Siege of Delhi 1857
Also called: Siege of Delhi · Topic: The Revolt of 1857 · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Rebels and the Raj"
Meaning
After 11 May 1857, sepoys from Meerut took over Delhi and made Bahadur Shah their leader in name. The British then besieged the city from the Ridge outside it, from about June 1857, using forces sent mostly from the peaceful Punjab. Rebels from all over North India came to defend Delhi, so the city held out for months. Its fall in late September 1857 took away the revolt's Mughal symbol.
Example
In September 1857, British troops stormed Delhi, and John Nicholson was killed in the attack. The city fell around 20 September. Bahadur Shah was captured at Humayun's tomb by William Hodson, and British troops carried out house-to-house killings in the city.
Don't confuse with
- Siege of Lucknow: there the rebels besieged the British in the Residency. At Delhi the British besieged rebels who held the city.
Related concepts
- Martial law of 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