shah's name called people to fight under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir.
Religious divisions were hardly visible. In Bareilly, in December 1857, the British spent Rs 50,000 to incite Hindus against Muslims; the attempt failed.

3. The Azamgarh Proclamation, 25 August 1857 (Source 5). It appeals group by group:

Section	Group	Complaint against the British	Promise of the Badshahi government
I	Zamindars	Exorbitant jumas; estates auctioned for arrears; summoned to court on a ryot's or servant's complaint; costly stamps and court fees; taxed for schools, hospitals, roads	Light jumas; dignity safe; absolute rule in their zamindaris
II	Merchants	British monopoly of valuable trade (indigo, cloth, shipping); taxes, tolls, postage; liable to imprisonment	Trade of every article, by land and water, opened to native merchants
III	Public servants	Little respect, low pay, no influence; high posts only for Englishmen	Salaries of 200 and 300 rupees a month now, high posts later
IV	Artisans	English goods put weavers, cotton dressers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers out of work	Employment with kings, rajahs and the rich
V	Pundits, fakirs, learned	Europeans enemies of both religions	Join the holy war

Notice the language: religious ('infidel and treacherous English'), economic and status-based, with appeals to astrologers' calculations and ancient works predicting the end of British rule.

4. What the sepoys said (Source 6). An arzi (petition) of rebel sepoys recalls a century of loyal service, then the order of 1857 issuing cartridges mixed with fats of cows and pigs and atta mixed with powdered bones; when sowars of the 3rd Light Cavalry refused to bite cartridges, 84 troopers were imprisoned in irons before guns loaded with grape. They fought for two years so that their faith and religion might not be polluted, with rajahs and chiefs of the same faith.

5. Against the symbols of oppression (3.2).

Proclamations rejected everything linked with firangi raj: annexations, broken treaties; the British could not be trusted.
Land revenue settlements had dispossessed landholders; foreign commerce had ruined artisans and weavers.
Widespread fear that the British meant to destroy caste and religion and convert people to Christianity; people urged to fight for livelihood, faith, honour and identity, for the 'greater public good'.
In practice, rebels also attacked allies of the British and local oppressors: humiliating city elites, burning account books, ransacking moneylenders' houses. This hints at an alternative, perhaps more egalitarian, vision, though proclamations, seeking unity, did not articulate it.

6. The search for alternative power (3.3).

After British rule collapsed in Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur, rebels set up structures of authority, aiming to restore the pre-British world of the eighteenth century.
They went back to court culture: appointments, arrangements for land revenue and paying troops, orders to stop loot, plans for battle, chains of command.
These structures served the demands of war and mostly could not survive British attack; in Awadh the Lucknow court still had plans of counter-attack and hierarchies of command in late 1857 and early 1858.
The Mughal world became a symbol of all that had been lost.

7. Different visions (NCERT essay question). Zamindars wanted light revenue and dignity; merchants open trade; servants respect and pay; artisans work; sepoys their faith; peasants relief from moneylenders and revenue. Proclamations stressed unity and restoration, while popular action sometimes aimed at overturning hierarchies.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

Few rebels had the opportunity of recording their version of events
NCERT, section 3: On why the rebels' perspective is hard to reconstruct.
Core point for questions on sources of 1857.
under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir
NCERT, section 3.1, on the proclamation in Bahadur Shah's name: The rebels' appeal for Hindu-Muslim unity.
Best single example of the vision of unity.
If the religion of a Hindoo or Mussalman is lost
Arzi of rebel sepoys (Source 6): Ending their account of why they fought for two years.
Shows how sepoys framed the revolt as defence of faith.
a world that became a symbol of all that had been lost
NCERT, section 3.3: On the rebels' return to eighteenth-century Mughal forms of rule.
Sums up the restorative aim of rebel administration.

