Martial law of 1857
Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Rebels and the Raj"
Meaning
Martial law is military rule in place of ordinary law. In May and June 1857, the British passed a series of Acts that placed North India under martial law to crush the revolt. Military officers, and even ordinary Britons, got the power to try and punish Indians suspected of rebellion. Rebellion carried only one punishment: death. These laws came first and paved the way for the British reconquest.
Example
Under these powers, rebels were hanged in rows or blown from guns in public. At Peshawar, an execution of this kind was shown in the Illustrated London News on 3 October 1857. The goal was to frighten people out of rebelling.
Don't confuse with
- Queen Victoria's proclamation (November 1858): it came after the revolt and promised that the British would not interfere in religion. Martial law in 1857 was a tool of harsh punishment.
Related concepts
- Siege of Delhi 1857
- Siege of Lucknow
- Hugh Rose
- Kanpur massacres 1857
- Government of India Act 1858
- Lord Canning
- Queen Victoria's Proclamation
- Peel Commission 1859
- Indian Councils Act 1861
- Indian High Courts Act 1861