Maha Dewi of Hanthawaddy
| Maha Dewi မဟာဒေဝီ |
|
|---|---|
| Regent of Hanthawaddy | |
| Reign | c. 28 October 1383 – 4 January 1384 |
| Predecessor | Binnya U (as monarch) |
| Successor | Razadarit (as monarch) |
| Monarch | Binnya U |
| Governor of Dagon | |
| Reign | 1364 – c. 1392 |
| Predecessor | Bya Hta-Baik |
| Successor | ? |
| Born |
in or before 1322 Martaban (Mottama), Martaban Kingdom |
| Died |
c. 1392 c. 754 ME Dagon, Hanthawaddy Kingdom |
| Spouse |
Bya Hta-Baik (m. 1348; his death 1363) Zeya Thura (m. 1363; his death 1364) |
| Issue | none biological Razadarit (adopted) |
| House | Wareru |
| Father | Saw Zein |
| Mother | Sanda Min Hla |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Maha Dewi (Burmese: မဟာဒေဝီ, pronounced: [məhà dèwì]; c. 1322 – c. 1392) was princess-regent of Hanthawaddy for about ten weeks at the end of her brother King Binnya U's reign. She was also governor of Dagon from 1364 to c. 1392.
Prior to her brief reign as regent, she had been a close adviser of her brother since 1369, and the de facto ruler of the kingdom since the early 1380s. But she never gained the support of the court. Powerful factions of the court used her alleged long-term affair with her much younger nephew-in-law Smim Maru to undermine her influence. When her nephew and adopted son Binnya Nwe raised a rebellion in 1383, Chief Minister Zeik-Bye secretly sided with Nwe.
Her ailing brother formally handed her power in October 1383. She could not defeat Nwe's rebellion. After Binnya U's death two months later, the court chose Nwe, who ascended the throne with the title of Razadarit. The new king reappointed his adoptive mother to her old post at Dagon but purely in a ceremonial role.
She was born Mwei Na (မွေ့န) to Princess Sanda Min Hla, and Prince Saw Zein. Her parents were first cousins. At birth, she received the title Wihara Dewi because she was born during the construction of a monastery donated by her father. Na had two full siblings: an elder sister Mwei Ne, and a younger brother Binnya U. Since her younger brother was born in 1323/24, Na was born in or before 1322. Shortly after her birth, her father became king of Martaban. Na became the king's eldest surviving child as Ne died young. The king gave Na the title "Maha Dewi", the name by which she would be known.
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