Begum Hazrat Mahal

@Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Timeline and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Begum Hazrat Mahal was the first wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and one of the earliest female freedom fighters during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Indian Nepalese Leaders Revolutionaries Begum Hazrat Mahal, also known as the ‘Begum of Awadh’, was one of the earliest female freedom fighters during the First Indian War of Independence. She was the first wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and possessed the courage and leadership to rebel against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After the British annexed their territory and the King of Awadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was sent away in exile to Calcutta, she took the responsibility of managing the affairs of the state in her own hands. Later, in association with the revolutionary forces, she seized control of Lucknow and declared her son as the new King of Awadh. She played a pivotal role in the first war of Indian independence and fought the British forces along with other revolutionaries. But the British troops attacked Awadh again and after a long siege were able to re-capture it, forcing her to retreat. She refused to accept any kind of favors and allowances offered by the British rulers. Finally she sought asylum in Nepal, where she died after some time. She was the only major leader never to surrender to the British, and she maintained her opposition through twenty years of exile in Nepal until her death.

Personal Details

Birthday: 1820 Died on: April 7, 18791820 Nationality: Indian, Nepali Famous: Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Leaders, Revolutionaries Spouses: Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Childrens: Birjis Qadr Birth Place: Faizabad Information Detail Birthday 1820 Died on April 7, 18791820 Nationality Indian, Nepali Famous Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Leaders, Revolutionaries Spouses Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Childrens Birjis Qadr Birth Place Faizabad Religion Islam Gender Female Born in Faizabad Famous as Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Died at Age 59

Faizabad

Begum Hazrat Mahal born at Unsplash Birth Place

She died on April 7, 1879 in Kathmandu, Nepal, at the age of 59. She was buried in a nameless grave in the grounds of Kathmandu's Jama Masjid. Unsplash Personal Life

She was born as Muhammadi Khanum in 1820 in Faizabad, Awadh, India, to a poor Syed family, descendants of Prophet Muhammad. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

She was a courtesan by profession and after being sold by her parents, she was taken into the royal harem as a ‘khawasin’. Later she was sold to Royal agents and was promoted to be a ‘pari’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After being accepted as a mistress of the King of Awadh, she was promoted and given the title of a begum. Later, the title 'Hazrat Mahal' was bestowed upon her after the birth of her son, Birjis Qadra. She was a junior wife of the last Tajdaar-e-Awadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Unsplash Later Life

In 1856, when the British East India Company annexed the state of Awadh and ordered the Nawab to step down from the throne, she wanted him to resist and fight for the kingdom on the battlefield. But her husband, the King of Awadh, handed over the kingdom and was sent in exile to Calcutta. Unsplash Later Life

Then she took up the charge in her own hands and decided to get Awadh back from the British. She fought bravely and also urged the rural folks to take part in the war. Later her forces seized control of Lucknow and she placed her 14-year-old son on the throne of Awadh on July 5, 1857. Unsplash Later Life

It was with the support of the people of Awadh that she was able to recapture the lost territory of Awadh from the British rule. Within a year in 1857, when India’s first struggle for independence broke out and people revolted against the British, she emerged as one of the prominent leaders in the war. Unsplash Later Life

With other famous heroes of 1857 such as Nana Saheb, Beni Madho, Tatya Tope, Kunwar Singh, Firuz Shah and all other revolutionaries of northern India, she fought courageously in the first freedom struggle of India. Unsplash Later Life

Information	Detail
Birthday	1820
Died on	April 7, 18791820
Nationality	Indian, Nepali
Famous	Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Leaders, Revolutionaries
Spouses	Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
Childrens	Birjis Qadr
Birth Place	Faizabad
Religion	Islam
Gender	Female
Born in	Faizabad
Famous as	Wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
Died at Age	59

Begum Hazrat Mahal

Indian

1820

Biography

Personal Details

Faizabad