Queen Rani Lakshmi Bai
Rani Lakshmi Bai is sometimes called India’s Joan of Arc. She was a warrior queen, leading her people. Born in 1835 to the King of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai was raised to be a warrior, taught to fight as a young age. This was, of course, quite unusual for 19th century India. By the time she was a young woman, she was teaching other women of the court the same fighting skills.
She was married off to an older man quite young, but lost her only child and husband within a short time; she adopted a son to rule Jhansi, and served as his regent. With a young boy on the throne, the British East India company, which then dominated India, deemed the region lapsed in control and sought to gain full control of it. This was already a period of significant conflict between the people of India and the British East India Company.
At only 22 years old, in June 1857, Queen Rani Lakshmi Bai entered full-blown revolt against the British East India Company following a mutiny of the Indian Army. The mutiny provided her with a much-needed opportunity. The Indian Army attacked the British fort in Jhansi and killed every British man, woman and child in the region. Rani Lakshmi Bai’s involvement here is under question; she later publicly opposed the slaughter, but some sources suggest she was directly involved in it.
When the British sent forces to attack Jhansi, she was able to withstand the assault for two weeks, until Indian reinforcements could arrive. Unfortunately, even reinforcements could not prevent the fall of Jhansi. When the kingdom fell to the British, she worked to evacuate as many of her people as possible, saving as many lives as she could.
Unlike some of the bloody queens discussed here, this queen was a warrior. She acted for the well-being of her people, who loved and respected her. The only people who would call this queen bloody are the British.
Rani Lakshmi Bai died on the battlefield, and was burned on a funeral pyre on that same field. She had not wanted the British to have her body. Her son renounced his throne, and eventually, the British gained control of India. The country remained a British possession until 1948. Rani Lakshi Bai is remembered as a hero of Indian independence.
Sources For Further Reading:
Smithsonian Magazine – The Demonization of Empress Wu
Sup China – Wu Zetian, The Most Controversial Woman in Chinese History
Smithsonian Magazine – The Little-Known Story of Madagascar’s Last Queen, Ranavalona III
BBC UK – The Rebellion of The Northern Earls 1569
National Geographic – India’s Warrior Queen Didn’t Back Down from The British