Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military , of a crew , or of a crew of pirates ) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, but it can also sometimes mean any type of rebellion against any force. Mutiny does not necessarily need to refer to a military force and can describe a political , economic , or power structure in which subordinates defy superiors.
45-682: The Vellore mutiny , or Vellore Revolution , occurred on 10 July 1806 and was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company , predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which took place in the Indian city of Vellore , lasted one full day, during which mutineers seized the Vellore Fort and killed or wounded 200 British troops. The mutiny
90-497: A Hindu and a Muslim – were given 90 lashes each and dismissed from the army. Nineteen sepoys were sentenced to 50 lashes each but successfully gained pardon from the East India Company. In addition to the military grievances listed above, the rebellion was also instigated by the sons of the defeated Tipu Sultan , confined at Vellore since 1799. Tipu's wives and sons, together with numerous retainers, were pensioners of
135-526: A boat; and the famous mutiny on the Bounty . Those convicted of mutiny often faced capital punishment . Until 1689, mutiny was regulated in England by Articles of War instituted by the monarch and effective only in a period of war. In 1689, the first Mutiny Act was approved, which passed the responsibility to enforce discipline within the military to Parliament . The Mutiny Act, altered in 1803, and
180-772: A body of royal marine forces on shore, and of keeping them in exact discipline, and it brings into force the Army Act for one year. Until 1998, mutiny and another offence of failing to suppress or report a mutiny were each punishable with death. Section 21(5) of the Human Rights Act 1998 completely abolished the death penalty in the United Kingdom . (Prior to this, the death penalty had already been abolished for murder, but it had remained in force for certain military offences and treason , although no executions had been carried out for several decades.) This provision
225-468: A century after the passing of the first Mutiny Act. From 1689 to 1803, the Mutiny Act occasionally expired during times of peace. Yet statutory power was given to the crown to make Articles of War that operated in the colonies and elsewhere beyond the seas in the same manner as those made by prerogative in times of war. In 1715, in consequence of the rebellion, this power was created in respect of
270-744: A gunner's model of the grasshopper carriage is found at the Woolwich military museum. Many of the Congreve light 3-pounders on butterfly carriages, two boxes mounted on the axle and one box in the trail, can be found in National Park facilities. Information on the cannons of the Verbreuggens at the Royal Brass Foundry is found in the book on 18th century gun founding by Carel de Beers. This article relating to artillery
315-456: A military board that sepoy uniform changes should be "given every consideration which a subject of that delicate and important nature required". These changes, intended to improve the "soldierly appearance" of the men, created strong resentment among the Indian soldiers. In May 1806 some sepoys who protested the new rules were sent to Fort Saint George (Madras then, now Chennai ). Two of them –
360-485: Is a fixed permanent code. But constitutional traditions are fully respected by the insertion in it of a section providing that it shall come into force only by virtue of an annual act of parliament. This annual act recites the illegality of a standing army in time of peace unless with the consent of parliament, and the necessity nevertheless of maintaining a certain number of land forces (exclusive of those serving in India) and
405-598: Is not mutiny, which requires collaboration or conspiracy to disobedience. Galloper gun The Galloper gun is an artillery piece used circa 1740 in British colonies (later the United States). It has 1½, 2, 3, 4, and 6 (rare) pound shell variants. The gun and carriage weighs around 600 lb (270 kg). The gun was designed to be pulled by one horse between the shafts and to keep up with fast moving troops , perhaps even cavalry . Gallopers were among
450-605: Is the obligation of every member of the U.S. military , a principle established by the Nuremberg and Tokyo Trials following World War II and reaffirmed in the aftermath of the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War . However, a U.S. soldier who disobeys an order after deeming it unlawful will almost certainly be court-martialed to determine whether the disobedience was proper. In addition, simple refusal to obey
495-495: The Madras Army , ordered the wearing of a round hat resembling that associated at the time with both Europeans in general and with Indian converts to Christianity. The new headdress included a leather cockade and was intended to replace an existing model resembling a turban and considered unsuitable for service. These measures offended the sensibilities of both Hindu and Muslim sepoys and went contrary to an earlier warning by
