Indian Rebellion of 1857: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Sepoy Mutiny • Revolt of 1857 • Indian Mutiny • First War of Independence
Date	May 10, 1857 - July 8, 1859
Location	Agra • Delhi • India • Kanpur • Lucknow
Participants	Mughal dynasty • United Kingdom
Context	British Empire • Western colonialism • East India Company • British raj

Photos and Videos

Illustration of De Kantzow defending the treasury at Mainpuri during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, showing a British officer confronting armed sepoys inside a building as tensions rise during the uprising.

Illustration of Sepoy soldiers in uniform standing in formation with rifles during the Indian Mutiny of 1857-1858, with arched stone ruins in the background.

Map showing key centers of revolt during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, with labeled cities such as Delhi, Meerut, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, and Calcutta, highlighting major locations of conflict across British India.

Illustration of Nana Sahib (born 1824 as Dhondu Pant), an Indian leader during the 1857 rebellion. The image shows him wearing traditional 19th-century Indian attire with a serious expression on his face, reflecting his role in the uprising against British rule in India.

Painting of Rani Lakshmibai, Indian freedom fighter and queen of Jhansi, depicted holding a sword and shield in traditional attire.

Collage of raised-fist silhouettes over a halftone orange, yellow, and green background, featuring historic newspaper text and faint crowd imagery.

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Enfield rifle doctrine of lapse Westernization

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

default image

Lakshmi Bai

queen of Jhansi

Mangal Pandey

Mangal Pandey

Indian soldier

Napier, Robert Napier, 1st Baron

Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier

British field marshal

Bahadur Shah II

Bahadur Shah II

Mughal emperor

Lord Canning

Charles John Canning, Earl Canning

British official

Nana Sahib

Nana Sahib

Indian rebel

Sir Henry Havelock

Sir Henry Havelock

British soldier

Sir Colin Campbell

Colin Campbell, Baron Clyde

British commander

default image

Hugh Henry Rose, Baron Strathnairn of Strathnairn and of Jhansi

British field marshal

default image

William Stephen Raikes Hodson

British cavalry leader

Tantia Tope

Tantia Tope

Indian rebel leader

default image

Bakht Khan

Indian leader

John Nicholson, detail of a chalk drawing by William Carpenter, 1854; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

John Nicholson

British colonial official

D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.

A History of War