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First war of independence: 1857
The above is accurate only in parts. 1857 was a complex of too many parallel struggles of different interest groups, while none being entirely unrelated to each other.

On one hand, peasants of UP-Bihar-North Bengal rose against the century old economic suppression and tyranny of British. This of course was pretty secular in nature. On the other hand, it was a struggle for National Independence for many - the group including some of the central and northern Indian princely states like Jhansi, as well as for the peasantary-turned-soldier class of East UP, Bihar. Then you also have princely states stung with the prospects of being usurped by the British expansionism.

Then ther was obviousely Jehad. Mulla class which had recently taken heavy first hand doses of Wahabism, was much irritated and alarmed with the arrival of the new kafir power, and the discontent was only growing in early 1800s reaching pinnacle in 1840s. The following factors were greatly worrying the Islamists of India those days:

- debacle and rout of the only two remaining militarily powerful Islamic rulers in India: Bengal in east, Mysore in south, and weakening of Ruhellas in North and Afghans in West.
- growing Phirang control over the two remaining wealthy Muslim rulers: Hyderabad in South, Awadh in North
- growing marginalization of the iconic flag bearer of Islamic Rule over Hindustan: the Mugals.
- (In the eyes of the Islamists of early 1800sSmile Growing co-operation between the European powers and emerging Hindu rulers, hand in gloves in a conspiracy to overthrow the dar-ul-islamia-i-hind. They saw either British or Francs or both, collaborating with newly-powerful Hindus: Mysore and Malabar in south, a new strong Hindu state in Nepal, Hindu-Sikh state in Punjab-Kashmir, agreements with Maratha satraps, and so on. Islamists were also alarmed at this "conspiracy" already showing tremendous results against them: In Afghanistan-Baluchistan-Sindh in West, in Eastern UP and Northern Bihar, and so on.
- They also saw that the kafir Hindu rural youth was being recruited in the armies of the firang - had already won many a wars for him in far away lands, and Hindu rural youth as a result was becoming militarily trained and growingly self-assured and assertive, an empowerment that came back after long.
- Any "Dilli-Khabar" or Delhi view points of 1857 show the above contempt, full of curse and abuse for these "purabiA-s" and "tilangA-s" (purabia: freelance peasant-soldier from East-UP. tilangA: likewise recruited by Company, mostly Hindu ryot from telangana region, during the southern campaigns, but later diverted to postings in the North. Both of these peoples, tied in fate together, are counted as heros in Awadh chronicles and as villains in Dilli-Khabar-parcha-s)
- Finally, but probably very important. Mulla-s saw missionaries openly converting the faithfuls, promoted by Firang.

So Jehad angle was very much there, and always present in 1857. Jehadis saw no harm in temporarily collaborating with Hindu-s, whom they were confident of reconquering at a later stage (inshallah).

By the way, "phirang" comes from "franc" and "angrej" from "Angles". Originally Firangi was only used from French, but later came to mean the 'white man'.

===
I recently started reading The Last Mogal by William Dalrymple. So far it appears a well-researched and interesting account of the 1857 situation from the Bahadur Shah Zafar's view point. Though the writer has heavily relied upon Farsi-Urdu sources, and largely ignored the alternative contemporary Hindu-native-vernacular narrative on Zafar.
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First war of independence: 1857 - by Guest - 05-19-2004, 10:40 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by Guest - 05-19-2004, 10:45 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 08-30-2007, 02:19 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by acharya - 08-30-2007, 02:40 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 01-27-2008, 05:46 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by dhu - 02-02-2008, 09:56 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by Bodhi - 09-11-2008, 03:38 PM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by Husky - 02-26-2009, 06:57 PM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by Bharatvarsh - 03-16-2009, 06:19 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by Bodhi - 03-16-2009, 11:03 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by Guest - 05-03-2009, 07:44 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 09-30-2009, 11:51 PM
First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 03-06-2010, 01:44 AM
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First war of independence: 1857 - by Guest - 10-27-2010, 02:41 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 10-27-2010, 10:45 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by Bharatvarsh2 - 01-23-2011, 11:03 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by Bharatvarsh2 - 03-01-2011, 07:40 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by ramana - 04-26-2011, 12:21 AM
First war of independence: 1857 - by roosevelt92 - 06-10-2011, 12:12 PM
First war of independence: 1857 - by acharya - 06-17-2011, 11:46 PM
First war of independence: 1857 - by dhu - 06-18-2011, 05:32 AM

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