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Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. They were joined by native rulers and thousands of ordinary people in a struggle that threatened to destroy British colonial power on the Indian subcontinent.

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3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment searching for snipers in Gaynaeim village, 1951

Suez Canal Zone

Between 1945 and 1956, British soldiers garrisoned bases on the Suez Canal in Egypt. A harsh climate, disease and attacks by local nationalists made Suez one of the most unpopular Army postings.

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On patrol in the jungles of North Borneo, c1964

Indonesian Confrontation

Between 1963 and 1966, British Commonwealth forces fought against Indonesia in a conflict that focused on the future of Brunei and North Borneo.

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Aden Emergency

The Aden Emergency (1963-67) was an insurgency against British rule in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The unrest hastened British plans for withdrawal and marked the end of 20 years of decolonisation.

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Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive at Plassey, 1757

Battle of Plassey

Robert Clive's victory at Plassey on 23 June 1757 led to the British becoming the greatest economic and military power in India.

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Abyssinia Expedition

The 1868 expedition to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was one of the most ambitious and expensive military campaigns ever undertaken by the British Army.

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Battle of Quebec

The Battle of Quebec in 1759 was one of Britain's greatest victories of the Seven Years War (1756-63). Major-General James Wolfe’s triumph ultimately led to the British conquest of Canada.

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Kenya Emergency

The Kenya Emergency, or Mau Mau Revolt, was one of the British Army's bloodiest and most controversial post-war conflicts.

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Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

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Decisive events of the Indian Mutiny

The 1857 rising was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

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First China War

Between 1839 and 1842, British-Indian forces fought a war with Imperial China that served the interests of opium smugglers. Their resulting victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants.

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Cyprus

In the early 1950s, a revolt in favour of union with Greece began in British-controlled Cyprus. British troops remain on the island to this day as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

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The last British troops to leave India, 1948

Independence and Partition, 1947

The birth of India and Pakistan as independent states in 1947 was a key moment in the history of Britain’s empire and its army. But the process of partition was attended by mass migration and ethnic violence that has left a bitter legacy to this day.

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Explore Empire events

School students getting to grips with the handling collection

Secondary workshop

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Discover more about the contributions of soldiers from the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars.

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A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916

Secondary (virtual)

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

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Secondary workshop

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

The Indian ‘Mutiny’?

Analyse evidence from sources and artefacts to make a case for how the 1857 uprising in India should be interpreted.

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Secondary (virtual)

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

The Indian ‘Mutiny’? (virtual)

Analyse evidence from documents and artefacts, then curate an exhibition to make a case for whether the conflict was a mutiny or war of independence.

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Secondary workshop

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

find out more