Historical Note
The Indian Mutiny of 1857-1859 came as a bitter surprise to Queen Victoria’s Empire and shook it more fundamentally than any other conflict of her reign. The independence of the HEIC was matched only by its dependence upon Britain (or ‘England’ as the Victorians might say), and her acquiescence in its expansion. Yet it’s a mistake to think that all of Britain’s possessions in India rose against their colonial masters. Of the three presidencies into which India was divided by the British, only Bengal turned—and then not all of it. Bombay and Madras, after some shaky moments, remained largely loyal.
So, mutinous Bengal was restored to the Raj mainly by other Indian troops, including Sikhs (whom the British had only recently subdued) and the Gurkhas. The internecine fighting
