Early Resistance to British Rule and the 1857 Revolt: Class 10 Notes in English
These notes cover the early anti-British resistance movements in Karnataka (Kittur and Amara Sulya) and the Revolt of 1857, for Class 10 Social Science (History). They are also useful for KPSC, KAS, PSI and other competitive exams.
1. Political problems of India in the 18th century
After the death of Aurangzeb (1707), the Mughal empire weakened rapidly. The major political problems of the 18th century were:
- Weak later Mughal emperors who could not control the provinces
- Rise of independent regional powers: Bengal, Awadh, Hyderabad, the Marathas, Mysore and the Sikhs
- Repeated foreign invasions: Nadir Shah's invasion (1739) and Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasions
- Constant wars between regional powers, which drained resources
- Growing interference of European trading companies, especially the British and the French, in local politics
These conditions helped the English East India Company expand its political control using diplomacy, subsidiary alliances and wars.
2. Sangolli Rayanna
- Sangolli Rayanna was the brave army chief of Kittur Rani Chennamma, who fought against the British after they refused to recognise her adopted son as the heir to Kittur.
- After Rani Chennamma's arrest (1824), Rayanna continued the resistance as a guerrilla fighter. He organised a local army, collected taxes from the region in the name of the Kittur kingdom, and attacked British offices and loyal landlords.
- He was betrayed and captured, and hanged by the British at Nandagad (in present Belagavi district) on 26 January 1831.
- He is remembered as a folk hero of Karnataka's freedom struggle.
3. Amara Sulya revolt (1837)
- The Amara Sulya revolt (Amara Sullia dange) of 1837 took place in the Coorg (Kodagu) and Sulya region, against British revenue policies, the salt and tobacco monopoly, and interference in local rule after the British deposed the Haleri king of Coorg in 1834.
- The resistance began with Swami Aparampara, who appeared in Coorg in 1835 claiming to be the heir of the Haleri dynasty; the British imprisoned him.
- His associate Kalyanaswamy continued the movement, and when he too was caught, Kedambadi Rama Gowda of Sulya put forward a peasant named Putta Basappa, who led the revolt under the name Kalyanaswamy.
- In March-April 1837 the rebels attacked British offices and treasuries at Bellare, Kasaragod and Puttur, and held Mangaluru for about two weeks. The British recovered Mangaluru on 16 April 1837.
- The revolt was suppressed within about two months; Kalyanaswamy (Putta Basappa), Kedambadi Rama Gowda and other leaders were captured and hanged by the end of May 1837. Some participants were deported to Singapore.
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4. The Revolt of 1857
Causes:
- Political: the Doctrine of Lapse (Satara, Jhansi), annexation of Awadh on the pretext of misrule, and resentment among Indian rulers
- Economic: heavy land revenue, destruction of traditional industries and artisans
- Social and religious: fear of forced conversion, laws seen as interference in customs
- Military: discrimination against Indian sepoys, lower pay, overseas service rules
- Immediate cause: the new Enfield rifle cartridges, which were rumoured to be greased with cow and pig fat. Soldiers had to bite the cartridge before loading, hurting both Hindu and Muslim religious sentiments. Sepoys at Barrackpore (Mangal Pandey) and then Meerut refused to use them, and the revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857.
Course and main centres:
- Delhi: Bahadur Shah II proclaimed the symbolic leader
- Kanpur: Nana Saheb, with Tantia Tope
- Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal
- Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai
- Bihar (Jagdishpur): Kunwar Singh
End and effects:
- The British recaptured the centres by the end of 1858. Rani Lakshmibai died fighting near Gwalior, and Bahadur Shah II was exiled to Rangoon.
- Tantia Tope continued guerrilla resistance after 1858; he was betrayed, defeated by General Napier's troops, and executed by the British at Shivpuri on 18 April 1859.
- In 1858, the British Crown took over the administration of India from the East India Company (Government of India Act 1858), and the Doctrine of Lapse was withdrawn.
Practice questions
- Who was the army chief of Kittur Rani Chennamma who continued guerrilla resistance after her arrest? (Sangolli Rayanna)
- Where and when was Sangolli Rayanna hanged? (Nandagad, 26 January 1831)
- Who first claimed the Haleri throne in Coorg in 1835, inspiring the Amara Sulya resistance? (Swami Aparampara)
- Under what name did Putta Basappa lead the Amara Sulya revolt, and who was its chief organiser in Sulya? (Kalyanaswamy; Kedambadi Rama Gowda)
- What was the immediate cause of the 1857 revolt? (Greased cartridges of the new Enfield rifle)
- When and where was Tantia Tope executed? (18 April 1859, at Shivpuri)
- Who led the 1857 revolt at Kanpur? (Nana Saheb)
Sources: NCERT Class 8 History (Our Pasts III), Ch. 5 "When People Rebel": ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/hess105.pdf | Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Kalyana Swamy (Puttabasappa): amritmahotsav.nic.in | Goa University, Studies in Karnataka History & Culture: irgu.unigoa.ac.in PDF | Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Tatya Tope: cmsadmin.amritmahotsav.nic.in | The Hindu (Nandagad): thehindu.com | Times of India (26 Jan 1831): timesofindia.com
Disclaimer: KSPGK is not an official government website. Always verify details on the official website.
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