Every empire in the pages of history has witnessed female warriors who wielded weapons against their enemies. These “warrior queens” proved to be mighty heroines and acts as an inspiration to all the women in the world. But not many remember these heroines from the past and their legacy is often forgotten.
The vast civilization of India had many such queens who were admirably determined and faced their enemies in the battlefield. There was a woman in the Deccan who in the time of chaos restored stability in the empire and managed to stave off the fierce Mughal army of none other than Akbar. The malicious ministers of the court and their conspiracies could not deter her. She remained invincible when men of powers tried to subdue her.
Born in 1550, Chand Bibi was the daughter of Hussain Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar sultanate. Since her teen years she was extremely interested in politics, painting, hunting.
She was a highly erudite woman who was fluent in five languages which included Persian, Marathi, Kannada, Arabic, Turkish.
In 1565, she was married off to Ali Adil Shah of Bijapur sultanate. She often joined her husband in his campaigns and was entrusted with matters of state, and they administered the government together.
Troubles swarmed around her path when her husband Ali Adil Shah was murdered. She had no children of her own. She protected the potential heir of the Bijapur throne by navigating endless intrigues. She defeated one Nobel who seized power from her, in return the Nobel outsmarted her and threw her into prison.
But soon Chand Bibi with her keen diplomatic skill joined hands with one of the political factions and she was soon rescued.
She acted as a regent for the Bijapur Sultanate. But with her husband killed, the ministers’ conspiration were boundless.
She came back to her homeland when she heard that Mughals attacked Ahmednagar and her brother who was an incompetent ruler died in the war against them. His brother’s son was young, so Chand Bibi once again acted as a regent for Ahmednagar sultanate.
The Mughal army under Prince Murad (son of Akbar the great) attacked Ahmednagar once again with full force in an attempt to capture the fort and build five mines there.
Chand Bibi, a fierce strategist, encouraged her troops who were suffering from famine. She along with her generals dug out two of the five mines before the Mughals could blow it off. It is said that, amidst such chaos, at one moment, she ran out with her sword, wearing her armour and her face covered under a veil to directly face off the Mughals along with her troops. This amazing queen devised a master plan which exhausted the Mughal army as they ran shortage of food and water.
The Prince, unable to hold onto such massive attack, agreed to negotiate by taking a small village in return for peace. Chand Bibi soon reached out to other Deccan Sultanates for alliances and requested a joint attack on the Mughal army.
In the meantime, Prince Murad secretly tried to seize the satellite towns of Ahmednagar and soon faced the wrath of the armies of the Deccan state. By the stroke of luck, prince Murad won the battle but he was soon summoned by his father Akbar the Great, who was taken aback by Chand Bibi who was bona fide expert. Akbar then sent his another son Daniyal to face the Deccan armies. Akbar himself joined the troops and ordered to seige the Ahmednagar fort.
Chand Bibi bravely defended the fort and repaired it overnight.
The Mughal army, in order to escalate the situation, teased the nobles of the Deccan by calling them eunuchs who had let a woman to guard the fort. This enraged the ministers and nobles who wanted to overthrow the Chand Bibi.
Fate soon brought more misfortunes in her path.
Her personal eunuch spread a false rumour that Chand Bibi joined hands with the Mughals, and that and she was planning to negotiate and surrender to them. As a result, the nobles entered her bed chamber one night and brutally murdered her leaving her in a pool of blood.
This fierce and unimaginably powerful, skilled, erudite queen met a tragic end.
But she soon received justice. The Mughals captured the Deccan States and hanged all the nobles who killed her.
Not many know about such heroines from the past. The Emperors of the vast empires cast a shadow on these lionesses. Women have always been neglected and underestimated. Women have always acted as a shield protecting their near and dear ones, making innumerable sacrifices.
The Queens who left their legacy will not be forgotten. They will act as an inspiration to all the women of the world forever.
I am a sophomore student currently persuing my bachelor's degree in Ancient Indian History culture and Archaeology from Visva Bharati University, West Bengal India. I have immense interest in history and is interested in writing articles on history.
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