Bakht Khan
Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Bakht Khan was a subedar (a senior Indian officer) of the artillery from Bareilly. In July 1857 he led rebel sepoys from Bareilly to Delhi. Bahadur Shah Zafar made him the commander of the rebel forces in the city. He matters because Bahadur Shah was only the nominal leader, and real military decisions were taken by commanders like him.
Example
In July 1857, Bakht Khan reached Delhi with Bareilly troops and took charge of the defence against the British force on the Delhi Ridge. Delhi still fell in late September 1857.
Don't confuse with
- Khan Bahadur Khan: he led the revolt at Bareilly itself and ruled there. Bakht Khan took the Bareilly sepoys to fight in Delhi.
Related concepts
- Sepoy panchayat
- Charles Ball
- Nana Sahib
- Azimullah Khan
- Rani Lakshmibai
- Tantia Tope
- Kunwar Singh
- Birjis Qadr
- Begum Hazrat Mahal
- Khan Bahadur Khan