英属东印度公司的印度兵与1857年印度反英斗争

Sepoys in the British East India Company and the Indian Anti-British Struggle in 1857

在远离英国本土、无法输送足够英籍士兵的情况下,英属东印度公司在印度招募了数量庞大的印度兵,依靠他们完成了对印度次大陆的征服;同时,印度兵在服役过程中获取了相应的经济回报。两者之间是建立在一种利益诉求基础之上的,这导致双方的关系始终处于一种不稳定的状态。随着英国人征服印度次大陆目标的完成,印度兵军事利用价值削弱,英国人单方面降低其薪酬待遇,导致印度兵反英情绪日益高涨,最终在宗教因素的诱导下发生了1857年的印度兵的兵变。这场兵变引发了印度人民的反英斗争,英国政府认为有必要对印度实行更有力的殖民统治。因此,作为雇主的英属东印度公司被撤销,标志着双方合作关系的终结。

Far away from the Britain and unable to send enough British soldiers,the British East India Company recruited a large number of sepoys in India and relied on them to complete the conquest of the Indian subcontinent,and at the same time,the sepoys gained corresponding economic return in the course of their service.The interaction between them was based on a kind of interest demand,resulting in an always unstable state of their relationship.After the completion of the British conquest of the Indian subcontinent,the military value of sepoys was weakened and the British unilaterally reduced their remuneration,which led to a growing anti-British sentiment among sepoys and finally resulted in the mutiny of sepoys that induced by religious factors in 1857.The mutiny triggered the anti-British struggle among the Indian people,and the British government believed that it was necessary to carry out stronger colonial rule over India.As a result,the British East India Company was withdrawn as an employer,marking the end of the partnership between them.