Person · rebel queen regent
Begum Hazrat Mahal
Also known as Hazrat Mahal
Begum Hazrat Mahal (c.1820 - 7 April 1879), the Awadh queen-regent who led the Lucknow phase of the 1857-1858 Indian Rebellion. Born as Muhammadi Khanum at Faizabad to a Shia Muslim family, she entered the Awadh Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's harem and bore his son Birjis Qadr. After the February 1856 Awadh annexation and Wajid Ali Shah's exile to Calcutta, Hazrat Mahal declared Birjis Qadr the Nawab of Awadh at Lucknow on 7 July 1857 and led the Lucknow Residency siege. After the March 1858 British recapture of Lucknow under Colin Campbell, she escaped to Nepal with Nana Sahib's forces. She died in exile at Kathmandu on 7 April 1879. The 1998 Lucknow Begum Hazrat Mahal Park and the 1984 postage stamp honour her legacy.
- Date
- 1820–1879
- Function
- Social reform & movement
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Connections (1)
- CampaignTiruvannāmalai
Begum Hazrat Mahal declared her son Birjis Qadr the Nawab of Awadh at Lucknow on 7 July 1857 and led the subsequent Lucknow Residency siege against the British East India Company forces. Her Awadh base at the Chattar Manzil in Lucknow was the political centre of the 1857-1858 Lucknow uprising. The March 1858 British recapture of Lucknow under Colin Campbell forced her flight to Nepal with Nana Sahib.
Sources
Standard biography; regional historiography.
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