Question

Explain the circumstances under which the rebels of 1857 acquired legitimacy from Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Answer 1

1. On May 11, the sepoys arrived at the Red Fort's gates early in the morning, during Ramzan, Islam's sacred month of fasting.
2. Before morning and the start of fasting, Bahadur Shah, the elderly Mughal emperor, had just finished his prayers and meals.
3. Amidst the commotion at the gates, they gathered beneath his window and announced, "We have come from Meerut after eliminating all the Englishmen there because they coerced us into biting bullets coated in cow and pig fat with our teeth."
4. The sepoys also invaded Delhi, and the city's common people embraced their cause. A large number of Europeans were killed, and the wealthy of Delhi were targeted and pillaged. It became clear that Delhi had slipped beyond British control.
5. Some sepoys entered the Red Fort without following the rigorous court procedures expected of them. They requested the Emperor's blessing. Bahadur Shah was surrounded by sepoys and had no choice but to agree.
6. As a result, the insurrection earned some legitimacy by being committed in the name of the Mughal emperor.
7. Northern India saw moderate calm between May 12th and 13th. However, events quickly unfolded with the dissemination of word that Delhi had fallen to the insurgents and that Bahadur Shah had backed the rebellion.