Jhansi State

Jhansi was an independent princely state ruled by the Maratha Newalkar dynasty under suzerainty of British India from 1804 till 1853, when the British authorities took over the state under the terms of the Doctrine of Lapse, and renamed it the Jhansi State. Before the takeover, it was under the Peshwas from 1728 to 1804. The fortified town of Jhansi served as its capital. Historically, the principality of Jhansi in Bundelkhand had been held by a tributary chief of the Peshwa, who ceded his rights in the Jhansi Province to the British after the defeat of the Maratha Empire. Lord Hastings rewarded the chief with hereditary rule over the province. The State of Jhansi was, however, reclaimed and ruled by Rani Laxmi Bai (also known as Manikarnika), one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, from August 1857 to June 1858. The state flag was a saffron banner associated with Hinduism.