Mutiny
Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Rebels and the Raj"
Meaning
A mutiny is when soldiers act together to disobey the rules and orders of their own army. In 1857 the mutiny was by the sepoys, the Indian soldiers of the East India Company. When ordinary people such as peasants, zamindars, rajas and jagirdars (holders of land grants) joined in, the mutiny grew into a wider revolt. The British called the whole event the "Sepoy Mutiny". After Independence, Indians rejected that name because it made the rising look like an army matter only.
Example
On 10 May 1857 at Meerut, the sepoys of the infantry lines rose against their officers, and the cavalry soon joined them. This was a mutiny. When townspeople and villagers joined them and attacked government buildings, it became a rebellion.
Don't confuse with
- Revolt/rebellion: this is a rising by civilians against established authority. A mutiny happens only inside the armed forces.