Rani Lakshmi Bai Some Myths & Legends

There are any number of myths and legends about and surrounding the Rani. Some are based on fact, some are simply not true.

The Rani was born in 1835. She was 22 when she died.
The Rani's husband, Gangadhar Rao, fought the British.
The Rani went into battle with her son tied to her back.
The Rani fought wielding a sword in each hand and controlling her horse with the reins between her teeth.
The Rani escaped from Jhansi by jumping her horse from the wall of the Fort.
The Rani fought the British to prevent the annexation of Jhansi.
The Rani rebelled to regain Jhansi.

The Rani was born in 1835. She was 22 when she died.

Not true.In all probability she was born round about 1828, making her 30-ish when she died.

The Rani's husband, Gangadhar Rao, fought the British.

Not true. He died in November 1853, three and a half years before the Great Rebellion broke out. In fact he, and his predecessors had cooperated with the British.

The Rani went into battle with her son tied to her back.

What sort of mother is it that would take her 10 year old son into the middle of a battle? What sort of soldier is it that would hamper herself with a 10 year old child tied to her back? The Rani may have had her faults but she was not stupid.

Nonetheless there is a part of truth in this one. When the Rani fled Jhansi she is said to have tied her son to her back for his safety.

The Rani fought wielding a sword in each hand and controlling her horse with the reins between her teeth.

Not true. This sort of extravagant display would only have resulted in an even earlier death. She did practice riding like this. One young man who witnessed this lived to be over 100 and testified to it.

The Rani escaped from Jhansi by jumping her horse from the wall of the Fort.

Not true. The western wall of the fort coincides with the city wall and so someone could escape from Jhansi by that route. However any horse making that jump would have been killed, the landing area is rock and slopes away from the wall very rapidly. Not possible. even if she had a miraculous horse capable of it, what of those who left with her?

At the time of her escape the British had broken through the city wall in the south and were fighting through the city. they had not, and were not able at that time to surround the Fort. She could have left by the gate.

The Rani fought the British to prevent the annexation of Jhansi.

Not true. The annexation of Jhansi and the mutiny and rebellion were entirely separate events over 3 years apart. The mutiny in Jhansi had nothing to do with the annexation other than the simple fact that if there had been no annexation there would have been no British unit in Jhansi to mutiny.

The Rani rebelled to regain Jhansi.

Not true. The Rani did not instigate the mutiny, nor did she support it. She resumed her role as Rani when the mutineers left as there was no other authority in Jhansi. The British initially approved and supported this action. She may well have had hopes regarding Jhansi's future but that is another matter.