Year by year · 19th century

1857

1857 in world history: 10 events, 18 births, 6 deaths, 1 work and 2 states that came to an end. 1,056 recorded states existed that year.

Events

6 March
US Supreme Court decides Dred Scott v. Sandford
Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that Black Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories. The decision deepened the crisis that led to civil war.
11 May
Mutinous sepoys from Meerut seize Delhi
Rebel soldiers rode into Delhi and proclaimed the aged Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II their leader. The Indian Rebellion that spread from here led to the end of East India Company rule in 1858.
Mughal Empire Bahadur Shah II
26 June
Queen Victoria presents the first Victoria Crosses
In Hyde Park, Queen Victoria decorated 62 servicemen for valour in the Crimean War. The Victoria Cross remains Britain's highest award for gallantry.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Crimean War
Revolt
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising against the rule of the British East India Company, beginning with a mutiny of Indian soldiers.
Treaty · Peace
Treaty of Paris (1857)
The Treaty of Paris of 4 March 1857 ended the Anglo-Persian War between Britain and Qajar Iran, which had begun after Iranian forces took the Afghan city of Herat in 1856.

ProfileState899 states with a known seat in 1857Open the atlas at 1857 →

In the profiles

British EmpireThe Indian Rebellion leads to the abolition of East India Company rule
Free Hanseatic City of BremenNorddeutscher Lloyd is founded in Bremen
Konbaung dynastyMindon founds Mandalay
AkkadianFour scholars independently translate an Assyrian inscription, proving the decipherment

Wars and longer events

Anglo-Persian WarEnded · 1856–1857

Born in 1857 18

Died in 1857 6

Works 1

Fundamental PactWork / monument

States that came to an end 2

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1857. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1857
MLA: “1857.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1857. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “1857.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1857.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1857’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1857 (Accessed: ).