S1 E11 Rani Avanti Bai

Meet Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi, the forgotten warrior queen whose courage matched Rani Lakshmibai's but whose story remains largely untold. When the 1857 revolt erupted, this fierce Rajput queen raised an army of 4,000 soldiers and became one of the few Indian rulers to actually defeat British forces in battle, routing Deputy Commissioner Waddington at Khairi village. After throwing out the British-appointed administrator from her Ramgarh kingdom, she sent boxes of bangles to neighboring rulers with letters challenging them to defend their motherland's honor. Born in 1831, this master of swordcraft and military strategy died fighting at just 27, choosing death over surrender when British reinforcements overwhelmed her forces. Her legacy deserves recognition alongside India's greatest freedom fighters.