The Indian Uprising of 1857 had a profound impact on the British experience on the subcontinent and fears of its recurrence continued to haunt the colonisers until the very end of the Raj. For the past 150 years most aspects of the Uprising have been subjected to intense scrutiny by historians, yet the nature of the outbreak itself remains obscure. What was the extent of the conspiracies and plotting? How could rumours of contaminated ammunition spark a mutiny when not a single greased cartridge was ever distributed to the sepoys?

Based on a careful, even-handed reassessment of the primary sources, Rumours and Rebels explores the existence of conspiracies during the early months of 1857 and presents a compelling and detailed narrative of the panics and rumours which moved Indians to take up arms. With its fresh and unsentimental approach, this book offers a radically new interpretation of one of the most controversial events in the history of British India.