Relations with indigenous peoples

• Sepoys in Bengal refused to obey orders in February 1857.
• Sepoys seized control of most northern cities (Agra, Lucknow and Cawnpore)
• Sepoys were joined by urban and rural populations.
• Delhi and Lucknow were amongst many towns and villages that were utterly devastated.
• British rule was not entirely asserted until June 1858 following the final battle at Gwalior.
• 100,000 Indians were killed compared to 2,392 British.
• After the rebellion Britain..

  • built railways to increase control and trade throughout India.
  • provided jobs for some on the railways, in the army, police, civil service or clerks.
  • poverty continued and death rates from famine were high.
  • developed irrigation schemes, but only affected 6% of agricultural land.
• When did the British annex Basutoland and why

  In 1868 because they claimed that the indigenous wanted protection from the Boers.
• In the Xhosa War of 1877-78 the British easily disarmed neighbouring communities and were soon annexed into the Cape.
• When the Boers failed to secure Transvaal from the Pedi people, Britain announced their annexation of Transvaal in 1877. Claiming that they need to defend white European settlers from the Pedi and Zulu peoples.
• When was Transvaal annexed

  1877
• When did Britain launch an invasion into Zululand

  1879
• The Zulu army outmanoeuvred and defeated the British at Isandlwana forcing them to retreat. The British lost 1300 troops compared to 2000 Zulu's which is significant because of their technological advantage.
• Reinforcements were sent and the British defeated the Zulu's at their capital, Ulundi in July 1879. Zululand was incorporated into Natal.
• From 1880 the Boers rejected British control attacking British army garrisons across Transvaal winning a series of victories leading to a British defeat in February 1881 at Majuba Hill.
• Britain lost the First Anglo-Boer War and forced to sign the Convention of Pretoria.