What the Rebels Wanted: key facts

The source problem: Victors wrote the record; rebels called ungrateful and barbaric
Repression silenced rebel voices
Most rebels were sepoys and ordinary people who were not literate
Survivals: a few proclamations, ishtahars, letters, arzis
Result: heavy dependence on British records; British sources show officials' minds, not rebels' aims.
Vision of unity: Appeal to all sections, irrespective of caste and creed
Muslim princes addressed Hindu sentiments too
Ishtahars praised coexistence under the Mughals
Bahadur Shah's proclamation standards of Muhammad and Mahavir
Bareilly, December 1857 British spent Rs 50,000 to divide communities and failed; A war in which Hindus and Muslims had equally to lose or gain.
Azamgarh Proclamation, 25 August 1857: Zamindars light jumas, dignity, rule in their zamindaris
Merchants trade in every article opened to them
Public servants 200 and 300 rupees a month, high posts later
Artisans employment with kings, rajahs and the rich
Pundits and fakirs join the holy war; Promises of a Badshahi government.
Against symbols of oppression: Annexations and broken treaties
Revenue settlements that dispossessed landholders
Foreign commerce that ruined artisans and weavers
Fear for caste and religion
In practice: moneylenders' account books burnt, urban elites humiliated; A glimpse of a more egalitarian vision, not stated in the proclamations.
Alternative power: Where Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur
Measures appointments, land revenue, pay for troops, orders to stop loot, chains of command
Model the eighteenth-century Mughal world
Duration mostly short-lived; the Lucknow court lasted into early 1858; The Mughal world as a symbol of all that had been lost.

Appeal	to all sections, irrespective of caste and creed
Muslim princes	addressed Hindu sentiments too
Ishtahars	praised coexistence under the Mughals
Bahadur Shah's proclamation	standards of Muhammad and Mahavir
Bareilly, December 1857	British spent Rs 50,000 to divide communities and failed

Zamindars	light jumas, dignity, rule in their zamindaris
Merchants	trade in every article opened to them
Public servants	200 and 300 rupees a month, high posts later
Artisans	employment with kings, rajahs and the rich
Pundits and fakirs	join the holy war

Where	Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur
Measures	appointments, land revenue, pay for troops, orders to stop loot, chains of command
Model	the eighteenth-century Mughal world
Duration	mostly short-lived; the Lucknow court lasted into early 1858

How to answer What the Rebels Wanted questions

Expect 3-mark questions on why proclamations appealed for unity, what the rebels' aims were, or why our knowledge depends on British sources; 4-mark sources from the Azamgarh Proclamation or the sepoys' arzi; and parts of 8-mark answers comparing visions of different groups.

1Begin with the source problem: victors' records, silenced and non-literate rebels, few proclamations.
2Explain the vision of unity with two examples (Muhammad and Mahavir; Bareilly).
3Summarise the Azamgarh Proclamation group by group.
4Add the sepoys' own reasons from the arzi.
5Describe attacks on symbols of oppression, and the wider popular targets.
6Describe rebel administrations and their Mughal model.
7Conclude: the rebels wanted to restore a familiar world, united across religion, while some actions hinted at social change.

What the Rebels Wanted in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A manifesto for many groups

Suppose a new political front issues a pamphlet with separate sections promising farmers lower taxes, traders freedom from licences, employees better pay and craftsmen protection from imported goods.

Which 1857 document followed the same method, and why?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Azamgarh Proclamation addressed zamindars, merchants, public servants, artisans and the learned in turn.
Each section listed British wrongs against that group and promised remedies under a Badshahi government.
This aimed to bring together people with different interests in one fight.

Answer: The Azamgarh Proclamation of 25 August 1857: group-wise appeals helped build a broad coalition against firangi raj.

Memory hook: One enemy, many promises.

History written by winners

Imagine reconstructing a school strike only from the principal's reports and the local newspaper, because the striking students left no written statements.

What difficulty would you face, and how is it like studying 1857?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The records would show the authorities' fears and judgements, not the students' aims.
In 1857, the British wrote most records and dismissed rebels as ungrateful and barbaric.
Rebels were silenced by repression and most were not literate; only a few proclamations survive.

Answer: You would know the authorities' mind but not the rebels'; historians therefore read rare proclamations and arzis closely and read British sources against the grain.

Memory hook: Winners write, losers whisper.

Tricks to remember What the Rebels Wanted

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Z-M-S-A-L
Zamindars, Merchants, Servants, Artisans, Learned: 'Zealous Men Serve A Leader'.
Use it when: Five sections of the Azamgarh Proclamation in order.
M and M
Muhammad and Mahavir on one standard: unity in two Ms.
Use it when: Example of the rebels' vision of unity.
50,000 failed
Bareilly, December 1857: Rs 50,000 spent to divide, nothing gained.
Use it when: Evidence of Hindu-Muslim unity.

What the Rebels Wanted: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: The Azamgarh Proclamation · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

The Azamgarh Proclamation, a key source on the aims of the rebels, was issued on:
(a) 10 May 1857
(b) 23 June 1857
(c) 25 August 1857
(d) 25 September 1857

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT dates it to 25 August 1857 (1 mark).

