Short Stories for Kids from Indian History - Queen Abbakka

Short Story for Kids - Queen Abbakka

Rani Abbakka Chowta (1525-1570) of Ullal was a 16 century warrior queen who bravely fought against the Portuguese. She is considered the first woman Freedom Fighter of  India  

Ullal was the capital of the Chowta king Thirumala Raya III. Feudatories of the Vijayanagar kingdom . Chowtas were a matrilinear dynasty, the kings heir was his young niece, Abakka. She was trained in sword fighting, archery, cavalry, military strategy, diplomacy and all other subjects of statecraft from a very young ageAbbakka was married to Lakshmappa Bangaraja, the ruler of Mangalore. As the ruler of Ullal, Rani Abbakka continued to live in her own home and the couple’s three children stayed with her.

The queen was a very good leader. Ullal’s trade flourished during her reign. The Portugese were trying exact taxes frpm Rani Abakka and she continued to defy them. Her ships continued to trade with the Arabs despite attacks by the Portuguese.She had a strong army and navy. people of all castes and religions found a place in her army and navy.

Infuriated by her continued defiance the Portugese launched into battles with her. The first battle took place in the year 1556, with the Portuguese fleet being commanded by Admiral Don Alvaro de Silveira, This battle ended in a truce

Two years later, the Portuguese attacked with a larger force . Rani Abakka’s battle tactics and diplomacy managed to push them back. She collaborated with the Arab Moors and Zamorin of Kozhikode to help her with this

During the third battle, Portuguese army under General Joao Peixoto attacked Ullal and managed to capture the royal palace. Rani Abakka escaped before they could capture her.  She raided the Portugese occupying the palace in the dead of the night with 200 of her loyal soldiers. . They managed to kill the Portugese general and 70 of the soldiers. . Frightened by this attack, the remaining Portuguese troops fled to their ships

The Portuguese became increasing alarmed at Rani Abakka’s growing reputation and she was becoming an inspiration to all the other rulers. A series of edicts were passed to make any alliance with the queen illegal. Portuguese sent Anthony D’ Noronha (the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa) to attack Ullal.  In 1581, 3000 Portuguese troops supported by an armada of battleships attacked Ullal in a surprise pre-dawn attack.

Rani Abbakka was returning from a visit to her family . She was caught off guard. She still managed to launch a counter attack. She and her soldiers fired flamed arrows at the Armada. Rani Abbakka was wounded in the crossfire and was captured by the enemy, because some of her generals betrayed her. She breathed her last in captivity.

In 2003, Indian Post issued a special stamp dedicated to Rani Abbakka. In 2015, the Indian Navy acknowledged her naval heroics by naming a patrol vessel after her.   

At ekdali, we have some interesting posters for Kids from the Indian Freedom Struggle . Please do take a look

Freedom Fighters of India Poster

Our Freedom Struggle Poster

These short stories for kids are meant for our children to learn about our proud history.  The story is presented as a summary to make it interesting for kids


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