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#1732772745137540-467: The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force . The military law of England in early times existed, like the forces to which it applied, in a period of war only. Troops were raised for a particular service and were disbanded upon the cessation of hostilities. The crown, by prerogative , made laws known as Articles of War for the government and discipline of the troops while thus embodied and serving. Except for
585-467: The 69th in a bayonet-charge along the ramparts. When the rest of the 19th arrived, Gillespie had them blow open the gates with their galloper guns, and made a second charge with the 69th to clear a space inside the entrance to permit the cavalry to deploy. The Light Dragoons and the Madras Cavalry then charged and sabred any sepoy who stood in their way. About 100 sepoys who had sought refuge inside
630-693: The Articles of War defined the nature and punishment of mutiny until the latter were replaced by the Army Discipline and Regulation Act in 1879. This, in turn, was replaced by the Army Act in 1881. Today the Armed Forces Act 2006 defines mutiny as follows: (2)For the purposes of this section a person subject to service law takes part in a mutiny if— (a)in concert with at least one other person subject to service law, he— (i)acts with
675-460: The Company's Court of Directors regretting that "greater care and caution had not been exercised in examining into the real sentiments and dispositions of the sepoys before measures of severity were adopted to enforce the order respecting the use of the new turban." The controversial interference with the social and religious customs of the sepoys was also abolished. There are some parallels between
720-475: The East India Company and lived in a palace within the large complex comprising the Vellore Fort. One of Tipu Sultan's daughters was to be married on 9 July 1806, and the plotters of the uprising gathered at the fort under the pretext of attending the wedding. The objectives of the civilian conspirators remain obscure but by seizing and holding the fort they may have hoped to encourage a general rising through
765-471: The Vellore Mutiny and that of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , although the latter was on a much larger scale. In 1857 the sepoys proclaimed the return of Mughal rule by re-installing Bahadur Shah as Emperor of India; in the same way mutineers of Vellore, nearly 50 years before, had attempted to restore power to Tipu Sultan's sons. Perceived insensitivity to sepoy religious and cultural practices (in
810-634: The Vellore mutiny, from the perspectives of both British and Indian participants. Mutiny During the Age of Discovery , mutiny particularly meant open rebellion against a ship's captain . This occurred, for example, during Ferdinand Magellan 's journeys around the world, resulting in the killing of one mutineer, the execution of another, and the marooning of others; on Henry Hudson 's Discovery , resulting in Hudson and others being set adrift in
855-450: The act of Parliament. The Mutiny Act 1873 was passed in this manner. Such matters remained until 1879 when the last Mutiny Act was passed and the last Articles of War were promulgated. The Mutiny Act legislated for offences in respect of which death or penal servitude could be awarded. Meanwhile, the Articles of War, while repeating those provisions of the act, constituted the direct authority for dealing with offences for which imprisonment
900-524: The actual outbreak of the mutiny is that of Amelia Farrer, Lady Fancourt (the wife of St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort). Her manuscript account, written two weeks after the massacre, describes how she and her children survived as her husband perished. English poet Sir Henry Newbolt 's poem "Gillespie" is an account of the events of the Vellore mutiny. The novel Strangers in the Land (1976; ISBN 0-432-14756-X ) by George Shipway centers on
945-458: The administration of the act in many matters formerly dealt with by the Articles of War. These rules, however, must not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Army Act itself, and must be laid before parliament immediately after they are made. Thus in 1879, the government and discipline of the army became for the first time completely subject either to the direct action or the close supervision of Parliament. A further notable change took place at
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#1732772745137990-462: The feeling under which I then viewed it". The prompt and ruthless response to the mutiny snuffed out any further unrest in a single stroke and provided the history of the British in India with one of its true epics; for, as Gillespie admitted, with a delay of even five minutes, all would have been lost for the British. In all, nearly 350 of the rebels were killed, and about the same number wounded before
