On 10 May,1857 entire sepoy regiment at Meerut rebelled.The next day as rebels reached Delhi they asked old mughal emperor for his blessings and thus to give their actions legitimacy.​ ​The revolt gradually spread to Ganga-Yamuna doab leading to breakdown of administrative framework in north India.
The revolt of 1857 has been considered as a watershed in Indian history.For almost a year the British rule was wiped out from north India. It was only in the spring of 1858 that control over Delhi was again established by Britishers.Initial historiography on the nature of revolt has taken into account memoirs,journals and personal narratives to understand the events of the revolt.