Pan Macmillan India has announced the publication of Hazrat Mahal: The Rebel Begam of Awadh, a new biography by renowned historian Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, bringing to light the remarkable life of one of the most influential yet overlooked leaders of the 1857 uprising. The book will be released on 10 August 2026.

Published in hardback (ISBN: 9789361132483), the 280-page volume is priced at ₹799 and is the first full-length biography dedicated to Begam Hazrat Mahal, the queen who emerged as the face of Awadh’s resistance against the East India Company after the annexation of the kingdom in 1856.

Based on decades of meticulous research and previously undiscovered archival material from Indian, Urdu and British sources, the book traces Hazrat Mahal’s extraordinary journey from her humble origins to becoming the de facto ruler of Awadh during one of the most turbulent periods in Indian history. It explores her leadership after the exile of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, when her young son Birjis Qadr was declared ruler and she assumed responsibility for guiding the rebel administration.

The biography examines how Hazrat Mahal sought to unite diverse rebel factions—including landowners, soldiers, religious leaders and members of the nawabi elite—while confronting the military might of the East India Company. It also revisits one of the defining episodes of the uprising, the Siege of the Lucknow Residency, and offers fresh insights into the political complexities that shaped the rebellion.

Beyond her role in the revolt, Hazrat Mahal: The Rebel Begam of Awadh reflects on the queen’s legacy, her gradual disappearance from mainstream historical narratives and her eventual recognition as one of India’s early freedom fighters.

Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, MBE, is among the leading historians of colonial India. A scholar of Urdu and Hindi, she has written extensively on the history of Awadh, Lucknow and the 1857 uprising. Her acclaimed works include A Fatal Friendship: The Nawabs, the British and the City of Lucknow and a trilogy on Major General Claude Martin. She was awarded an MBE in 2015 for her contributions to British Indian studies and the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (BACSA).

With Hazrat Mahal: The Rebel Begam of Awadh, Pan Macmillan India presents a deeply researched account that restores one of India’s most formidable women leaders to the centre of the historical narrative, offering readers a nuanced portrait of a queen whose courage, diplomacy and determination shaped the resistance in Awadh during the First War of Independence.

The book will be available in bookstores and online across India from 10 August 2026 for ₹799.