, image = Nanmadaw Me Nu.jpg , succession = Chief queen consort of Burma , reign = 5 June 1819 – 30 April 1837 , predecessor = Shin Paik Thaung , successor = Thiri Pawara Ti Lawka Maha Yadana Padomma Dewi , suc-type = Successor , succession1 = Duchess of Toungoo , reign1 = 24 May 1827 – 15 April 1837 , predecessor1 = , successor1 = , suc-type1 = Successor , birth_date =
Wednesday, 5th waning of First Waso 1145 ME , birth_place = Phalangon, Konbaung Burma , death_date =
Tuesday, 12th waxing of

Kason Kason (; ) is the second month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances * Full Moon of Kason () ** Bodhi Tree Watering Festival () Kason symbols *Flower: '' Magnolia champaca'' References See also *Burmese calendar ...

1202 ME , death_place =

Amarapura Amarapura (, , ; also spelt as Ummerapoora) is a former capital of Myanmar, and now a township of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the Irrawaddy river in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in the north, and the ancient capital site of Ava ...

, consort = yes , spouse = , issue = Prince of Palaing

Hsinbyumashin Hsinbyumashin (; 22 November 1821 – 26 February 1900) was a List of Burmese consorts, senior queen of King Mindon Min of Burma during the Konbaung dynasty. She was known for the Bronze Hall Massacre. She was the daughter of King Bagyidaw and his ...

, full name = Siripavaratiloka Mahāratanadevī
သီရိပဝရတိလောက မဟာရတနာဒေဝီ , house = Konbaung , father = Thiha Kyawswa of Shwedaung , mother = Daw Nge , religion =

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

Nanmadaw Me Nu (, ; 18 June 1783 – 12 May 1840), commonly known by her

regnal title A regnal title is the title held by a monarch while in office. Monarchs can have various titles, including king or queen, prince or princess (Sovereign Prince of Monaco), emperor or empress (Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), or even duke or grand ...

Thiri Pavara Mahayazeinda Yadana Dewi (; ) was the chief queen consort of King Bagyidaw of the

Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

from 1819 to 1837. She became known by the title Namadaw Mibaya Khaunggyi (lit. Queen of the Main Palace). The chief queen was the leader of the powerful palace faction that advocated for war with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. Even after the disastrous

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War (; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War in English language accounts and First English Invasion War () in Burmese language accounts, was the first of three wars fought between the ...

(1824–1826), she consolidated more power as her husband withdrew from governing. She and her brother Prince Maung O of Salin became de facto rulers of the kingdom until Bagyidaw was overthrown in 1837. The queen and her brother were executed on the order of the new king

Tharrawaddy Min Tharrawaddy Min (, ; 14 March 1787 – 17 November 1846) was the 8th king of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma. He repudiated the Treaty of Yandabo and almost went to war with the British. Brief Tharrawaddy was born Maung Khin to Crown Prince T ...

in 1840.

Background

Me Nu was born Shin Min Nu on 18 June 1783 at Phalangon Village, 5 miles northwest of present-day Khin-U. She was the great-granddaughter of the hero Bala Thaman, who founded the village Palangon and was assigned to the local fort to help guard against the Manipuris during the reign of King Mahadhammaraza Dipadi of the Nyaungyan dynasty. She had a brother, Maung O. According to historian Hmawbi Saya Thein, it is believed that U Hlok had three children: Me Pu, Maung O, and Me Nu. However, the royal chronicle only mentions Me Nu and Maung O. There is a dispute between Me Nu and Maung O regarding their birth order, with conflicting accounts. According to bell and stone inscriptions of Konbaung, it is suggested that Me Nu was the eldest, and Maung O was the youngest. Her father, ''Thiha Kyawswa'' U Hlok, was the son of Thakhin Mun, who was the third daughter of Bala Thaman. Her mother, Daw Nge, was a native of Phalangon village. During her

naming ceremony A naming ceremony is a stage at which a person or persons is officially assigned a name. The methods of the practice differ over cultures and religions. The timing at which a name is assigned can vary from some days after birth to several months ...

, her uncle ''Maha Kyawhtin'' U Lun, who was the minister of civil service, named her "Me Nu" because of her exceptional beauty and her delicate and gentle demeanor.

Selection as crown princess

During the reign of King

Bodawpaya Bodawpaya (, ; ; 11 March 1745 – 5 June 1819) was the sixth king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma. Born Maung Shwe Waing and later Badon Min, he was the fourth son of Alaungpaya, founder of the dynasty and the Third Burmese Empire. He was procl ...

