Siege of Delhi (1857) 1857
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 8 June 1857 – 21 September 1857 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1857 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | India | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Indian Mutiny of 1857 | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | East India Company, Mughal Empire, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 28.6667, 77.2167 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The siege of Delhi was a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but was essentially sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the Bengal Army, which the company had itself raised in its Bengal Presidency (which actually covered a vast area from Assam to the borders of Delhi). Seeking a symbol around which to rally, the first sepoys to rebel sought to reinstate the power of the Mughal Empire, which had ruled much of the Indian subcontinent in the previous centuries. Lacking overall direction, many who subsequently rebelled also flocked to Delhi.
This made the siege decisive for two reasons. Firstly, large numbers of rebels were committed to the defence of a single fixed point, perhaps to the detriment of their prospects elsewhere, and their defeat at Delhi was thus a very major military setback. Secondly, the British recapture of Delhi and the refusal of the aged Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II to continue the struggle deprived the rebellion of much of its national character. Although the rebels still held large areas, there was little co-ordination between them, and the British were able to overcome them separately.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Delhi (1857) (revision 1380233517), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Siege of Delhi (1804) 1804 · 0 km
- Battle of Kili 1299 · 2 km
- Battle of Badli-ki-Serai 1857 · 8 km
- Battle of Delhi (1803) 1803 · 8 km
- Battle of Pachgaon 1775 · 50 km
- Third Battle of Panipat 1761 · 84 km
Other battles of the Indian Mutiny of 1857
- Battle of Agra 1857
- Battle of Aong 1857
- Battle of Badli-ki-Serai 1857
- Battle of Jhelum (1857) 1857
- Second Battle of Cawnpore 1857
- Siege of Arrah 1857
- Siege of Cawnpore 1857
- Siege of Lucknow 1857
- Siege of Jhansi 1858
All 10 battles of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 →
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