May Hnin Htapi (, ) was the chief queen consort of King

Saw O Saw O (, ; also known as Saw Aw (စောအော, ); 1284–1323) was king of Martaban from 1311 to 1323. He transformed Martaban into a truly independent kingdom by successfully breaking with its hitherto nominal overlord Sukhothai. He was ...

Martaban Mottama (, ; Muttama , ; formerly Martaban) is a town in the Thaton District of Mon State, Myanmar. Located on the west bank of the Thanlwin river (Salween), on the opposite side of Mawlamyaing, Mottama was the capital of the Martaban Kingdo ...

, and a senior queen consort of King

Saw Zein Saw Zein (, ; also known as Saw Zeik and Binnya Ran De; 1303–1330) was king of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Martaban from 1323 to 1330. He inherited a newly independent kingdom from his elder brother Saw O but spent much of his reign putting down rebe ...

of Martaban. She was the mother of King

Saw E Saw E Kan-Kaung (, ; 1313/14–1330) was king of Martaban for 49 days in 1330. E was the last Martaban king to pledge allegiance to Sukhothai. The eldest son of King Saw O (r. 1311–1323) was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla, who ...

Brief

The queen was a daughter of King

Loe Thai Loe Thai (, ) was the fourth king of the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1298 to 1323. He was preceded by his father Ram Khamhaeng the Great until the throne was usurped by his cousin Ngua Nam Thum. After the death of ...

of Sukhothai. In 1311, her father sent her to

(Mottama) to marry King

, who had just ascended the Martaban throne.Pan Hla 2005: 38 (Martaban had been a nominal vassal of Sukhothai since its founding.) At Martaban, she became the chief queen, and bore two children, a son,

and a daughter, May Hnin Aw Kanya. But her husband was not loyal to her father. Saw O soon discarded his overlord, and went on to seize

Tavoy Dawei (, ; , ; , RTGS: ''Thawai'', ; formerly known as Tavoy) is a city in south-eastern Myanmar and is the capital of the Tanintharyi Region, formerly known as the Tenasserim Division, on the eastern bank of the Dawei River. The city is about ...

(Dawei) and Tenasserim from Sukhothai in 1321.Phayre 1967: 66 Htapi briefly became a widow in September 1323 when Saw O died. But the successor

immediately raised his sister-in-law as his second ranked queen at his accession.Pan Hla 2005: 39 She had a daughter, Mi Ma-Hsan, and a son,

Min Linka Min Linka (, ) was governor of Pegu (Bago) from 1348 to 1353. Son of King Saw Zein of Martaban, the prince was appointed governor by his half-brother King Binnya U. But he did not help his brother during the 1351–52 invasion of the kingdom b ...

.Pan Hla 2005: 40 Her reign as queen ended in 1330 when Zein was assassinated. The assassin

Zein Pun Zein Pun ( ; 1295–1330) was king of Martaban for one week in 1330. Of commoner background, Zein Pun rose from a childhood servant of Prince Saw Zein to a powerful commander during Saw Zein's reign. The ambitious commander then staged a coup ag ...

seized the throne but was executed a week later by Saw Zein's powerful chief queen

Sanda Min Hla Sanda Min Hla (, ; 1300s–1363/64) was the chief queen consort of three kings of Martaban, and the real palace power behind the throne. Her murder of her second husband King Saw E, grandson of the king of Sukhothai provoked an invasion from Su ...

. Htapi's eldest child Saw E became king. But Htapi's stint as the queen mother lasted just 49 days as her son too was assassinated by Sanda Min Hla.Pan Hla 2005: 41–42 Htapi may have had a hand in the subsequent war between Martaban and Sukhothai. According to the ''

Razadarit Ayedawbon ''Razadarit Ayedawbon'' () is a Burmese chronicle covering the history of Ramanya from 1287 to 1421. The chronicle consists of accounts of court intrigues, rebellions, diplomatic missions, wars etc. About half of the chronicle is devoted to the ...

'' chronicle, the king of Sukhothai was angered by the death of Saw E, and sent an invasion force. But the new king

Binnya E Law Binnya E Law (, ; 1308–1348/49) was king of Martaban from 1330 to 1348. Placed on the throne by his half-sister Queen Sanda Min Hla, this son of King Hkun Law defeated Sukhothai's invasion in 1330–1331, ending Martaban's tributary status ...

defeated the invasion.Pan Hla 2005: 42–43 Htapi is not heard from again in the chronicle.

References

Bibliography

* * {{s-end Chief queens consort of Hanthawaddy Sukhothai Kingdom Thai princesses Year of birth missing Year of death missing 14th-century Thai women 13th-century Thai women 14th-century Burmese women