When People Rebel
1857 and After

Q19. Who was the Begum Hazrat Mahal? What was her role in the 1857 rebellion?

Ans. Begum Hazrat Mahal was the mother of Birjis Qadr. She took an active part in organising the uprising against the British.

Q20. What is Bakht Khan?

Ans. Bakht Khan, a soldier from Bareilly, took charge of a large force of fighters who came to Delhi. He became a key military leader of the rebellion.

Q21. Who declared himself as a governor under Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar?

Ans. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao declared that he was a governor under Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Q22. Which Governor-General decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king?

Ans. In 1856, Governor-General Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king.

Q23. Name the zamindar of Bihar, who joined the rebel sepoys and battled with the British.

Ans. In Bihar, an old zamindar, Kunwar Singh, joined the rebel sepoys and battled with the British for many months.

Q24. What did the Bahadur Shah Jafar do after he was declared the leader of the rebel?

Ans. He wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organise a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British.

Q25. What was the plea of Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II?

Ans. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, pleaded that he be given his father’s pension when the latter died.

Q26. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?

Ans. The sepoys objected that the new cartridges they were asked to use were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs.

Q27. What was the immediate cause of the Sepoy mutiny and why?

Ans. Use of greased cartridges in the army was the immediate cause. They were coated with the fat of pig and cow and offended the religious sensibilities of the sepoys.

Q28. Why were the powers of the East India Company transferred to the British crown?

Ans. The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs.

Q29. How Muslims were treated by the British and why?

Ans. The land and property of Muslims was confiscated on a large scale and they were treated with suspicion and hostility. The British believed that they were responsible for the rebellion in a big way.

Q30. How Tantia Tope died?

Ans. Tantia Tope escaped to the jungles of central India and continued to fight a guerrilla war with the support of many tribal and peasant leaders. He was captured, tried and killed in April 1859.

Q31. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?

Ans. Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Company to recognize her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband. But the British turned down her plea.

Q32. How did the revolt of 1857 affect the position of the East India Company?

Ans. The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs.

Q33. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?

Ans. In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors.

Q34. What was the new law passed in 1856 by the East India Company regarding the employment in the Company’s army?

Ans. In 1856 the Company passed a new law which stated that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas if required.