Answer: (c) 25 August 1857

Example 2: A war for both communities · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Give three pieces of evidence that the rebels of 1857 tried to unite Hindus and Muslims. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Proclamations, even by Muslim princes, addressed Hindu sentiments; Hindus and Muslims had equally to gain or lose (1 mark).
Bahadur Shah's proclamation: standards of Muhammad and Mahavir; glorified Mughal coexistence (1 mark).
Bareilly, December 1857: British spent Rs 50,000 to divide communities and failed (1 mark).

Answer: Rebel proclamations repeatedly appealed to all sections regardless of caste and creed; even those issued by Muslim princes took care to address Hindu sentiments, presenting the war as one in which both communities had equally to lose or gain. The proclamation in Bahadur Shah's name called on people to fight under the standards of both Muhammad and Mahavir, and ishtahars praised the coexistence of communities under the Mughals. Religious divisions were hardly noticeable: in Bareilly in December 1857 the British spent Rs 50,000 to incite Hindus against Muslims, but failed.

Example 3: Assertion and reason: the rebels' voice · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): Historians find it hard to recover the rebels' own aims in 1857.
Reason (R): Few rebels could write, and the crushing of the revolt left little room for their accounts to survive.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

NCERT gives these reasons for the scarcity of rebel sources (1 mark).

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Example 4: Restoring the Mughal world · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What kind of authority did the rebels try to establish in Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur, and what does it reveal about their aims? (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Measures: appointments, revenue collection, payment of troops, orders against loot, chains of command, battle plans (1 mark).
Model: court culture of the eighteenth-century Mughal world (1 mark).
Aim: restore the pre-British world, though structures served war needs and were short-lived; Lucknow's lasted into 1858 (1 mark).

Answer: Once British rule collapsed, rebels in Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur made appointments to posts, arranged for land revenue to be collected and troops paid, issued orders to stop loot and plunder, planned battles and laid down chains of command. In doing this they returned to the culture of the court and harked back to the eighteenth-century Mughal world. This shows that the leadership wanted to restore the pre-British order that had become a symbol of all that was lost. These structures mainly served the needs of war and could not survive the British onslaught, though in Awadh the Lucknow court kept command hierarchies and counter-attack plans into early 1858.

Example 5: Source-based: the merchants' section · 4 marks · Source-basedHarder board level

Read the source (summarised for this page from Section II of the Azamgarh Proclamation in NCERT) and answer.

The proclamation told merchants that the British had kept the trade in all fine and valuable goods, such as indigo and cloth and seaborne commerce, for themselves, leaving Indians only petty trade. Merchants' profits were taxed through postage, tolls and contributions for schools, and they could be jailed on the complaint of a worthless person. Under the Badshahi government, it promised, trade in every article by land and water would be thrown open to Indian merchants, and so every merchant should help the war with men and money.

(i) In whose name and under what kind of government did the proclamation promise change? (1)
(ii) Name two economic grievances of merchants mentioned in the source. (1)
(iii) Why did the rebel leaders address each social group separately in this proclamation? (2)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(i) A restored Badshahi (imperial, Mughal) government (1 mark).
(ii) British monopoly of valuable trade; taxes on profits through postage, tolls, school subscriptions (1 mark).
(iii) To win broad support by addressing each group's specific grievances and promising remedies; to unite people with different interests against firangi raj (2 marks).

Answer: (i) It promised change under the Badshahi, or imperial, government, that is, a restored Mughal order in place of British rule. (ii) The British monopoly of trade in fine and valuable goods such as indigo and cloth, and the taxing of merchants' profits through postage, tolls and subscriptions for schools; they could also be imprisoned on frivolous complaints. (iii) Different groups had different grievances: zamindars complained of heavy jumas and auctions, servants of low pay and lack of high posts, artisans of ruin by English goods. By listing each group's specific wrongs and promising a matching remedy, the proclamation tried to build the widest possible coalition and to show that every section of society, Hindu or Muslim, had a stake in ending firangi raj.

Example 6: Long answer: one revolt, many visions · 8 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

"The rebels of 1857 shared an enemy but not always a goal." Examine what different groups wanted, and how historians can know it. (8 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Source problem and the sources used (1 mark).
Common enemy: rejection of firangi raj; annexations, treaties, trust (1 mark).
Unity across religion (1 mark).
Zamindars and merchants in the Azamgarh Proclamation (1 mark).
Servants, artisans, learned (1 mark).
Sepoys' arzi: faith (1 mark).
Popular action against moneylenders and elites; alternative vision; restoration of the Mughal world (1 mark).
Judgement (1 mark).

