Born: 23 October 1778, India
Died: 21 February 1829
Country most active: India
Also known as: Rani Chennamma
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
In 1824, Kittur Chennamma (October 23, 1778 – February 21, 1829), an Indian queen of Kittur in present-day Karnataka, led an armed resistance against the British East India Company to maintain control over her dominion.
She was a member of the Lingayat Panchamasaali community and received training in horse riding, sword fighting, and archery from a young age. She married Raja Mallasarja from the Desai family at the age of 15.
Kittur Chennamma won the first battle but was captured and imprisoned during a subsequent rebellion. She remains a revered folk hero in Karnataka and a symbol of the Indian independence movement.