1035-446: The fighting had finished. Surviving sepoys scattered across the countryside outside the fort. Many were captured by local police; to be eventually released or returned to Vellore for court-martial. After formal trial, six mutineers were blown away from guns , five shot by firing squad , eight hanged and five transported . The three Madras battalions involved in the mutiny were all disbanded. The senior British officers responsible for
1080-647: The first attempts to give some degree of mobility to guns but the logistics of gun crew movement and ammunition transportation meant that the time to fire from a different location was not significantly reduced. The galloper carriage was not used in the Americas during the French and Indian War nor in the Revolutionary War. Smith's Universal Military Dictionary of 1779 states its use by the King of Prussia in
1125-474: The forces in the kingdom, but apart from and in no respect affected the principle acknowledged all this time that the crown of its mere prerogative could make laws for the government of the army in foreign countries in time of war. The Mutiny Act 1803 effected a great constitutional change in this respect: the power of the Crown to make any Articles of War became altogether statutory, and the prerogative merged in
1170-580: The form of leather headdresses and greased cartridges) was a factor in both uprisings. The events of 1857 (which involved the Bengal Army and did not affect the Madras Army) caused the British crown to take over company property and functions within India through the Government of India Act 1858 which saw the total dissolution of the East India Company. The only surviving eyewitness account of
1215-399: The history of English military law up to 1879 may be divided into three periods, each having a distinct constitutional aspect: (I) prior to 1689, the army, being regarded as so many personal retainers of the sovereign rather than servants of the state, was mainly governed by the will of the sovereign; (2) between 1689 and 1803, the army, being recognised as a permanent force, was governed within
1260-427: The intention of overthrowing or resisting authority; or (ii)disobeys authority in such circumstances as to subvert discipline; (b)he agrees with at least one other person subject to service law to overthrow or resist authority; or (c)he agrees with at least one other person subject to service law to disobey authority, and the agreed disobedience would be such as to subvert discipline. The same definition applies in
1305-476: The legislature, but by articles of war similar to those issued by the king and authorized by an ordinance of the Lords and Commons exercising in that respect the sovereign prerogative. This power of law-making by prerogative was however held to be applicable during a state of actual war only, and attempts to exercise it in times of peace were ineffectual. Subject to this limitation, it existed for considerably more than
1350-419: The main force with a single troop of about twenty men. Arriving at Vellore, Gillespie found the surviving Europeans, about sixty men of the 69th, commanded by NCOs and two assistant surgeons, still holding part of the ramparts but out of ammunition. Unable to gain entry through the defended gate, Gillespie climbed the wall with the aid of a rope and a sergeant's sash which was lowered to him; and, to gain time, led
1395-445: The military law of England. The act contained a proviso saving the right of the crown to make Articles of War, but in such a manner as to render the power in effect a nullity by enacting that no crime made punishable by the act shall be otherwise punishable by such articles. As the punishment of every conceivable offence was provided, any articles made under the act could be no more than an empty formality having no practical effect. Thus
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1440-531: The offending dress regulations were recalled to England, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, John Craddock, the company refusing to pay even his passage. The orders regarding the 'new turbans' (round hats) were also cancelled. After the incident, the incarcerated royals in Vellore fort were transferred to Calcutta . The Governor of Madras , William Bentinck , too was recalled,
1485-473: The outbreak of the mutiny, a relief force comprising the British 19th Light Dragoons , galloper guns and a squadron of the 3rd Regiment of Madras Native Cavalry, rode from Arcot to Vellore, covering 16 miles (26 km) in about two hours. It was led by Captain Robert Rollo Gillespie , who reportedly left Arcot within a quarter of an hour of the alarm being raised. Gillespie dashed ahead of
1530-411: The palace were brought out, and by Gillespie's order, placed against a wall and shot dead. John Blakiston, the engineer who had blown in the gates, recalled: "Even this appalling sight I could look upon, I may almost say, with composure. It was an act of summary justice, and in every respect a most proper one; yet, at this distance of time, I find it a difficult matter to approve the deed, or to account for
