Mutiny

The mutineers put Captain Bligh in a small boat. A scene from the movie, Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny is a when a group of people get together to openly oppose, change, or remove the people or person in authority. It usually means a group of soldiers trying to remove their officers, or a group of sailors on a ship trying to remove the captain. The group of people that mutiny are called mutineers.

During the Age of Discovery, mutiny meant open rebellion against a ship’s captain. This happened during Magellan’s journey and one mutineer was killed. Another mutineer was executed and 2 others were put on land and left there. After a mutiny on Henry Hudson’s Discovery, Hudson and several others were left in the ocean in a small boat.

Penalty

Mutiny is still treated as a very bad crime. Mutineers are punished and may even get the death penalty.

Famous Mutinies

17th century

18th century

19th century

  • The Indian rebellion of 1857 was an armed uprising in India against British colonial power, and known in Britain as the Indian Mutiny.
  • The ship Sharon, a New England whaler, had many sailors leave the ship. There were many mutinies. The captain was finally killed and cut up into small pieces by 4 members of the crew.
  • The ship Somers built in 1842, had a mutiny on her first voyage. The 3 mutineers were executed.[1]

20th century

After World War II

Mutiny Media

References

  1. "Somers". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  2. "The Invergordon Mutiny". Socialist Review, September 2000. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
  3. The sailors were convicted of mutiny, though they simply refused to obey a lawful order. They did not try to take over which means it is not a real mutiny
  4. "Minensuchboot 1943 Ships". German Navy. Retrieved 2008-12-28.