-
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the East India Company's army on 10 May 1857.
-
On May 10, 1857, the revolt started, when mainly Bengali Muslim troops marched to Delhi and pledged their support to the Mughal emperor.
-
The British Raj is the term often used for British rule in the Indian subcontinent, usually but not exclusively for the period between 1858 and 1947. The term can also refer to the period of dominion.
-
In 1905, the colonial government divided Bengal into Hindu and Muslim sections; this division was revoked after strong protests.
-
Britain also encouraged the formation of the Muslim League of India in 1907.
-
In April, 1919, more than 5,000 unarmed protestors gathered at Amritsar, in the Punjab. British troops fired on the crowd, killing an estimated 1,500 men, women and children. The official death toll was 379.
-
The earlier Government of India Act (1935) had provided for the establishment of provincial legislatures across the colony. The Act also created an umbrella federal government for the provinces and princely states, and granted the vote to about 10% of India's male population.
-
In 1942, Britain sent the Cripps mission to offer future dominion status in return for help recruiting more soldiers. Cripps may have made a secret agreement with the Muslim League, allowing Muslims to opt out of a future Indian state.
-
On August 17, 1946, violent fighting broke out between Hindus and Muslims in Calcutta. The trouble quickly spread across India.
-
A national holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from British rule on 15 August 1947.