, a

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

took 11-year-old Me Nu's sarong as she was bathing, dropping the garment in the left wing of the southern royal palace. When the king searched for the owner of the sarong, she soon arrived in his presence. After royal officials had conducted an investigation, the king offered her a position as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

at the palace. Prince Sagaing became crown prince on 6 April 1809. At the end of 1812 his consort, Hsinbyume, gave birth to Prince Nyaungyan, but died seven days later. Prince Sagaing married Me Nu in 1813 and she became crown princess. This granted her the rights to nine villages (five of them salt farms), thirty horses, 3,000 ''pe'' of land, and the taxes from four kinds of products.

Chief queen

Prince Sagaing became the seventh king of the Konbaung dynasty, on 7 June 1819, making Me Nu his chief queen and given the title of Thiri Pavara Mahayazeinda Yadana Dewi. Her husband also given the title of "Thado Minhla Kyawhtin" and granted the

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

of Salin to her brother, Maung O. Me Nu had three children by Bagyidaw. Their eldest daughter died young and their son, the Prince of Palaing, died in April 1804 at age 10 due to

chickenpox Chickenpox, also known as varicella ( ), is a highly contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), a member of the herpesvirus family. The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which ...

. Their remaining daughter, Princess Supayagale, became Queen

; she was the wife of King Mindon and mother of Burma's last queen,

Supayalat Supayalat (, ; 13 December 1859 – 24 November 1925), also spelt Suphayalat, was the last queen of Burma who reigned in Mandalay (1878–1885), born to King Mindon Min and Queen of Alenandaw (; also known as Hsinbyumashin or Lady of the White Elep ...

Increasing power and downfall

Bagyidaw favored Me Nu, she rise to power in the court. Together with the king, she sat on the throne and arranged the court affairs. Alongside her brother and General Maha Bandula, she advocated for war with the

.Myint-U 2006: 112 General Maha Bandula died in Danubyu, and the British troops occupied the Yandabo, 40 miles from the royal capital. The

Treaty of Yandabo The Treaty of Yandabo ( ) was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24February 1826, nearly two years after the war formally broke out on 5March 1824, by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British ...

was signed on 24 February 1826 which ended the

(1824–1826). Due to the defeat of the war, 1 billion Burmese kyats of compensation had to be paid. Lacking money, Me Nu sold her jewelries and paid the first installment of compensation. After the disastrous

(1824–1826) left the country crippled, Bagyidaw became increasingly reclusive, afflicted by bouts of depression and could not handle the administration of the state. Me Nu and Maung O became the de facto rulers of the country, and they were much feared due to their tyrannical policies. She was granted

Toungoo Taungoo (, ''Tauñngu myoú''; ), also spelled Toungoo and formerly Toung-ngú, is a district-level city in the Bago Region of Myanmar, 220 km from Yangon, towards the north-eastern end of the division, with mountain ranges to the east an ...

(Taungoo) as an appanage on 24 May 1827. In February 1837, Crown Prince Tharrawaddy, brother of Bagyidaw, raised a rebellion. By the end of April, he had forced Bagyidaw to abdicate in his favor. Tharrawaddy put his brother under house arrest and sentenced to death Me Nu and her brother. On 12 May 1840, the queen was executed by drowning. Her brother Maung O, his wife, and their two children, as well as her entire inner circle, were also executed.

Religious endowments

Me Nu established the Me Nu Oak-kyaung (Brick Monastery) in 1828 for the royal abbot Nyaunggan Sayadaw U Po.Konbaung Set Vol. 2 2004: 311 It was later offered to the second Nyaunggan Sayadaw U Bok. The monastery was damaged by the earthquake of 1838 but repaired in 1873 by

. The monastery consists of a series of wooden monasteries with multiple roofs and a prayer hall with a seven-tiered superstructure. Her other donations include: * Maha Meru Makuṭa Jhaṇḍa Rājā Bell at Pahtodawgyi * Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery * Maha Zeya Pahta Brick Bridge in

Inwa Inwa (, or ; also spelled Innwa; formerly known as Ava), located in Mandalay Region, Myanmar, is an ancient imperial capital of successive Burmese kingdoms from the 14th to 19th centuries. Throughout history, it was sacked and rebuilt numerou ...

* Phalangon Pagoda

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanmadaw Me Nu Chief queens consort of Konbaung dynasty 1783 births 1840 deaths People executed by drowning Burmese Buddhists 19th-century Burmese women 19th-century Burmese people 18th-century Burmese women