1575-723: The previous war . The replacements for the North American campaign were the Townsend design 3-pounder and the Patterson design 3-pounder on grasshopper carriages and the Congreve designed light field 3-pounder shipped in 1776. Several of these were taken from Burgoyne at Saratoga. Two original Townsends are found at the Smithsonian and West Point. The only Pattison original is in Perth, Canada. No original carriages exist but
1620-507: The punishment of desertion, which was made a felony by statute in the reign of Henry VI , these ordinances or Articles of War remained almost the sole authority for enforcing discipline until 1689. That year, the first Mutiny Act was passed and the military forces of the crown were brought under the direct control of Parliament. Even the Parliamentary forces in the time of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell were governed not by an act of
1665-402: The realm by statute and without it by the prerogative of the crown; and (3) from 1803 to 1879, it was governed either directly by statute or by the sovereign under an authority derived from and defined and limited by statute. Although in 1879 the power of making Articles of War became in effect inoperative, the sovereign was empowered to make rules of procedure, having the force of law, to regulate
1710-402: The same time. The Mutiny Act had been brought into force on each occasion for one year only, in compliance with the constitutional theory: that the maintenance of a standing army in time of peace, unless with the consent of parliament, is against law. Each session therefore the text of the act had to be passed through both Houses clause by clause and line by line. The Army Act, on the other hand,
1755-413: The task. In 1879, a measure was passed into law consolidating in one act both the Mutiny Act and the Articles of War, and amending their provisions in certain important respects. This measure was called the Army Discipline and Regulation Act 1879. After one or two years of experience highlighted the need for improvement, it was superseded by the Army Act 1881, which formed the foundation and main portion of
1800-485: The territory of the former Mysore Sultanate. However, Tipu's sons were reluctant to take charge after the mutiny arose. The garrison of the Vellore Fort in July 1806 comprised four companies of British infantry from H.M. 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot and three battalions of Madras infantry: the 1st/1st, 2nd/1st and 2nd/23rd Madras Native Infantry. The usual practice for sepoys having families with them in Vellore
1845-546: Was Colonel St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort. The rebels seized control by dawn, and raised the flag of the Mysore Sultanate over the fort. Retainers of Tipu's second son Fateh Hyder emerged from the palace part of the complex and joined with the mutineers. However, a British officer, Major Coopes, had been outside the walls of the fort that night and was able to alert the garrison in Arcot . Nine hours after
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1890-660: Was not required by the European Convention on Human Rights , since Protocol 6 of the Convention permitted the death penalty in time of war, and Protocol 13, which prohibits the death penalty for all circumstances, did not then exist. The government introduced section 21(5) as a late amendment in response to parliamentary pressure. The United States ' Uniform Code of Military Justice defines mutiny thus: U.S. military law requires obedience only to lawful orders. Disobedience to unlawful orders (see Superior orders )
1935-699: Was subdued by cavalry and artillery from Arcot . Total deaths amongst the mutineers were approximately 350; with summary executions of about 100 during the suppression of the outbreak, followed by the formal court-martial of smaller numbers. The immediate causes of the mutiny revolved mainly around resentment felt towards changes in the sepoy dress code and general appearance, introduced in November 1805. Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads while on duty, and Muslims were required to shave their beards and trim their moustaches. In addition General Sir John Craddock , Commander-in-Chief of
1980-496: Was the maximum punishment, as well as with many matters relating to trial and procedure. The act and the articles were found not to harmonize in all respects. Their general arrangement was faulty, and their language sometimes obscure. In 1869, a royal commission recommended that both should be recast in a simple and intelligible shape. In 1878, a committee of the House of Commons endorsed this view and made recommendations for performing
2025-505: Was to live in individual huts outside the walls. However the scheduling of a field-day for the Madras units on 10 July had required most of the sepoys to spend that night sleeping within the fort so that they could be quickly assembled on parade before dawn. Two hours after midnight on 10 July, the sepoys killed fourteen of their own officers and 115 men of the 69th Regiment, most of the latter as they slept in their barracks. Among those killed
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