7. Indian National Heroine Lakshmi Bai
Lakshmi Bai, also known as the Rani of Jhansi (circa 1830 – 1858), was the rani, or queen, of the Indian princely state of Jhansi in northern India. She is best known as a leader of the Indian Mutiny, a massive revolt against the British Raj in 1857 – 1858, in which she personally led troops and fought in the line of battle. Lakshmi Bai’s exploits made her a national heroine, a symbol of resistance to the domination of India by foreigners, and a martyr for independence.
She was born into a Marathi Brahmin family, the daughter of a military officer in service to the Peshwa, or prime minister, of the Maratha Empire that had dominated much of India before the British arrived. Lakshmi Bai had an unusual upbringing for a girl of her class in those days. For one, she was brought up among boys in the Peshwa’s household and was taught all the martial skills imparted to upper-class Indian boys of her era. As seen below, that came in quite handy when she grew up.