The Indian Rebellion
The Indian Rebellion was a major Indian revolt against British rule in India. The rebellion began in 1857 and spread across northern and central India. Thousands of people, mainly Indians, died in the fighting.
The Indian Rebellion was begun by Indian soldiers in the army of the British East India Company. The soldiers became especially alarmed when the British introduced a new rifle, which used cartridges greased in a tallow containing beef and pork fat. The cartridges had to be bitten open before being loaded into rifles. But the religious beliefs of the Indians forbade them to bite open the cartridges. The Hindu soldiers could not eat beef. Soldiers who were Muslim could not eat pork.
The rebellion broke out in a military base after British officers imprisoned 85 Indian soldiers for refusing to use the cartridges. The rebellion spread rapidly.
By the summer of 1858, stronger and better-equipped British forces had defeated most of the rebels. The revolt ended in 1859.
Excerpt adapted from the "Indian Rebellion" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999