Indian Rebellion or ‘Mutiny’

The East India Compay’s 1st Madras Fusiliers in action during the Mutiny. (National Army Museum, London)
The East India Compay’s 1st Madras Fusiliers in action during the Mutiny. (National Army Museum, London)

The Indian Rebellion began when native soldiers of the East India Company mutinied in May 1857. The result of a number of grievances, it was triggered by the outrage of Hindu and Muslim sepoys at the use of rifle cartridges greased with beef and pork fat. Violence against white civilians angered British public opinion and the rebellion was suppressed with considerable force. The rebellion resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the creation of the British Raj.