Introduction
It's been 78 years since India became an independent nation. Many freedom fighters fought bravely against the British to give us freedom, and many freedom fighters sacrificed their lives too. People from every religion, caste, gender, race, and age group struggled to give us freedom, and we are very grateful to them. There were many great freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, etc. But many women also had an important role and contribution in our independence struggle against the British. In this article, we are going to learn about some warrior queens from our history.
1. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi
She was born on 19 November 1828 in Varanasi (located in Uttar Pradesh).
Her father's name was Moropant Tambe, and her mother died when she was only four years old.
She had mastery in swordplay, horse riding, and archery.
She married Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, who was the King of Jhansi (located in present-day Uttar Pradesh).
The couple had a son, but unfortunately, he died at a very young age.
Later, they adopted a son as their successor, whose name was Damodar Rao.
When her husband died, the British East India Company introduced the Doctrine of Lapse.
She was the main leader of her region during the revolt of 1857.
She defended the fort of Jhansi and fought against the British bravely while carrying her son on her back.
She died on 18 June 1858 during a battle near Gwalior against the British.
2. Razia Sultan
Razia was born around 1205 AD in the city of Badaun (located in present-day Uttar Pradesh).
The name of her father was Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish, and her mother's name was Turkan Khatun.
At a young age, she got training in administration, horse riding, archery, and other martial arts.
Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish found Razia more capable than his son to be his successor.
Later, on 19 November 1236, she became the Sultan of Delhi.
During her reign (1236-1240), she promoted education, built many new schools, a research academy, and libraries.
She was defeated by her half-brother Muizz-ud-Din Bahram and died on 15 October 1240 near Kaithal.
3. Rudrama Devi
The date of birth of Rudrama Devi is not mentioned in any historical scripts or books, but some sources say she was born in 1223 AD.
She was the Princess of the Kakatiya dynasty who ruled the largest area of the Deccan plateau (in present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh).
Her father's name was Ganapati Deva, and her mother's name is not mentioned in any historical sources.
She was married to Veerbhadra, who was the Prince of the Chalukya dynasty.
Ganapati Deva didn't have any sons. So, he chose Rudrama Devi as his next successor in 1260 AD.
During her reign, the Kakatiya dynasty gained its territory, which they lost in previous wars.
She defended her kingdom from the invasion of Yadavas from the northwest part of India.
Later, she died in November 1289 AD during the battle against Amba Deva, but some sources say 1295 AD.
Her grandson Rudrapratap II became her successor and the next ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty.
4. Chand Bibi
Her full name was Chand Bibi, but she was also known as Chand Sultana.
She was born in 1550 in Ahmadnagar, India.
She was the Princess of Ahmadnagar, and her father's name was Hussein Nazim Shah II.
She was married to Ali Adil Shah I, who was the King of Bijapur.
After the death of Ali Adil Shah I, she became the temporary ruler of Bijapur.
She also became regent of Ahmadnagar for her younger nephew.
She is famous because she defended the fort of Ahmadnagar against the big army of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1595.
Even after being surrounded by a large number of soldiers, she fought bravely against them and protected her kingdom from them.
Unfortunately, in 1599, she was betrayed and killed by her own people.
Her people believed in false information that she was working with the Mughals and killed her.
5. Rani Durgavati
Rani Durgavati was born on 5 October 1524 at Mahoba (located in present-day Uttar Pradesh).
She was the Princess of the Chandela dynasty, and her father's name was Raja Salbahan.
She married Dalpat Shah, who was the Prince of the Gondwana dynasty, in 1542.
Later, the couple had a child in 1545 whose name was Vir Narayan.
Unfortunately, Dalpat Shah died in 1550, and then Rani Durgavati became regent of the Gond kingdom.
During her reign, she changed the capital city from Singorgarh to Chauragarh.
Mughal General Asaf Khan invaded her kingdom, and she fought bravely against them.
During the war, an arrow struck her ear, an arrow struck her eye, and an arrow struck her throat.
Unfortunately, she died on 24 June 1564 on the battlefield of Narrai Nala (located in present-day Madhya Pradesh).
6. Abbakka Rani
Abbakka Rani was born in 1525 in Ullal, near Mangalore (present-day Karnataka).
She was from the Chowta dynasty and the first Tuluva queen of Ullal.
From childhood, she was trained in statecraft, horse riding, archery, sword fighting, and naval warfare.
During her reign in Ullal, the trade of spices grew on the route of the Arabian Sea.
Later, she married Krishnappa Bangarappa (Nayaka prince).
During her reign, the Portuguese attacked her kingdom.
In 1555, she defeated Portuguese Admiral Dom Álvaro da Silveira.
In 1557, the Portuguese captured Ullal, but she managed to escape from there, then she united 200 Muslim soldiers, killed General Peixoto, and captured 70 foes.
In 1568, she killed Admiral Mascarenhas and snatched Mangalore fort from the Portuguese.
Later, she formed alliances with the Bijapur Sultan and the Zamorin of Calicut.
During her reign, she built a diverse army, including Muslim warriors and women warriors too.
She earned the title of "Abhaya Rani" (Fearless Queen) because of her bravery.
In 1570, she was betrayed by her own husband and relatives and fought till her last breath.
In 1570, she was killed during the battle.
