Political Turbulences and the Rebelliousness of the Madras Presidency Army

Abstract

This article necessarily explores the dissensions and differences arising from the British domination over the Tamil-speaking regions of the erstwhile Madras Presidency before and during the Great Uprising of 1857. It seeks to explore the role played by the Madras Army during this period. The narrative of events vindicates the fact that the situation in Tamil districts was by no means tranquil and there were instances of resistance, if not rebelliousness, on the part of the native inhabitants to the Company’s government. The discontent in the lower ranks of the Company’s army was also very much evident, which has seldom received attention in the mainstream South Asian historiography. The reasons behind these occasional bouts of discontent were not simply related to financial and pecuniary reasons. In this context, it becomes imperative to unearth the possible hidden links, if any, between the rebellious incidents of north India and the brewing discontent within the Madras Army. The most important issue that needs to be taken into consideration primarily relates to the different types of responses that were noticed among the indigenous social groups.