1856

Lucknow first came in the hands of the British when the city lost its Nawab. 
On 4th February 1856, the British Resident, Major General James Outram approached Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to sign a ‘treaty’. As per the Treaty, the Nawab had to surrender himself to the British. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah refused to do so.  He resigned, and was subsequently sent to Calcutta. On 7th February 1856, James Outram proclaimed to the people of Awadh that they were now subjects of the British Government. 

The city was soon to be drenched in blood!

1857

The Lucknow Residency was the official residence of the British Resident to the Court of Awadh. It was also the site of an important event in the struggle for Indian independence. On the 1st of July 1857, the British made Residency their headquarters. Soon, the Residency was besieged by the Indian forces that lasted 87 days. The British troops from Kanpur made attempts to rescue the people at the Residency and finally succeeded at the second attempt in November the same year. Most of the structures in the complex were destroyed in the skirmishes of 1857. 

Click to read the day-by-day account of the siege of the Lucknow Residency in 1857 
 

1858

Once a beautiful garden, Musa Bagh became a prominent site of the 1857 uprising. Lucknow’s active role in the First War of Independence began at this spot and coincidentally, it was here that the event came to an unsuccessful end. 
It began when the 7th Oudh Irregular Cavalry stationed at Musa Bagh refused to bite the newly introduced cartridge. Further, in 1858 Begum Hazrat Mahal and her son, along with their troops made it their headquarters. On 19th March, the Bagh turned into a battlefield when Hazrat Mahal’s troops fought the British. 

Musa Bagh was the final stronghold of Begum Hazrat Mahal and her son in Lucknow!

Read more on Begum Hazrat Mahal, the revolutionary queen of Awadh

 

1916

Lucknow’s Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb was reflected in the Lucknow Pact signed by the Muslim League and Congress in Motinagar. In December 1916, the annual sessions of both parties were held in Lucknow. Here, Lokmanya Tilak argued that the triangular struggle between Hindus, Muslims and British should be reduced to a two-way struggle between Indians and British. The message to Muslims was to join hands with Hindus and to Hindus was to uplift their Muslim brothers.

Through the Lucknow Pact, provisions were made for Separate Electorates and one-third representation for Muslims in the Imperial Legislative Council. The Pact brought the two communities together in the fight for freedom. 
 

1925

On August 9, 1925, an armed robbery was organised by ten revolutionaries of the Hindustan Republic Association, an organisation that aimed to achieve independence through revolution. The Number 8 train to Lucknow was carrying money belonging to the British Government Treasury. The men stopped the train at Kakori, about 15 kilometres from Lucknow and fled with the money. The revolutionaries were arrested and put on trial by the British government in front of the special magistrate in Lucknow. After an 18 month-long trial, they were given punishments ranging from prison sentences, life imprisonment to death sentences. 

Click to read how Kakori Day was celebrated in 1964 through a Mushaira.