Chennamma (1778 – 1829) was a queen of Kittur (or Kittoor, Kitturu), a province in southern India, in the state of Karnataka. For leading an armed revolt against the British East India Company, she became a symbol of the independence movement in India.
A brave queen
Chennama was born on October 23, 1778 in the small village of Kakati, in the state of Karnataka, in India. under British rule. In her youth, she learned archery, swordsmanship, horseback riding, and already forged a reputation for courage. At fifteen, she was married to the king of Kittur, Raja Mallasarja of the Desai family, with whom she had a son. In 1816, her husband died and, eight years later, their only son also died.
Following this tragedy, Chennama adopts Shivalingappa as his heir. This decision irritated the British East India Company which, citing the absence of an heir, ordered the expulsion of Shivalingappa and the annexation of the province of Kittur. Subsequently, this process will be officially adopted under the name of "doctrine of forfeiture" (doctrine of lapse) between 1848 and 1856, and will be used to annex many other Indian provinces.
Chennamma's Resistance
Rani ("Sovereign") Chennamma then attempted to plead Kittur's cause with Mountsuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay, but to no avail, and war broke out in October 1824. To break Chennamma's resistance, the British attacked Kittur with a form of twenty thousand men on October 21, 1824, but suffered a crushing defeat and heavy losses. Two British officers are notably taken hostage, and Chennamma tries to negotiate peace in exchange for their release. But the settlers refuse these terms and, with reinforcements, launch a second assault against Kittur. Rani Chennamma and her men fight hard, but traitors in her own army hasten defeat by sabotaging gunpowder supplies. The sovereign fights to the end, furiously, alongside her lieutenant Sangolli Rayanna, but the two end up being captured and imprisoned in Bailhongal Fort.
Imprisoned for life, Chennamma dedicates her time to prayer and reading sacred texts, hoping to eventually be released. She died in captivity on February 21, 1829.
Released after the death of his sovereign, Sangolli Rayanna continues to fight to install the heir Shivalingappa on the throne, and embarks on a guerrilla war against the British. He was arrested again, and executed in 1832. Shivalingappa was also arrested.