Nawab of Awadh and Begum Hazrat Mahal

Begum Hazrat Mahal, or ‘Begum of Awadh’, was one of India’s first female freedom fighters, leading the battle in the First Indian War of Independence in 1857. Bold and tenacious, she marked her place in history as the only major leader of the war to never surrender to the British, opting instead to continue resisting—even during her years of exile.