Why Did Britain's Most Brutal War happen? The 1857 Revolt 

Was reading about a planned Indian tv series into the East India Company, be interesting to see how much "literary license" will be taken over real events.

So the answer to that question is: because of ignorance created by religion.

I just recently found this channel and it is amazing. In the USA we don't study British Military History to any significant level in school. And courses on it are rarely offered in universities. I just love the level that you take your research to. Excellent work. Keep it up.

My great-great grand mother's parents were killed during the Sepoy rebellion, so I find this lesson very interesting. She and her sister survived because a few unknown Indian staff or police at the school refused to let the hyped up mob massacre the European children at the school. I am very grateful to those wonderful Indians who protected the European children at the school.

The concerns about Enfield Rifle ammunition apparently did not stop the Sepoys from using it in abundance during the mutiny. The high cast Hindu's are given credit as starting the mutiny, but the first regiments to mutiny were Muslim, and it was Muslim Sowars of the Bengal Cavalry that spread news of the mutiny.

For some reason I hadn't been following that this was coming, Chris.... super excited.

Excellent start Chris. Looking foward the next ones on a very interesting historic moment.

Flashman in the Great Game is an amusing way of informing oneself of some of what went on. The whole affair was far too fiendishly complex for any one book, mind.

A bit deeper dive I think was warranted on this topic. "Doctrine of Lapse", Sepoy's loss of preferential treatment in Awadh courts and institutions, breaking of caste via forced overseas service, impact of Sikh War on Sepoy view of EIC, reduction in EIC officers' assimilation in Indian culture via marriage, learning Hindi, etc, etc

Ah the Enfield rifle urban myth again ! For anyone interested the Sepoys were not armed with the new Enfield rifles but a mixed assortment of EIC fire arms , it was the new cartridges for these forests that caused the issue . There were only a very small number of regular British regiments in India with the new Enfield .

Nice explanation, as an Indian i have always wondered on how britons view this revolution from their point of view and other Indian-British engagements similar to this.

Superb video.T he Enfiled- the arm of the American Civil War as well.

Very interesting story, as well as tragic. I'm looking forward to your series on this. Regards!

There were Political, Military, Racism, Social, reason for 1857. Enfield rifle jist became the last straw that broke the Camel's Back.

For a high caste Hindu it doesn’t matter which ani al the grease came from. They are required to be vegetarian or face losing their caste. The Hindu principle is Ahimsa. Beef fat is the worst, but any animal fat is unacceptable.

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that the ammunition sent out to India for the sepoy had been greased with Duck fat. But the ammunition for white troops was beef or pork, it was labelled for this reason. The problem came when someone got some of the beef/pork, labelled ammunition and used that to prove the British were sending tainted ammunition and how could they trust the sepoy got the correct ammunition. A fair point when there is already lots of propaganda circulating and the trust was already lost. Apparently the tainted ammunition got loaded up and sent to the US but it was too late by then. the harm was done. How true this is as it was a long time ago I don't know and it was an historical book (1900 ish), not a modern one.

I blame EIC sgt Bickerstaff! "When I say shine my boots, I want them GLEAMING"

So well put I have a exam Tom I didn’t start this chapter yet but I think I’m a,ready prepared from this vid 😅😂😂

Looking forward to how this series goes hoping it will mention the 22nd of foot Cheshire regiment

My grandfather, South Staffs, left a large illustrated history of India. It was pretty hair-raising - then I got onto another volume, that on the Balkans. How was there anybody left alive there, at all?

It's a delight to find this channel. I am a native of a city named Meerut where it started my forefather participated in the revolt. I often visit St. Johns cemetery which is more than 200 year old to pay my tribute to the brave. Also, Colnel John Finnis is resting in peace here in meerut who gave his life for the crown. They are all heroes and we respect them all. Thank you for sharing this video.

Really interesting. This is going to be a brilliant new series. All the better for you visiting India. Years ago, I read a fascinating account of a grizzled old Sepoy sergeant from sometime in the first half of the 19th Century. He recalled how the first wave of British officers to arrive in India were very high-calibre young men. Consummate soldiers who led by example, cared about the men under their command, as well as their families, spoke native languages and were respectful of native customs. Those British officers, he observed, earned the respect of their men. However, fast-forward a few decades and it had all changed, he complained. Too many British officers of the day spent time drinking and whoring, and didn't earn the same respect from the men. This obviously led to some resentment from the Sepoys. I often wonder how it might have been different if the British officers of 1857 were more like their high-quality predecessors.

I take it the reference was to the author William Dalrymple who wrote White Moguls. It is a novel that won the Booker prize & worth a read: The siege of Krishnapur by J G Farrell set during the mutiny. Look forward to more videos on this important topic.

Top man as usual Chris. Surely C4 or C5 should pick you up as one if not the one of their History presenters

The way you pronounce Indian words makes me angry.

I just received your book 'The Peninsular War volume 1' so a lot of reading to do. Is volume 2 not in book form?

Absolutely love this channel.

Brilliant channel, i appreciate the way you put the meat of the stories on the bones ofbthe facts. Not gloryfying the British Empire nor apologising for our history.

fascinated by the history, the pictures, the reports from the era --- waiting on all instalments ---

3:45 It has always caught my notice that these guys would not load the bullets for targets, but they were quick enough to use them to revolt .That, along with the fact the original story about pig fat was not true makes me wonder who really stirred that up.

Why didnt it happen sooner?

Wow, great on location video Chris. Didn't you visit the gate house in the intro of the video in one of your earliest videos?

So did the bullet had cow n pig fat?

Awesome video!

It was pig fat on the cartridge

Extraordinary that a British company should rule a great chunk of ancient and rich Indian subcontinent , developing the opium industry and supressing economic development.

Thanks again mate

One very significant cause of the mutiny not mentioned was the introduction of the General Service Enlistment Act of 25 July 1856. This required new recruits into the Bengal Army to accept the possibility of overseas service but serving high-caste sepoys were concerned it would be extended to them (plus it impacted the common practice of sons following fathers into the army).

if you swear allegiance then rebel it is a mutiny, you gave away independence by swearing allegiance.

Question why Britain putting thier nose around the world creating trouble for countries