Answer: Reconstructing the rebels' aims is difficult. The British, as victors, recorded their own version and dismissed rebels as ungrateful and barbaric; repression silenced the rebels, and most were sepoys and ordinary people who were not literate. Apart from a few proclamations, ishtahars and letters, we depend on British records, which reveal officials' minds more than rebels' aims. Historians therefore read the surviving rebel documents closely.

The rebels certainly shared an enemy. Proclamations rejected everything associated with firangi raj, condemned annexations and broken treaties, and said the British could not be trusted. They appealed to Hindus and Muslims alike: Bahadur Shah's proclamation invoked the standards of Muhammad and Mahavir, and a British attempt to divide communities in Bareilly failed.

But each group had its own goals. The Azamgarh Proclamation of 25 August 1857 promised zamindars light revenue, dignity and rule over their estates; merchants freedom of trade in every article; public servants respect, salaries of 200-300 rupees and high posts; artisans employment with kings and the rich; and called on pundits and fakirs to join a holy war. The sepoys' arzi stressed faith: cartridges with animal fat and atta with powdered bones, and the imprisonment of 84 troopers who refused to bite cartridges.

Ordinary people sometimes went further. They humiliated urban elites, burnt account books and ransacked moneylenders' houses, revealing an urge to overturn traditional hierarchies, perhaps a more egalitarian vision. The proclamations, aiming at unity, did not express this. Rebel leaders, meanwhile, set up administrations in Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur modelled on the eighteenth-century Mughal court.

The statement is valid. United against firangi raj and in defence of faith and livelihood, the rebels nonetheless hoped for different futures: some wanted to restore the old order, while others wanted to overturn local oppressors as well.

Where students lose marks in What the Rebels Wanted

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Saying rebels left no sources at all
Overstating NCERT's point.
Wrong working
We know nothing of what the rebels thought.
Right working
A few proclamations, ishtahars, letters and arzis survive, but most evidence is British.
Do this: Say 'few', not 'none'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Calling the proclamations purely religious
Missing the economic sections.
Wrong working
The rebels fought only to protect religion.
Right working
They combined religion with grievances of zamindars, merchants, servants and artisans.
Do this: Use the five sections of the Azamgarh Proclamation.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Forgetting evidence of unity
Vague statements.
Wrong working
Hindus and Muslims were united.
Right working
Muhammad and Mahavir in Bahadur Shah's proclamation; Bareilly's Rs 50,000 attempt failed.
Do this: Always give a concrete example.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Describing rebel rule as modern or democratic
Reading back nationalist ideas.
Wrong working
The rebels set up a new democratic government.
Right working
They looked back to the eighteenth-century Mughal world and court culture.
Do this: Key word: restore.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Asked in: 2024 board paper 61/1/1 Q26(b) (3 marks, why rebel proclamations appealed for unity); 2025 board paper 61/1/1 Q26 (3 marks, the rebellion as a war in which Hindus and Muslims had equally to gain or lose); sample paper 2024-25 Q26 (3 marks, aspirations and objectives of the rebels in proclamations and actions); sample paper 2026-27 Q27 A (3 marks, why reconstruction depends on British writings); 2024 board paper 61/2/1 Q27 and 61/5/1 Q26(b) (3 marks, sources on the revolt); 2026 board paper 61/4/1 Q33 (4-mark source, 'What the sepoys thought'). Answers here are our own.
For aims, organise by group using the Azamgarh Proclamation.
For unity, give Muhammad and Mahavir plus Bareilly.
For sources, explain why rebel voices are scarce before listing British sources.
End with the restorative aim (Mughal world) and the glimpse of a more egalitarian vision in popular action.

