The century following the battle of Plassey (1757) witnessed the gradual expansion and consolidation of the British Empire in India. At the same time, it was characterised by a number of conspiracies, risings, and generally anti-British movements. Among the last-mentioned, the Movement of 1857–59 and the Wahhabi Movement stand out as the two most formidable ones. Taken as a concerted military blow the Rising of 1857 was the most formidable single challenge faced by the British in India. Though it was the result of a long-standing and varied discontent, it was not pre-planned. It flashed across the firmament of Indian history with the brilliance of a meteoric flight. The Wahhabi Movement, on the other hand, was a more sustained struggle spread over more than half a century, and passing through different phases of intensity. The Movement of 1857–59 was essentially an attempt from inside the country to drive out the British.