Sanda Min Hla
Encyclopedia
Sanda Min Hla was the queen consort
of three kings of Hanthawaddy Kingdom
, and the real palace power behind the throne. Her murder of her second husband King Saw E
, grandson of king of Sukhothai
provoked an invasion from Sukhothai. Her third husband King Binnya E Law
, whom she placed on the throne, defeated the invasion, allowing the kingdom to achieve its independence from Sukhothai.
descent. She was a daughter of King Hkun Law
, and a niece of King Wareru
, the founder of the dynasty. Her birth name was Hnin An Po . She was first married to her first cousin Saw Zein
, whose mother Hnin U Yaing
and her father Hkun Law
were siblings. The marriage must been difficult for her as it was Saw Zein's father Min Bala that killed her father the king in 1311. (Min Bala and Hnin U Yaing placed their eldest son Saw O
, Saw Zein's elder brother, on the throne).
seized the throne, she led the palace coup, and placed Saw E
, nephew of Saw Zein and grandson of king of Sukhothai, on the throne. Though she was an aunt to the young king, she naturally made herself his chief queen. When Saw E spent more time with concubines, she poisoned Saw E. She anointed her half-brother Binnya E Law
to the throne, and again made herself the chief queen.
Her murder of Saw E greatly angered the king of Sukhothai as Saw E was a grandson of his. Sukhothai forces invaded but were defeated. From then on, Hanthawaddy threw off its nominal vassal status to Sukhothai.
She was queen of Hanthawaddy for 24 years, from 1324 to 1348. She died circa 1363 as the Martaban rebellion was beginning.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of three kings of Hanthawaddy Kingdom
Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled lower Burma from 1287 to 1539. The Mon-speaking kingdom was founded as Ramannadesa by King Wareru following the collapse of the Pagan Empire in 1287 as a nominal vassal state of Sukhothai Kingdom, and of the Mongol Yuan dynasty...
, and the real palace power behind the throne. Her murder of her second husband King Saw E
Saw E
Saw E or Saw E Kankaung was the sixth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who ruled for a few months in 1331. He was a son of King Saw O and Princess May Hnin Htapi of Sukhothai. After the death of his uncle King Saw Zein in 1331, the young price was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla...
, grandson of king of Sukhothai
Sukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
provoked an invasion from Sukhothai. Her third husband King Binnya E Law
Binnya E Law
Binnya E Law was the seventh king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who reigned from 1331 to 1348. Placed on the throne by his half-sister Queen Sanda Min Hla, this son of King Hkun Law defeated Sukhothai Kingdom's invasion in 1331, and freed Hanthawaddy from its tributary status to Sukhothai...
, whom she placed on the throne, defeated the invasion, allowing the kingdom to achieve its independence from Sukhothai.
Early life
Like all Hanthawaddy royal family, Sanda Min Hla was of Shan and MonMon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
descent. She was a daughter of King Hkun Law
Hkun Law
Hkun Law was the second king of Hanthawaddy from 1307 to 1311. He ascended to the throne after his elder brother King Wareru was assassinated. Hkun Law was of Shan and Mon descent....
, and a niece of King Wareru
Wareru
Wareru was the founder of the Ramanya Kingdom located in today's Lower Burma . The kingdom is more commonly known as Kingdom of Hanthawady Pegu , or simply Pegu although the kingdom's first capital was Martaban...
, the founder of the dynasty. Her birth name was Hnin An Po . She was first married to her first cousin Saw Zein
Saw Zein
Saw Zein was the fourth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1324 to 1331. A nephew of the kingdom's founder King Wareru, Saw Zein succeeded his brother King Saw O in 1324. He lost the southern territories of Tenasserim coast back to his nominal overlord Sukhothai, and looked to expand his territory...
, whose mother Hnin U Yaing
Hnin U Yaing
Hnin U Yaing was a princess of Hanthawaddy Kingdom who was the sister of two kings, Wareru and Hkun Law, and the mother of two kings Saw O and Saw Zein. She was also a paternal great-grandmother of Razadarit, considered the greatest Hanthawaddy king...
and her father Hkun Law
Hkun Law
Hkun Law was the second king of Hanthawaddy from 1307 to 1311. He ascended to the throne after his elder brother King Wareru was assassinated. Hkun Law was of Shan and Mon descent....
were siblings. The marriage must been difficult for her as it was Saw Zein's father Min Bala that killed her father the king in 1311. (Min Bala and Hnin U Yaing placed their eldest son Saw O
Saw O
Saw O was the third king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who reigned from 1311 to 1323. Saw O succeeded his maternal uncle Hkun Law, who was assassinated by Saw O's father Min Bala in 1311. When Saw O ascended to the throne, his kingdom was a nominal vassal of Sukhothai. He was even married to a daughter of...
, Saw Zein's elder brother, on the throne).
Palace power
Saw O died in 1324, and with Saw Zein's ascension to the throne, Sanda Min Hla herself became the chief queen. After Saw Zein died in 1331, she emerged as the king maker. When former court official Zein PunZein Pun
Zein Pun was a court official at the Martaban Palace of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, who seized the throne for seven days in 1331, following the death of King Saw Zein in the battlefield of Prome. Zein Pun's reign was short...
seized the throne, she led the palace coup, and placed Saw E
Saw E
Saw E or Saw E Kankaung was the sixth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who ruled for a few months in 1331. He was a son of King Saw O and Princess May Hnin Htapi of Sukhothai. After the death of his uncle King Saw Zein in 1331, the young price was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla...
, nephew of Saw Zein and grandson of king of Sukhothai, on the throne. Though she was an aunt to the young king, she naturally made herself his chief queen. When Saw E spent more time with concubines, she poisoned Saw E. She anointed her half-brother Binnya E Law
Binnya E Law
Binnya E Law was the seventh king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who reigned from 1331 to 1348. Placed on the throne by his half-sister Queen Sanda Min Hla, this son of King Hkun Law defeated Sukhothai Kingdom's invasion in 1331, and freed Hanthawaddy from its tributary status to Sukhothai...
to the throne, and again made herself the chief queen.
Her murder of Saw E greatly angered the king of Sukhothai as Saw E was a grandson of his. Sukhothai forces invaded but were defeated. From then on, Hanthawaddy threw off its nominal vassal status to Sukhothai.
She was queen of Hanthawaddy for 24 years, from 1324 to 1348. She died circa 1363 as the Martaban rebellion was beginning.