Mekuti Sutthiwong (; ; died 1581) or Mae Ku (; ) was king of

Lan Na The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developmen ...

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 to ...

under the Burmese-led

Toungoo empire The First Toungoo Empire (, , lit. "Toungoo Period"; also known as the Second Burmese Empire in traditional historiography, or simply the Taungoo dynasty) was the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia in the second half of the 16th century ...

, following

Bayinnaung , title = King of Toungoo , image = 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 Taungoo, ...

's capture of

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

. In

Burmese folk religion Burmese folk religion (also known as Nat Worship by locals) refers to the animistic and polytheistic religious worship of '' nats'' (deities of local and Hindu origin) and ancestors in Myanmar (Burma). Although the beliefs of nats differ across ...

, Mekuti is venerated as Yun Bayin (, ; ), 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 (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Myanmar, where it is the official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Bamar people, Bamar, the country's largest ethnic group. Burmese dialects are a ...

sources.

Early life

Mekuti was a direct descendant of King

Mangrai Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of Ngoenyang (r. 1261–1292) and the first king of Lanna (r. 1292–1311). He established a new city, Chiang Mai, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short Hi ...

, descending from Mangrai's son, Khun Khrua, who ruled

Mong Nai Möng Nai or Mongnai is a town in Mong Nai Township in the Shan State of Burma. ''Mong'' is equivalent to Mueang. History Prior to World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a W ...

(in modern-day

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

of Myanmar) from 1312 onward.

Reign

Mekuti reigned from 1551 to 1558 as King of Lan Na. Following the defeat of

during the Burmese-Siam War of 1563, Lan Na became a tributary state of the

First Toungoo Empire The First Toungoo Empire (, , lit. "Toungoo Period"; also known as the Second Burmese Empire in traditional historiography, or simply the Taungoo dynasty) was the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia in the second half of the 16th century ...

. He continued to reign under the auspices of

until 1564, when he was removed from office, in response to Mekuti's refusal to join Bayinnaung's military campaign against

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...

, which was seen by Bayinnaung as an act of rebellion. Bayinnaung then appointed

Wisutthithewi Visuddhidevi (; ), also spelt Wisutthithewi was queen regnant of Lan Na from 1564 to 1578. Names Visuddhidevi's name is variously romanized as Visuddhidevi, Wisutthi Thewi, and Visuthithewi. While the Chiang Mai Chronicle consistently records ...

queen regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

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 Bago may refer to: Places Myanmar * Bago, Myanmar, a city and the capital of the Bago Region * Bago District, a district of the Bago Region * Bago Region, an administrative region * Bago River, a river * Bago Yoma or Pegu Range, a mountain ran ...

). During his stay at the Kanbawzathadi Palace, he was accorded with a royal residence crowned with a multi-tiered ''

pyatthat Pyatthat (, ; from Sanskrit ; ; also spelt pyathat) is the name of a multistaged roof, with an odd number of tiers (from three to seven). The pyatthat is commonly incorporated into Burmese Buddhist and royal architecture (e.g., kyaungs, palac ...

'' roof. He died of

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), 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 may include dehyd ...

in 1581. Mekuti is worshipped as one of 37 nats (spirits) in the official pantheon in

, 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'' (; from , 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 Burmese architecture and Burmese Budd ...

, brandishing a sheathed sword.

References

{{Burmese nats *22 Monarchs of Lan Na Toungoo dynasty Deaths from dysentery 1581 deaths Deified Burmese people Deified male monarchs Mangrai dynasty

Names

Early life

Reign

Exile and death

See also

References