The Indian Mutiny was an uprising by native soldiers against the ruling British East India Company.
In 1857, growing tension was inflamed by rumours that Indian soldiers' rifle cartridges were being greased with pig and cow fat, offending Muslims and Hindus alike.
The unrest erupted in earnest in May. Delhi soon fell and there were further uprisings elsewhere.
In Lucknow, Chief Commissioner Sir Henry Lawrence fortified his home - the Residency - and prepared for a siege. Mutineers attacked the Residency and its 1,700-strong garrison in May and by July Sir Henry was dead.
Garrison numbers dwindled until a relief force under Major-General Sir Henry Havelock fought its way into Lucknow in September.
The Residency was evacuated in November but was recaptured in March the following year and the uprising was crushed soon after.
The East India Company was subsequently abolished and the government of India transferred to the Crown.
