Nana Saheb Peshwa II (Aged 35) was born on 19 May 1824 in Bithoor, Uttar Pradesh, India. Originally named Dhondu Pant, he was an Indian Peshwa of the Maratha empire, an aristocrat, and a fighter who led the rebellion in Kanpur during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. As the adopted son of the exiled Marathi Brahmin King Peshwa Baji Rao II, Nana Saheb believed that he was entitled to a pension from the East India Company, but the contractual issues underlying this are murky. The Company’s refusal to continue the pension after his father’s death, as well as what he perceived as high-handed policies, led him to join the rebellion.
On 5 June 1857, Nana Saheb sent a letter to General Wheeler informing him to expect an attack the next morning at 10 am. On 6 June, his forces, including rebel soldiers, attacked the Company entrenchment at 10:30 am. The sniper fire and bombardment continued until 23 June 1857, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey, which was one of the pivotal battles leading to the expansion of East India Company rule in India. Nana Saheb forced the British garrison in Kanpur to surrender, then murdered the survivors, gaining control of Kanpur for a few days. He later disappeared after his forces were defeated by a British force that recaptured Kanpur. He went to the Nepal Hills in 1859, where he is thought to have passed away on 24 September 1859.
Nana Saheb Peshwa II
(1824 – 1859) – (Uttar Pradesh)
Nana Saheb Peshwa II (Aged 35) was born on 19 May 1824 in Bithoor, Uttar Pradesh, India. Originally named Dhondu Pant, he was an Indian Peshwa of the Maratha empire, an aristocrat, and a fighter who led the rebellion in Kanpur during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. As the adopted son of the exiled Marathi Brahmin King Peshwa Baji Rao II, Nana Saheb believed that he was entitled to a pension from the East India Company, but the contractual issues underlying this are murky. The Company’s refusal to continue the pension after his father’s death, as well as what he perceived as high-handed policies, led him to join the rebellion.
On 5 June 1857, Nana Saheb sent a letter to General Wheeler informing him to expect an attack the next morning at 10 am. On 6 June, his forces, including rebel soldiers, attacked the Company entrenchment at 10:30 am. The sniper fire and bombardment continued until 23 June 1857, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey, which was one of the pivotal battles leading to the expansion of East India Company rule in India. Nana Saheb forced the British garrison in Kanpur to surrender, then murdered the survivors, gaining control of Kanpur for a few days. He later disappeared after his forces were defeated by a British force that recaptured Kanpur. He went to the Nepal Hills in 1859, where he is thought to have passed away on 24 September 1859.
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