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Swordswoman!: The Queen of Jhansi in the Indian Uprising of 1857
The true story of the fearsome Rani of Jhansi, the Indian Queen who took on the East India Trading Company in the Indian Uprising of 1857
Queen Lakshmibai of Jhansi was an unconventional queen. She could read and write; she rode a horse and wielded a sword; she trained other women to ride and fight alongside her. When the East India Trading Company, who ruled India in the 19th century, demanded that she hand over control of Jhansi, she refused.
And when an uprising began to stir in 1857, and the British laid siege to her fortress, the warrior queen tied her infant son to her back, mounted her favourite horse, and escaped to raise an army.
This is the story of a woman who defied all conventions to become an icon of resistance in colonial-era India.
Queen Lakshmibai of Jhansi was an unconventional queen. She could read and write; she rode a horse and wielded a sword; she trained other women to ride and fight alongside her. When the East India Trading Company, who ruled India in the 19th century, demanded that she hand over control of Jhansi, she refused.
And when an uprising began to stir in 1857, and the British laid siege to her fortress, the warrior queen tied her infant son to her back, mounted her favourite horse, and escaped to raise an army.
This is the story of a woman who defied all conventions to become an icon of resistance in colonial-era India.
116 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 3, 2024
A Great Dive Into an Overlooked Part of History
SWORDSWOMAN introduces young readers into the life of Queen Lakshmibai during the 1850s Indian uprisings against the British. Rich with detail, Lakshmibai's cunning planning so remarkable, it seemed almost too fantastical to be real!
Rangachari does a wonderful job of making history accessible by humanizing each character and telling the story from their own perspective--even those perspectives that clearly came out on the wrong side of history. My one qualm with the story however was how the point of views changed so often and without markers that it could be difficult to follow at times, so I would have to go back and reread a few paragraphs to figure out who was talking. Definitely not enough to take away from a fascinating history!
SWORDSWOMAN introduces young readers into the life of Queen Lakshmibai during the 1850s Indian uprisings against the British. Rich with detail, Lakshmibai's cunning planning so remarkable, it seemed almost too fantastical to be real!
Rangachari does a wonderful job of making history accessible by humanizing each character and telling the story from their own perspective--even those perspectives that clearly came out on the wrong side of history. My one qualm with the story however was how the point of views changed so often and without markers that it could be difficult to follow at times, so I would have to go back and reread a few paragraphs to figure out who was talking. Definitely not enough to take away from a fascinating history!
Displaying 1 of 1 review