Wisutthithewi

Wisutthithewi (Thai: พระนางวิสุทธิเทวี) was queen regnant of Lan Na from 1564 to 1578.[1]

Wisutthithewi
Queen regnant of Lan Na under Burmese rule
Reign1564 - 1578
PredecessorMekuti
SuccessorNawrahta Minsaw
DiedOctober 1578
Burial
Wat Lok Moli

Names

Wisutthithewi's name is variously romanized Visuddhidevi, Wisutthi Thewi, and Wisuthithewi. While the Chiang Mai Chronicle consistently records her name as Wisutthathewi, the Yonok Chronicle prefers Wisutthithewi. She also has a number of names across extant historical sources: in the Burmese and Chiang Saen chronicles, she is referred to as Lady Wisutthathewi, and is also called Maha Dewi (မဟာဒေဝီ, Mahādevī) in U Kala's chronicle, Maha Yazawin, and as Ratcha Thewi (Rājadevī) and Nang Thewi in other sources.[2]

Early life

Wisutthithewi's origins are unclear; she may have been a daughter of Ket Chettharat, a ruler of Chiang Mai, or Princess Ton Kham, the youngest daughter of Chettharat.[3] She may have been the queen consort of her predecessor Mekuti.

Reign

The reign of her predecessor, Mekuti, saw Lan Na transition into a vassal state of the Toungoo empire.[4] In 1564, she was installed as queen regent by Bayinnaung, in response to Mekuti's refusal to join Bayinnaung's military campaign against Ayutthaya, which was seen by Bayinnaung as an act of rebellion.[5][6]

Throughout her fourteen-year reign, Lan Na enjoyed political stability, and Wisutthithewi offered tribute to the Toungoo empire, in exchange for political stability in her dominion,[3] which had seen recurrent instability from raids and conflicts with neighboring territories.

Wisutthithewi is portrayed in a contemporaneous Thai epic poem Khlong mangthra rop Chiang Mai (โคลงมังทรารบเชียงใหม่, lit. 'the "Epic of Mintaya's war against Chiang Mai'), written by an anonymous Lan Na author.[3] The poem mentions a queen, Mae Mintaya Sri, which implies that she may have been wed to Bayinnaung.[7] However, no other Burmese or Lan Na sources corroborate any marriage between Bayinnaung and Wisutthithewi; moreover, no Chiang Mai princess is listed among Bayinnaung's queens and concubines in these sources.[7]

Death

Wisutthithewi died in October 1578, and news of her death reached Pegu in January 1579.[2] Following her death, Bayinnaung appointed his son Nawrahta Minsaw as her successor.[5] The ashes of Wisutthithewi are interred in a chedi at Wat Lok Moli in Chiang Mai.[8]

See also

References
  1. Fry, Gerald W.; Nieminen, Gayla S.; Smith, Harold E. (2013-08-08). Historical Dictionary of Thailand. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7525-8.
  2. Kirigaya, Ken (2014-11-29). "Some Annotations to The Chiang Mai Chronicle: The Era of Burmese Rule in Lan Na". Journal of the Siam Society. 102: 257–290. ISSN 2651-1851.
  3. Ratana, Pakdeekul (2009). "Social strategies in creating roles for women in Lan Na and Lan Sang from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries". ULB Münster. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  4. Premchit, Sommai (1997). ตํานานสิบห้าราชวงศ์: ฉบับสอบชําระ (in Thai). Sathāban Wičhai Sangkhom, Mahāwitthayālai Chīang Mai.
  5. Veidlinger, Daniel M. (2006). Spreading the Dhamma: Writing, Orality, And Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3024-3.
  6. Forbes, Andrew (2011-07-20). "Ancient Chiang Mai: King Mae Ku: From Lan Na Monarch to Burmese Nat". CPA. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  7. Simms, Sanda (2013-10-11). The Kingdoms of Laos. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-86330-1.
  8. May 2020, Ben (2020-05-01). "Wat Lok Moli: Ancient Lanna's Best Architecture". Paths Unwritten. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
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