The Vellore Mutiny was a major act of defiance that took place on July 10, 1806 and marked the first ever large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company. The Vellore Mutiny was one of the earliest sign of a great mutiny coming up in the 19th century. This act of defiance happened even before the famous Rebellion of 1857.

How it all went down:

The revolt took place in the South Indian city of Vellore

Some non sensible orders were passed by Sir John Cradock and Lord Howdon, the commander in Chief in Madras to regulate the dress of the Sepoys

The orders included the change of turbans to look more like the British helmet

Besides that, the Hindu Brahmin Sepoys were ordered to put caste marks on their foreheads and the Muslims were ordered to get rid of their beards

It appeared to the sepoys that they were going to be "Christianized" which sparked a feeling of rebellion

On the midnight of July 10, 1806, a crowd gathered, with sepoys among them led by one of Tipu Sultan's son

The defiance was very brief and lasted only one full day but it was very brutal

The sepoys seized the Vellore Fort and killed/wounded around 200 British troops

After massacring the Europeans, they hoisted the Flag of the Mysore Sultanate

The mutiny was subdued by cavalry and artillery from Arcot

Later many of the defiant sepoys were executed and some of them were court-martialed.

Aftermath:

Although the mutiny was subdued by the next morning, it sent down ripples of fear among the British overlords

This is still considered as one of the first sign of the British losing an empire

The mutiny has drawn comparison with the Revolt of 1857 but the latter was a rather large revolt which went on for days

The empire was established soon after the Vellore Mutiny and Lord Minto came to India as Governor General in 1807

The only surviving eyewitness account of the actual outbreak of the mutiny is that of Amelia Farrer, Lady Fancourt (the wife of St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort. Her manuscript account, written two weeks after the massacre, describes how she and her children survived as her husband died.

Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.

To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com