Leaders and followers

The revolt of 1857 was not a single, centrally planned event. It erupted in different places at different times, and in each place, the rebels needed someone to lead them. The question of who would lead — and who could lead — was answered differently across the subcontinent.

Turning to Old Rulers

In many cases, the rebels looked to the very figures who had been displaced by the British. The logic was simple: if the British had removed these rulers, then restoring them would symbolise the end of British rule.

The most dramatic example was at Meerut. After killing their officers, the sepoys did not set up their own command. Instead, they rushed to Delhi and appealed to the ageing Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, to become their leader. This was not an easy decision for the emperor. His first reaction was horror and refusal. He had lived for years as a pensioner of the British, and he knew the risks. It was only when sepoys entered the Mughal court inside the Red Fort, breaking all norms of court etiquette, that he realised he had no real choice. He agreed to become the nominal head of the rebellion.

Similar scenes played out elsewhere, though on a smaller scale.

• Kanpur: The sepoys and townspeople gave Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the exiled Peshwa Baji Rao II, no option but to lead them.
• Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai was pushed by popular pressure to take command of the uprising.
• Arrah (Bihar): Kunwar Singh, a local zamindar, was forced into the role of leader.
• Awadh: The annexation of the state and the exile of the popular Nawab Wajid Ali Shah were still raw wounds. When British rule collapsed in Lucknow, the populace hailed Birjis Qadr, the young son of the Nawab, as their leader.

Leaders from Outside the Court

Not every leader was a raja, rani, or nawab. The rebellion also threw up leaders from ordinary backgrounds, including religious figures and local strongmen.

• Fakirs and Maulvis: From Meerut, there were reports of a fakir riding an elephant, with sepoys visiting him frequently. In Lucknow, after the annexation of Awadh, many religious leaders and self-styled prophets preached the destruction of British rule.
• Local Leaders: In many areas, local leaders emerged to mobilise peasants, zamindars, and tribals. Shah Mal mobilised the villagers of pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh. Gonoo, a tribal cultivator from Singhbhum in Chotanagpur, became a rebel leader for the Kol tribals.

Two Rebel Profiles

The textbook provides detailed portraits of two such leaders, showing the different worlds they came from.

Shah Mal

Shah Mal was a Jat cultivator from a large village in pargana Barout, Uttar Pradesh. His clan's kinship ties extended over chaurasee des (eighty-four villages). The region had fertile, irrigated land, and many villagers were prosperous. However, they saw the British land revenue system as deeply oppressive: the demand was high, and collection was inflexible. As a result, cultivators were losing their land to outsiders — traders and moneylenders who were moving into the area.

Shah Mal mobilised the headmen and cultivators of the chaurasee des. He moved at night from village to village, urging people to rebel. The revolt against the British quickly turned into a general rebellion against all signs of oppression.

• Cultivators left their fields and plundered the houses of moneylenders and traders.
• Displaced proprietors took back the lands they had lost.
• Shah Mal's men attacked government buildings, destroyed a bridge over the river, and dug up metalled roads. This was partly to prevent British forces from entering the area, and partly because bridges and roads were seen as symbols of British rule.
• They sent supplies to the sepoys who had mutinied in Delhi and cut off all official communication between the British headquarters and Meerut.

Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer and turned it into a "hall of justice," settling disputes and dispensing judgments. He also set up an effective network of intelligence. For a time, the people of the area felt that firangi raj was over and their own rule had begun. Shah Mal was killed in battle in July 1857.

Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah

Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was one of the many maulvis who played an important part in the revolt. Educated in Hyderabad, he became a preacher when young. In 1856, he was seen moving from village to village, preaching jehad (religious war) against the British and urging people to rebel. …