(i) After the revolt, the British thought the major factor of the revolt was the ratio of Europeans and Indian sepoys in the army.
(ii) After the revolt, the number of European troops were increased and artillery and other weapons were placed under the European troops.
(iii) To curb the unity among Indian troops, the new army was organized on division and counter poise.

(i) A very large number of people begin to believe that they have a common enemy and rose up against the enemy.
(ii) Sepoys mutinied at several places beginning from Meerut and a large number of people from different sections of society rose up in rebellion.
(iii) After a hundred years of conquest and administration, the English East India Company faced a massive rebellion that started in May 1857 and threatened the Company's very presence in India.

(i) Bahadur Shah's sons were shot dead before his eyes.
(ii) He and his wife Begum Zinat Mahal were sent to prison in Rangoon in October 1858.
(iii) Bahadur Shah died in Rangoon jail in November 1862.This was how he lived the last years of his life.

The steps taken by the British to reform their army after the rebellion was suppressed were:
(i) The proportion of Indian sepoys was reduced and the proportion of European soldiers increased.
(ii) Indian sepoys recruited would mainly be from the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans. Sepoys from Awadh, Bihar, Central India or South India were not being recruited.
(iii) Troops were no longer in the service of the East India Company. They would serve directly under the British Crown.

The atrocities like the unnecessary killing of innocent women and children, torture, mutilation etc took place because:
(i) The British wanted to teach a lesson to the rebels to never again rise against them. The way they found was to commit horrifying atrocities which would not be forgotten for ages.
(ii) The rebels released their pent up anger due to having been deprived of their traditional lives by the measures gradually introduced by the British over the last few years.

The main cause of the uprising against British rule in India are as follows
(i) There were many important causes for the uprising of the British rule, so there is no one main cause.
(ii) Of course, one of the main causes was the disciplinary action taken by the company on the sepoys who refused to use the new greased cartridges.
(iii) All the other problems which had been caused by the Company's actions then came to the fore in a mass rebellion.

Bahadur Shah Zafar's support to the rebellion had a significant impact. Threatened by the expansion of British rule, many of the ruling families felt that if the Mughal emperor could rule again, they too would be able to rule their own territories once more, under Mughal authority. When people saw an alternative possibility which appealed to them, they felt inspired and enthused. It gave them the courage, hope and confidence to act.
Some examples of this effect are:
(i) Many troop regiments mutinied to join other troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow.
(ii) Nana Saheb proclaimed himselfPeshwa and a governor under the Mughal king.
(iii) Birjis Qadr, son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Lucknow, acknowledged that he ruled under the Mughal king.
(iv) In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Saheb.

The reasons are given below:
(i) Since the mid-18th century, Nawabs and Rajas had gradually lost their authority and honour. Residents had been stationed in many courts, the freedom of the rulers reduced, their armed forces disbanded and their revenues and territories taken away by the stages.
(ii) The Company decided to end the Mughal dynasty. In 1849 Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar the family of the king would be shifted out of the Red Fort. In 1856, Governor-General canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal emperor and after his death, his descendants would be recognised as princes.

The sepoys raised the objection that the new cartridges they had been asked to use were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. It was a great insult to the religions of Indian sepoys the Hindus as well as the Muslims. It also appeared to the Indian soldiers that the aim of the Britishers was to convert all the sepoys into Christianity.

In 1850, the British passed a law to allow Indians who converted to Christianity to continue to inherit the property of their ancestors. In this way, this law protected the interests of those who converted to Christianity.

Major centres of Revolt of 1857 were: Meerut On 9th May 1857, 85 sepoys in Meerut were dismissed from service and sentenced to 10 years in jail as they refused to do the army drill using the new cartridge which was suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs.
Delhi As news of the arrival of rebel sepoys of Meerut spread, the regiments stationed in Delhi rose-up in rebellion. Bahadur Shah Zafar was declared as the leader of the sepoys. The emperor wrote letters to all chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organise a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British.

Bahadur Shah Zafar accepted the offer of the rebelled sepoys.
Perhaps the reasons behind his acceptance were:
(i) He did not accept the disrespect the Britishers showed to him and his family.
(ii) All the communities, including Muslims and Hindus, were severely exploited by the colonial ruler.
(iii) Mughal emperor wanted to avail the opportunity of the army's help and gave his public support to the rebellion.

The rebelled soldiers were determined to bring an end to the rule of the British in the country. They wanted Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar would rule the country instead of the British. Triumphant soldiers gathered around the walls of the Red Fort and demanded to meet the emperor.
At first, the emperor was not quite willing to challenge the British power, but the soldiers persisted and proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader. The ageing emperor had to accept this demand. He was against the repressive policies of the British and wanted to end the British rule.

Important concerns in the minds of the people according to Vishnubhatt were:
(i) The British were determined to wipe out the religions of the Hindus and the Muslims.
(ii) They made a list of 84 rules and announced these.
The important concerns in the minds of the people according to Sitaram Pande were: (i) The seizing of Oudh was the main reason of sepoy's resentment.
(ii) The cartridges used for the new rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs and both Muslims and Hindus would be defiled by using it.

(i) The pay and other allowances in the army are very low. There is also a discrimination between the British soldiers and the Indian soldiers regarding pay scale.
(ii) The British do not have any respect for Indian religious sentiments and beliefs.
(iii) The service conditions in the army are very harsh. Thus, it is not easy for Indians to cope with it.
(iv) There is a chance that Indians may be posted outside India, but this is against Hindu religious sanction to cross the sea and go to Europe.