Sepoy Mutiny: The Inclusion Of British Policies

One of the fundamental causes of the Sepoy Mutiny was the inclusion of British policies. The British had no concern for the Indian rulers who ruled before they established their raj. Furthermore, ex-kings and ex-rulers were not allowed to be a high ranked official in the British system of government. The East India company passed many policies that pushed former elites and princes down the social hierarchy. One such policy passed by Lord Dalhousie, was the Doctrine of Lapse . This Doctrine was passed in 1848 and stated that the East India Company will control the territories of kings who don’t have a natural heir to their throne (“Doctrine of Lapse….”). The East India Company also gained export rights such as, gold, silver, jewelry, spices,
The Indian Textile industry alone lost £35,000,000 to Britain. In addition to this, Great Britain passed the Charter Act of 1813, which allowed one way free trade for British citizens this plunged India’s economy in a further recession because Indian industries did not make enough profit in order to continue these businesses (Mondal). On the other hand, The East India Company made £225,000,000 in gross sales from the gold, silver, chai, and textile exports alone ("Ruin of India…”). Due to this doctrine, many kings and other high ranking Indian officials lost their positions and were forced to serve as Sepoys or were left with nothing. This caused tension between the East India Company and these ex-kings because they were being forced against their will to fight for Britain, this was considered unpatriotic by many Indians (Lovett 14). Despite this tension, Britain realized a conflict could arise, in an attempt to avoid conflict the British awarded many ex-princes and other groups monetary rewards as well as favoritism for being loyal to them. One such group who was awarded monetary rewards was, the