(b. c. Nov. 19, 1835, Kashi, India; d. June 16, 1858), Lakshmi also spelt Laxmi , legendary hero-ine who fought the British valiantly during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Brought up in the household of Peshwa Baji Rao II, Lakshmi Bai had an unusual upbringing for a conven-tional Brahmin girl. Growing up with the boys in the peshwa's court, she was trained in martial art and became a proficient sword fighter and an accomplished equestrienne. Married to the maharaja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao, she was widowed without bearing an heir to the throne. Following established Hindu tradition, just before his death, the maharaja of Jhansi adopted a boy as his heir. Refusing to recognize the adopted heir, Lord Dalhousie, the governor-general of India, annexed Jhansi in accordance with the "doc-trine of lapse". An agent of the East India Company was posted in the small kingdom to look after administrative matters.The 22-year-old queen refused to accept the company's suzerainty and cede Jhansi to the British. Shortly after the beginning of the Mutiny of 1857, Lakshmi Bai was proclaimed the regent of Jhansi, and she ruled on behalf of the minor heir. Joining the uprising against the British, she rapidly organized her troops, and assumed charge of the rebels in the Bundelkhand region. Mutineers in the neighbouring areas headed towards Jhansi to offer her support.Under General Sir Hugh Rose, the East India Company's forces had begun their counter-offensive in Bundelkhand by January 1858. Advancing from Mhow, Rose captured Sagour (now Sagar) in February and then turned towards Jhansi in March. The company's forces surrounded the fort of Jhansi and a fierce battle raged. Offering stiff resistance to the invading forces, Rani Lakshmi Bai did not surrender even after her troops were outnumbered and overwhelmed, and the rescuing army of Tantia Tope, another rebel leader, was defeated at the battle of Betwa. Lakshmi Bai managed to escape from the fort with a small force of palace guards, and headed eastwards where other rebels joined her.Marching towards Gwalior, along with Tantia Tope, Lakshmi Bai then ensured the capture of the city-fortress of Gwalior. The treasury and the arsenal were seized and Nana Sahib, a prominent leader, was proclaimed as the peshwa. Scindia, the maharaja of Gwalior and supporter of the Company, was forced to retire and take refuge in Agra. Taking Gwalior was one thing, but retaining and defending it from the British counter-attack was another. Lakshmi Bai marched to Morar, east of Gwalior, to confront the British troops led by General Rose. Dressed as a man, she fought a tough battle and was killed in action on June 16, 1858.Acknowledging the young warrior's valour and fighting skills, General Sir Hugh Rose called her "the best and bravest" of the rebel leaders, and "...the woman who was the only man among the rebels". Her bravery has been immortalized in song and ballad, painting and sculpture.