Video narration
Imagine India in 1857: the East India Company’s rule is spreading. Soldiers seethe, farmers face heavy taxes, and kings lose their states under Lord Dalhousie’s annexation policy. Then comes the spark. Soldiers hear that Enfield rifle cartridges contain cow and pig fat—an insult that enrages Hindu and Muslim troops. On 29 March, Mangal Pandey rebels at Barrackpore. On 10 May, Meerut erupts. Soldiers march to Delhi, declare Bahadur Shah Zafar emperor—and 1857’s rebellion breaks into the open.