A previously undiscovered letter written by one of India's best known female rebels against British colonial rule has been found by academics.

The letter was written by Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, shortly before the Indian mutiny - or first war of independence - in 1857.

It has been found in London in the archives of the British Library.

The letter is written by the Rani of Jhansi to the governor-general of the East India Company (EIC), Lord Dalhousie.

In it she describes the fateful events on the night her husband died.