Item number: M300

Year: AD 1858

Material: Silver

Size: 55.9 x 16.7 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 8.2 g

Provenance: Spink 2022

In AD 1858, the British government established the Indian Mutiny Medal to reward military personnel who participated in suppressing the mutiny. Subsequently, in AD 1868, the eligibility for the medal expanded to include non-military personnel who experienced the rebellion firsthand, with a total issuance of 290,000 medals. The medal, crafted in silver, features a profile portrait of Queen Victoria wearing a crown on the obverse, with Latin inscriptions on either side indicating “VICTORIA REGINA.” On the reverse side is the symbol of Britannia, representing Britain, holding a shield with the Cross of St. George in her left hand and raising a laurel wreath symbolising victory with her right hand, accompanied by a male lion at her feet. Inscriptions on the reverse include “India” at the top and the mutiny years “1857-1858” below.

According to the individual service records, the British government designed five distinct clasps for this medal, namely: “Delhi,” “Defence of Lucknow,” “Relief of Lucknow,” “Lucknow,” and “Central India” (see image below).

According to the regulations, a medal can receive a maximum of four clasps, which are placed on the ribbon in chronological order of the battles, from top to bottom. Those without clasps are often non-military personnel who were awarded the medal after its expansion in AD 1868.

This miniature version of the Queen’s relief features more pronounced eye sockets and a raised nose bridge, but otherwise, it closely resembles the official design. The medal bears name clasps in the following order from top to bottom: “Central India,” “Lucknow,” “Defence of Lucknow,” and “Delhi.” However, this sequence does not align with the official regulation, which should follow chronological order: “Delhi,” “Defence of Lucknow,” “Lucknow,” and “Central India.”

Additionally, the spelling of the “Defence of Lucknow” clasp on this miniature version reads “DEFE OF LUCKNOW” instead of the official spelling, “DEFENCE OF LUCKNOW,” reflecting a slight typographical variation.

In the earlier stages, the British colonisation of the Indian subcontinent was managed by the private British East India Company. During the conquest of India, the East India Company heavily relied on local soldiers known as “Sepoys” recruited from various regions of India. By the eve of the Indian Mutiny, out of the Company’s 240,000-strong army in the Indian subcontinent, approximately 200,000 were sepoys. Prior to the outbreak of the mutiny in AD 1857, sporadic resistance was met with by the East India Company’s governance. However, by manipulating complex ethnic and religious relations, the Company managed to suppress these sporadic resistances for the most part.

Yet, in March AD 1857, rumours spread among the sepoys that they would be forced to convert to Christianity and that the paper cartridges they were given were greased with pork or beef fat, which deeply offended the Muslim and Hindu soldiers, who formed the majority in the army. Fuelled by these rumours, the rebellion spread in northern India in May of that year and briefly captured Delhi, with the imprisoned Emperor Bahadur Shah II at the Red Fort being declared the leader of the mutiny. However, under the intervention of the British government, deployment of other regular British forces stationed overseas and local princely states not involved in the rebellion were mobilised to quell the rebellion. By AD 1858, the uprising was largely suppressed across various regions. Subsequent assessments of the conflict estimate the number of Indian lives lost to be between 100,000 to 800,000, varying in different accounts.

The mutiny’s most significant impact was the British government revoking the East India Company’s management system and declaring the Indian subcontinent a direct colonial territory under government control. In AD 1876, the British royal family was even bestowed with the title of “Emperor of India.” On the other hand, in the eyes of Indian nationalists, this mutiny was revered as the Great Uprising of the Nation, and the First Independence War. Ultimately, after the end of World War II, India gained independence and established its own nation in AD 1947, bringing an end to nearly two centuries of British rule in the region.

物件編號: M300

年代: 公元 1858 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 55.9 x 16.7 x 1.6 mm

重量: 8.2 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2022

公元1858年，英國政府為獎勵參與鎮壓叛亂的軍事人員，設立該印度叛亂獎章以資表揚。後續公元1868年，頒發對象擴張至親歷叛亂的非軍事人員，總發行量達到29萬枚。獎章以銀質打造，正面是頭戴王冠的維多利亞女王側像，兩側以拉丁文刻有「維多利亞女王」銘文。背面是象徵英國的不列顛女神，左手持有米字旗盾牌，右手高舉象徵勝利的桂冠，腳邊則伴隨一隻雄獅。在背面的上下兩處，分別刻有「印度」和標示叛亂年份「1857-1858」字樣。

按照個人服役紀錄，英國政府針對該獎章打造五種銘牌，分別是：「德里」、「防衛勒克瑙」、「解救勒克瑙」、「勒克瑙」和「印度中部」。(見下圖)

根據法律規定，一個獎章最多只能得到四道銘牌，並按照戰役的時序先後由上而下放置。沒有銘牌的，多是公元1868年擴大頒發的非軍事人員。

這枚迷你版的女王浮雕眼窩和鼻樑較為突出，除此之外，其形制和官方版大抵相同。獎章的銘牌由上而下，依序為：「印度中部」、「勒克瑙」、「防衛勒克瑙」和「德里」。銘牌並沒有按照官方規定排列，若按照時間的先後順序，由上而下應該依序為：「德里」、「防衛勒克瑙」、「勒克瑙」和「印度中部」。迷你版「防衛勒克瑙」銘牌的英文拼寫「DEFE OF LUCKNOW」跟官方的「DEFECE OF LUCKNOW」有些許差異。

早先英國對於南亞次大陸的殖民，由私人的英國東印度公司負責包辦。征服印度的過程中，東印度公司仰賴從印度各地招募而來的「西帕依」在地士兵。截至印度叛亂的前夕，東印度公司在印度次大陸的24萬軍隊中，其中就有20萬人是西帕依。早在公元1857年叛亂爆發前，東印度公司的治理方針即招來零星反抗，不過憑藉操弄複雜的民族和宗教關係，公司大抵能撲滅這些反抗。不過在公元1857年3月，西帕依之間謠傳將被迫皈依基督教，和準備換裝的紙殼彈藥塗有豬/牛油，同時引發部隊中比例最高的穆斯林和印度教士兵不滿。在謠言的推波助瀾下，當年5月叛亂在印度北部蔓延，並且一度攻下蒙兀兒帝國的首都德里，擁護被軟禁在紅堡的皇帝巴哈杜沙二世擔任領導人。不過在英國政府介入下，動員部署在海外其他地區的英國正規軍和未參加叛亂的土邦投入平叛，並於公元1858年大抵平息各地的叛亂。後世評估這場衝突中喪失生命的印度人，數量從10萬到80萬不等。

叛亂最大的影響是英國政府撤銷東印度公司的管理體系，將印度次大陸劃為政府的直轄殖民地，公元1876年英國皇室還得到「印度皇帝」頭銜。另一方面在印度民族主義者眼中，這場叛亂被稱作民族大起義和第一次獨立戰爭而備受尊崇。最終在第二次世界大戰結束後，印度於公元1947年獨立建國，結束英國在當地近兩百年的統治。