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Welcome to another interesting and informative blog brought to you by Hranker.com. In today’s blog we are going to learn about the Vellore Mutiny.
Much before the Great Uprising of 1857, the first sepoy mutiny against the East India Company took place in Vellore. Let’s dive into history and see why the mutiny took place, what all happened, and what was the aftereffect of the mutiny.
When and Where did it happen?
Vellore mutiny took place on July 18, 1806.
It was the first major mutiny by Indian Sepoys against the East India Company.
It happened at Vellore, present day Tamil Nadu.Though the Mutiny lasted for only 1 day, it had a significant impact on the East India Company and British Raj. Mutineers seized the Vellore Fort and killed around 200 British troops.
Why did it happen?
In 1806 a new dress code was introduced for the sepoy of the Madras army.
They were ordered to shave off their beard and were forbidden from wearing religious marks on their forehead.They were asked by their commander in chief John Craddock to wear round hats instead of traditional turbans.
These changes led to suspicion among the soldiers that they were being converted to christianity.Muslims were asked to shave their beards and trim moustaches.
These measures offended the sensibilities of both Hindu and Muslims sepoys and went contrary to an earlier warning by a military board that depot uniform changes should be given every consideration and local relic sentiments must be respected.One of the reasons for the eruption was the presence of the family of slain ruler of Mysore Tip Sultan in Vellore Fort.
Timeline of Events
- May 1806 Two sepoys, one hindu and muslim protested against the new rules.They were punishes with 90 lashes and dismissed from the army.19 others were given 50 lashes each.
- July 1806 Mutinying Sepoys killed 14 of their officers and 115 other English soldiers of 69th Regiment of Foot.
- Among those killed was Colonel St John Fancourt ,the commander of Fort.
- Rebels seized control by dawn and raised the flag of Mysore Sultanate over the Fort.
- They declared Tipus Son Fateh Hyder King.
- British Officer Major Coopes escaped and alerted the garrison in Arcot.
- After 9 hours British Force led by Rollo Gillespire arrived with a force comprising 19Th Light Dragoons,Galloper Guns and a squadron of Madras Cavalry.
- Along with his troops he was able to bring the fort under his control and rescue the surviving Europeans inside the fort.
- 100 sepoys were dragged outside of the fort and executed by a firing squad.
- Nearly 350 rebels were killed and the same number wounded .
AFTERMATH OF THE MUTINY
After formal trials 6 sepoys were blown away from cannons, 8 were hanged and 5 were shot by firing squads.Five others were transported.
Three Madras Battalions involved in the mutiny were disbanded.
John Craddock, responsible for the offending dress regulations, was recalled to England.
Order asking sepoys to wear round hats was cancelled.Tipus family stationed at Vellore Fort was Moved to Calcutta.
The company decided to stop interfering with religious and social customs of the sepoys .
Brutal crushing of Vellore mutiny was responsible for non participation of the sepoys of Madras in 1857 war of Independence.
Parallels between Vellore Mutiny and Indian Rebellion of 1857
- The Vellore mutiny was on a small scale while the latter was on a much larger scale.
- In 1857 revolt sepoys proclaimed the return of Mughal rule by reinstalling Bahadur Shah as Emperor of India, the same way mutineers of Vellore attempted to restore power to Tipu Sultan’s son.
- Insensitivity to sepoy religious and cultural practices was a common factor in both uprisings.
This brings us to the end of our blog. Hope you found this article informative. Stay tuned with us as we will be bringing to you many such interesting articles that will be helpful for you in all competitive examinations like SSC CGL, UGC NET, etc.
