The Rani of Jhansi : Rebel Against Will: A Biography of the Legendary Indian Freedom Fighter in the Mutiny of 1857-1858

Contents: 1. The death of a Noble Amazon. 2. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi in contemporary reports. 3. The beginnings of the "Indian Mutiny". 4. The evil seed. 5. The massacre at Jhansi. 6. The role of the Rani. 7. The regency. 8. The mutiny reaches its climax. 9. The metamorphoses of the Rani. 10. Sir Hugh Rose. 11. A scouting foray. 12. Negotiations at Jhansi. 13. The Siege. 14. Jhansi in flames. 15. The battles at Kunch and Kalpi. 16. Gwalior. 17. Requiem for a Rani. Bibliography. Index.

"1857-1858: The British Empire in India is teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of widespread rebellion by native regiments. In the final phase of the Great Indian Mutiny an intrepid young woman rises to lead the Mutinying Sepoys: Lakshmibai, The Rani of Jhansi. In India she is still venerated today as leader in the fight for national independence. To the British she was a treacherous villain, even one hundred years after her death still unquestioningly held to blame for the ghastly massacre of British Families. The author, basing his work on research of primary sources in the National Archives of India and the British Library as well as inspections of historical sites, seeks to portray the legendary Joan of Arc of India true to history and devoid of the distortions rendered by legend and polemic." (jacket)