Thesis Introduction: The Batavian Revolt and the Sepoy Rebellion

Chapter 1: Introduction

The problem of internal revolt is inherent to all empires, as it is difficult to consistently maintain authority over a large and diverse population. Although empires have taken steps to prevent a loss of control from occurring, even the utmost vigilance has been either not enough, or has lapsed long enough for a revolt to occur. The resulting uprising might be minor, or it might be serious enough to threaten a crucial territory. How empires have dealt with a major internal revolt is instructive in several ways: it tests whether or not the empire's military is strong enough to deal with revolts, it tests the ability of the ruler or the ruling class to maintain their authority in the face of the challenge, and it provides a way to examine an empire's policies by looking at which ones may have contributed to the revolt, and which were changed or introduced in its aftermath.

In the case of the Batavian Revolt of 69-70 A.D. and the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-1858, both were serious uprisings that resulted in the temporary loss of control of areas critical to the imperial power of Rome and Britain. The Batavian Revolt took place in the Roman Empire during a civil war, and was led by C. Julius Civilis, a Batavian auxiliary officer who had earned Roman citizenship while serving in the Roman army's auxiliary forces. In addition to his fellow Batavians, he was joined by eight veteran Batavian auxiliary cohorts and a number of German and Gallic tribes. The revolt threatened the Rhineland, which the Roman Empire had settled on as a de facto frontier against German incursions after the Varian Disaster of 9 A.D. The Rhineland was crucial to the defense of the Roman Empire, as its potential loss posed a grave threat t...

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...ary units of the imperial Roman army, as auxiliary units were integrally involved in the Batavian Revolt. Chapter three examines the Batavian Revolt itself, summarizing the events of the revolt and providing analysis. Part two focuses on the Sepoy Rebellion, and consists of chapters four, five, and six. Much like chapter two, chapter four provides an overview of the East India Company's Bengali sepoy regiments. Chapter five addresses the major causes of the Sepoy Rebellion, and summarizes its events and participants. Chapter six provides a short historiographical review of three Indian texts on the Sepoy Rebellion, exposing the reader to Indian interpretations of the events. Finally, part three consists of chapter seven, which is a comparison of the major similarities and differences of Batavian Revolt and Sepoy Rebellion, and serves to highlight key aspects of both.