Rani Lakshmibai was born Manikarnika “Manu” Tambe on 19 November 1828, in the town of Banaras. She was daughter of Moropant Tambe and Bhagirathi Sapre. Her mother died when she was four years old; her father worked for a court Peshwa (prime minister) of Bithoor district who brought up Manikarnika like his own daughter. She was educated at home and was a very independent child; her studies included shooting, horsemanship, fencing and mallakhamba. Manikarnika was married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, in May 1842. She adopted the name Lakshmibai in honour of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Lakhsmibai gave birth to a boy, Damodar Rao, in 1851; he died aged just four months. The Maharaja adopted a child, named Anand Rao, who was renamed Damodar Rao, on the day before the Maharaja died. The adoption was in the presence of the British political officer who was given a letter from the Maharaja instructing that the child be treated with respect and that the governmen...