About the Book: Hazrat Mahal: The Rebel Begam of Awadh by historian Rosie Llewellyn-Jones brings to life one of the most overlooked leaders of 19th-century India. Tracing her journey from an uncertain early life to becoming a wife of Wajid Ali Shah, the book explores her transformation into the de facto leader of Awadh’s resistance after the East India Company annexed the kingdom in 1856. Drawing on newly uncovered Indian and British archival material, it examines her political leadership, military strategy, efforts to unite rebel forces, and role in the defence of Lucknow during the First War of Independence.