Mekuti Sutthiwong ( th, เมกุฏิสุทธิวงศ์; died 1581) or Mae Ku ( th, แมกุ) was king of
Lan Na
The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...
from 1551 to 1564.
[Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., ] His reign saw the transition of Lan Na into a
vassal state
A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back t ...
under the Burmese-led
Toungoo empire, following
Bayinnaung
, image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
's capture of
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
. In
Burmese folk religion, Mekuti is venerated as Yun Bayin ( my, ယွန်းဘုရင်, ; ), one of 37
nats in the official pantheon of Burmese nats.
Names
Across historical sources, Mekuti is known by various names, including: Maeku (พระเป็นเจ้าแม่กุ) in the Chiang Mai Chronicle, Mekuti (พระเมกุฏิสุทธิวงศ์) in the Yonok Chronicle, Phaya Maeku (พญาเมกุ), Chao Khanan Maeku (เจ้าขนานแม่กุ), as well as Yun Bayin (ယွန်းဘုရင်) and Bya Than (ဗြသံ) in
Burmese language
Burmese ( my, မြန်မာဘာသာ, MLCTS: ''mranmabhasa'', IPA: ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar (also known as Burma), where it is an official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Burmans, the coun ...
sources.
Early life
Mekuti was a direct descendant of King
Mangrai Mangrai ( nod, ; th, มังราย; 1238–1311), also known as Mengrai ( th, เม็งราย),The name according to historical sources is "Mangrai", and this is used in most modern scholarly applications. "Mengrai", popularised by a 19 ...
, descending from Mangrai's son, Khun Khrua, who ruled
Mong Nai (in modern-day
Shan State
Shan State ( my, ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, ; shn, မိူင်းတႆး, italics=no) also known by the endonyms Shanland, Muang Tai, and Tailong, is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos ...
of Myanmar) from 1312 onward.
Reign
Mekuti reigned from 1551 to 1558 as King of Lan Na. Following the defeat of
Lan Na
The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...
during the
Burmese-Siam War of 1563, Lan Na became a tributary state of the
First Toungoo Empire
The First Toungoo Empire ( my, တောင်ငူ ခေတ်, ; also known as the First Toungoo Dynasty, the Second Burmese Empire or simply the Toungoo Empire) was the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia in the second half of the ...
. He continued to reign under the auspices of
Bayinnaung
, image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
until 1564, when he was removed from office, in response to Mekuti's refusal to join Bayinnaung's military campaign against
Ayutthaya, which was seen by Bayinnaung as an act of rebellion.
Bayinnaung then appointed
Wisutthithewi
Wisutthithewi ( th, พระนางวิสุทธิเทวี) was queen regnant of Lan Na from 1564 to 1578.
Names
Wisutthithewi's name is variously romanized Visuddhidevi, Wisutthi Thewi, and Wisuthithewi. While the Chiang Mai Chro ...
as
queen regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
of Lan Na.
Exile and death
Upon Mekuti's removal from office, he was forced into exile and relocated to the Toungoo Empire's capital at Pegu (now
Bago). During his stay at the
Kanbawzathadi Palace, he was accorded with a royal residence crowned with a multi-tiered ''
pyatthat'' roof.
He died of
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
in 1581.
Mekuti is worshipped as one of 37
nats (spirits) in the official pantheon in
Burmese folk religion, and the only not to be of Burmese origins. Posthumous depictions of Mekuti as Yun Bayin nat portray a man dressed in Burmese royal attire, seated on a
palin (throne)
''Palin'' ( my, ပလ္လင်; from pi, pallaṅka, or 'sofa') refers to any one of six types of thrones recognized in traditional Burmese scholarship. The ''palin'' is an important symbol of the Burmese monarchy and features prominently in ...
, brandishing a sheathed sword.
See also
*
List of rulers of Lan Na
This article lists the lord ruler of Lan Na from the foundation of the Ngoenyang in 638 until the end of Kingdom of Chiang Mai under Siamese administration in 1939.
Kings of Ngoen Yang
# Lawachangkarat ''or'' Lavachankaraja ''or'' Lao Chong ...
References
{{Burmese nats
*22
Rulers of Chiang Mai
Toungoo dynasty
Deaths from dysentery
1581 deaths