Peel Commission 1859
Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Peel Commission was a royal commission that met after 1857 to plan how to reorganise the army in India. The aim was to make sure the Indian army could never again rise together against the British. It led to more British troops in proportion to Indian ones, and the artillery (big guns) was kept in British hands. Soldiers were recruited from groups the British saw as loyal, and different communities were mixed inside units so they would not unite.
Example
After 1858, recruitment shifted away from Awadh and eastern UP, the old "nursery of the Bengal Army" whose sepoys had led the revolt. More soldiers were drawn from groups that had stayed loyal, such as Punjabis and Gurkhas.
Don't confuse with
- Hardinge's army modernisation: it brought in the Enfield rifle before 1857, which sparked the greased-cartridge rumour. The Peel Commission reorganised the army after the revolt.
Related concepts
- Martial law of 1857
- Siege of Delhi 1857
- Siege of Lucknow
- Hugh Rose
- Kanpur massacres 1857
- Government of India Act 1858
- Lord Canning
- Queen Victoria's Proclamation
- Indian Councils Act 1861
- Indian High Courts Act 1861