Rani Lakshmi Bai was born on November 19, 1828, in the holy city of Varanasi (formerly known as Benares) in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. Rani Lakshmi Bai’s original name was Manikarnika Tambe, and she was born into a Marathi Brahmin family. Her father was Moropant Tambe and her mother was Bhagirathi Sapre, Her father was a Commander during the war of Kalyanpranth. Her father worked for peshwa Baji Rao II of Bithoor district.
Rani lakshmi bai lost her mother at a very young age ( 5 years old), she was raised by her father, she grew up in a culturally rich environment, women at that time were not prioritized for education, they were assigned traditional roles. But Rani Lakshmi bai received formal Education, She was trained in Martial arts, archery, shooting, Horse riding, which made her a fearsome warrior as well.
Manikarnika was married to the king of jhansi, Maharaj Gangadhar Rao in 1852, After her marriage she was give the name Lakshmibai, In honour of Goddess Lakshmi. Rani Lakshmi bai’s husband was a able administrator improved the financial condition of jhansi, Which was deteriorating from the previous ruler.
In 1851 Rani lakshmi bai gave birth to a baby boy named Damodar Rao,who died after four months of his birth due to chronic illness. After his death they adopted another child,
Life as a Queen of Jhansi
Manikarnika was married to the king of jhansi, Maharaj Gangadhar Rao in 1852, After her marriage she was give the name Lakshmibai, In honour of Goddess Lakshmi. Rani Lakshmi bai’s husband was a able administrator improved the financial condition of jhansi, Which was deteriorating from the previous ruler.
In 1851 Rani lakshmi bai gave birth to a baby boy named Damodar Rao,who died after four months of his birth due to chronic illness. After his death they adopted another child, a child called Anand Rao, the son of Gangadhar Rao’s cousin, and renamed him Damodar Rao, a day before his death.
The Revolt of 1857, The First WAR of Indian Independence.
The Revolt of 1857, also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Indian Mutiny, or the First War of Independence, was a significant uprising against British colonial rule in India. It began as a mutiny among Indian soldiers in the British East India Company’s army but quickly spread to involve civilians and rulers of various Indian princely states.
Dalhousie who was the Governor-General at that time, appointed Doctrine of Lapse, which state that adopted child can not become a king, rejecting Damodar Rao’s claim to the throne. In March 1854, Rani Lakshmi bai was given an annual pension of Rs. 60,000 and ordered to leave the palace and the fort.
When news of the rebellion reached Jhansi, the queen, Rani Lakshmi Bai, asked a British officer, Captain Alexander Skene, for permission to raise an armed group for her protection, and he agreed. The city stayed relatively calm, but the Rani held a ceremony to reassure her people that the British were not to be feared.
Until then, Rani Lakshmi Bai was hesitant to rebel against the British. But in June 1857, rebels took control of the Star Fort in Jhansi, and after promising safety to British officers and their families, they attacked and killed them. There’s debate about whether the Rani was involved in this attack.
After the rebels left Jhansi, the Rani took charge of the city’s administration. She wrote to a British officer explaining the situation and was asked to manage the district for the British until they sent someone else. She also defeated a rival claimant to the throne and faced invasion threats from nearby allies of the British.
When the Rani Lakshmi Bai asked the British for help against the invaders, they didn’t respond because they thought she was responsible for the earlier massacre. Despite this, she gathered forces and successfully defended Jhansi, intending to hold it for the British.
BATTLE OF JHANSI
From August 1857 to January 1858, Jhansi was peaceful under Rani Lakshmi Bai’s leadership. The British had said they’d send troops to control the area, but none came, making some of her advisers push for independence from British rule. When British forces finally arrived in March, Jhansi was well-defended with heavy guns.
The Rani refused to surrender, declaring they fought for independence. British forces besieged Jhansi on March 23, 1858. Despite appeals for help to Tatya Tope, relief didn’t come. The British bombarded the city, and on April 2, they launched a fierce assault. After days of fighting, the Rani fled the palace with her son, joined rebel forces in Kalpi, and defended it against British attacks on May 22, 1858.
The leaders, including the Rani of Jhansi, Tatiya Tope, the Nawab of Banda, and Rao Sahib, fled to Gwalior and joined Indian forces already there. They aimed to take control of the strategic Gwalior Fort.
The city fell to them easily as the Maharaja Scindia had fled. The rebels declared Nana Sahib as the Peshwa, with Rao Sahib as his governor in Gwalior.
The Rani tried to convince the other leaders to prepare for a British attack, but they didn’t agree. General Rose’s forces took Morar on June 16 and then launched a successful attack on the city.
The Final Battle of Rani Lakshmi Bai
On June 17, near the Phool Bagh of Gwalior, a squadron of the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars, led by Captain Heneage, clashed with a large Indian force commanded by Rani Lakshmibai.
The Hussars charged into the Indian force, resulting in the slaughter of around 5,000 Indian soldiers, including those over the age of 16. They also captured two guns and continued charging through the Phool Bagh encampment.
During the fight, Rani Lakshmibai disguised herself as a cavalry leader and joined the battle. She was wounded, likely by a saber, and later recognized by a British soldier.
In one account, she fired at him with a pistol, and in response, he fatally shot her with his carbine. Another tradition states that, severely wounded, she instructed a hermit to burn her body to prevent capture by the British.
After three days, the British captured the city of Gwalior. In British reports, Hugh Rose described Rani Lakshmibai as “personable, clever, and beautiful,” considering her the most dangerous of all Indian leaders.
Rani Lakshmibai is remembered as a patriot who rebelled against ill-treatment and sacrificed her life for her country’s freedom.