Practice questions on What the Rebels Wanted

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Late in 1857 the British paid out a large sum at Bareilly hoping to:
(a) buy the loyalty of sepoys
(b) incite Hindus against Muslims
(c) rebuild the telegraph line
(d) ransom British prisoners
Hint
It failed.
Answer
(b) incite Hindus against Muslims.
Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
What were ishtahars, and why are they important to historians of 1857? (2 marks)
Hint
Rebel notifications.
Answer
Ishtahars were notifications issued by rebel leaders to spread their ideas and persuade people to join. They are among the few sources that show the rebels' own perspective.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What grievances of zamindars against British rule did the Azamgarh Proclamation list, and what did it promise them? (3 marks)
Hint
Section I.
Answer
It said the British had imposed exorbitant jumas and ruined zamindars by auctioning their estates for arrears; that respectable zamindars could be summoned to court, arrested and jailed on the suit of a common ryot, a maid servant or a slave; that stamps and court expenses impoverished litigants; and that zamindars were taxed every year for schools, hospitals and roads. Under the Badshahi government it promised light jumas, safety for their dignity and honour, and absolute rule in their own zamindaris.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How did popular actions during the revolt reveal aims that the proclamations did not express? (3 marks)
Hint
Moneylenders, elites, account books.
Answer
In many places the rebellion widened into an attack on all those seen as allies of the British or local oppressors. Urban elites were deliberately shamed, while in the countryside rebels destroyed moneylenders' ledgers and looted their homes. This reflected an attempt to overturn traditional hierarchies and rebel against all oppressors, a glimpse of an alternative, perhaps more egalitarian, society. The proclamations did not express such visions because they aimed to unite all social groups, including zamindars and merchants, against firangi raj.
Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): Rebel governments in Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur aimed to create an entirely new political system.
Reason (R): Their appointments, revenue arrangements and command chains copied the old Mughal court.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Hint
Restoration, not novelty.
Answer
(d) A is false but R is true: the rebels sought to restore the pre-British world.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose you are an artisan weaver near Azamgarh in 1857. After hearing the proclamation read aloud, would you join the rebels? Give reasons from the source and the chapter. (3 marks)
Hint
Section IV; risks.
Answer
The proclamation speaks directly to my grievance: English goods have thrown weavers, cotton dressers, carpenters, blacksmiths and shoemakers out of work and reduced artisans to beggary, and it promises that under the Badshahi government native artisans will be employed by kings, rajahs and the rich. Foreign commerce had indeed ruined artisans and weavers, so I might join. But I would weigh the risks: British repression was harsh, with martial law and death as the punishment for rebellion, and rebel governments were short-lived. Many like me joined because the promise of restored patronage outweighed fear.
Q7 · 4 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Compare the sepoys' arzi and the Azamgarh Proclamation as sources on why people rebelled in 1857. What does each emphasise, and what does the comparison tell historians? (4 marks)
Hint
Faith versus interests.
Answer
The arzi, written by rebel sepoys, stresses faith: after a century of loyal service, they were ordered to use cartridges mixed with the fat of cows and pigs and to eat atta with powdered bones, and 84 troopers who refused were jailed; they fought for two years so that their religion would not be polluted. The Azamgarh Proclamation, issued by a rebel leader, appeals to many groups' material interests: revenue and dignity for zamindars, trade for merchants, pay for servants, work for artisans, along with religion for pundits and fakirs. Together they show that the revolt combined religious fear with economic and social grievances, and that each source reflects its author's position, so historians need several rebel voices, read against British records, to understand the whole.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.What is an arzi?Show answer
A petition or application; NCERT quotes one by rebel sepoys.
2.How much pay did the Azamgarh Proclamation promise public servants?Show answer
200 and 300 rupees a month for the present.
3.Which regiment's sowars were jailed for refusing the cartridges, according to the arzi?Show answer
The 3rd Light Cavalry; 84 troopers.
4.Which world did rebel administrations try to restore?Show answer
The eighteenth-century Mughal world.
5.Where did rebel command structures survive longest?Show answer
In Awadh, at the Lucknow court, into early 1858.
6.Why are British sources on 1857 limited?Show answer
They reveal the minds of officials but tell us little about what the rebels wanted.

What the Rebels Wanted: frequently asked questions

What did the rebels of 1857 want?

To end firangi raj, protect their faith, livelihoods and honour, and restore a familiar pre-British world under a Badshahi government; different groups had specific demands, set out in proclamations like the one from Azamgarh.

Why did rebel proclamations appeal for Hindu-Muslim unity?

Because the rebels saw the war as one in which both communities had equally to lose or gain, and unity was needed against the British; they invoked the coexistence of communities under the Mughals.

What was the Azamgarh Proclamation?

A rebel proclamation of 25 August 1857 that listed grievances of zamindars, merchants, public servants, artisans and the learned against British rule and promised remedies under a Badshahi government.

Why do historians depend on British sources for 1857?

Because the victors wrote most records, rebels were silenced by repression, and most rebels were not literate, leaving only a few proclamations and letters.