Â鶹APP

Queen Supayalat Photo By Unknown Author

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Queen Supayalat

Queen Supayalat was born on 13 December 1859 in Mandalay, at the Royal Palace and died on November 24, 1925. She became Queen at only 16 years old and had 14 children. She was the last Burmese queen. 

Queen Supayalat is portrayed as both evils and caring in her leadership. She married her half-brother, King Thibaw, and was widely known as a ruthless queen. On the other side, she is hailed for her great concern for the Burmese people and concern for improving the quality of their lives.

Following are some fascinating facts about Queen Supayalat.

1. She Was the Last Queen of Burma

Queen Supayalat Photo By Unknown Author

Queen Supayalat was the last queen of Burma. She was born into a wealthy family and married King Thibaw Min, the last king of Burma, in 1878. The couple had four children together. Queen Supayalat was a very traditional queen and preferred to stay at home with her family instead of getting involved in politics.

She is largely commended for her negotiation skills to keep peace with neighbouring countries, fighting unreasonable policies for the benefit of her people, and her ability to continue keeping peace with China even after Bodawya’s other wives tried to undermine her power.

2.  She Was Dominant Over Her Husband in Government Affairs

King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat

King Thibaw was subject to the queen’s authority and control. Even though Thibaw was king, the majority of historians agree that Supayalat was the one in charge of running the country.

Her name became synonymous with harshness, violence, and barbarism as a result of the deadly coup that brought her and Thibaw to power. She was the first and only person in Burmese history to ever transform the Royal practice of polygamy to monogamy on a Burmese monarch, and never permitted her Thibaw to accept another lady as a consort. This was Supayalat’s greatest achievement.

After her husband died in 1916, she became more involved in government affairs and was a strong supporter of Burma’s independence from Britain. Queen Supayalat was actively involved in the quest for independence of the Burmese.  She was the one who held the power to appoint officials and make decisions on behalf of the king. She also had great influence over the court and the people.

The influence of Supayalat was essential to Burma’s governance. She, for example, orchestrated the imprisonment and firing of several of Mindon’s most talented and dependable senior officials, including Hpo Hlaing, who passed away shortly after his arrest for disobeying the king and queen. New, more submissive officials were appointed to take the place of the fired ministers.

3. She Married Her Half Brother

King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat

King Thibaw and Supalayat were born to King Mindon Min by different mothers. Thibaw’s mother was Laungshe Mibaya, a lesser Queen, while Supalayat’s mother was Alenandaw Mibaya, a higher ranking Queen.

Their father, King Mindon Min, was famously known for having 45 consorts and concubines, with a total of 108 children.

4.  She Was a Bloody Queen

She is best known for orchestrating the slaughter of 80 to 100 members of the Royal family to prevent Thibaw’s power from being usurped. Nevertheless, she always denied involvement in the plot, which may have been hatched by her mother and other ministers, including chancellor Kinwon Min Gyi U Kaung.

When Supayalat “lifted her finger,” the entire city shuddered, according to Lord Dufferin, Viceroy. When Supayalat took the throne, her fury and impertinence were on full display. For example, one historian stated that Supayalat had a fondness for decapitating birds when she was younger. This may be nothing more than English exaggeration and distortion to disparage their adversaries.

5. Besides Her Iconic Leadership, She Was adorable in Beauty

Queen Supayalat Photo By Unknown Author

Queen Supayalat was a popular and beloved figure in Thailand. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and grace. Queen Supayalat was the queen consort of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand. She ruled Thailand jointly with her husband from 1946 until he died in 1946.

Throughout her whole life, Supayalat resented British authority, believing that the British had stolen her of her throne and all of its grandeur and splendour. To avoid being associated with her country’s former colonial overlords, she refused to buy or use anything British. Several other British visitors were allowed into her presence, including the British novelist, who supported the Burmese independence movement, Noel Whiting.

6. She Focused on Improving The Lives of Her People

Unlike many leaders who eye on power and wealth, Queen Supayalat’s great focus was on improving the lives of her people. Her first action as queen was to bring into effect many reforms that were aimed at helping her people. She founded schools for girls and even let them learn how to read, which had not been done in Burma before.

Supayalat helped her country to prosper and to become a major power in Southeast Asia. She also helped to preserve Thai culture and to promote education and the arts. She was highly significant to the country of Thailand, well known for her beauty, intelligence, and strength, and she was a great leader.

7.  She was a Great Negotiator

Queen Supayalat Photo By Unknown Author

One of the greatly remarkable skills Queen Supayalat of Burma possessed was negotiation. She was able to keep peace with her country’s neighbours. This added to the glory of the renowned leader of her time. During her reign, Burma enjoyed peace with her neighbours as they strived to obtain independence from the British.

To others, Queen Supayalat was thought to have behaved in an unfeminine, harsh manner as she attempted to obtain control over her husband using her sexuality, plotting and magic to challenge the conventional male power structure of princes and cabinet members.

8.  She was a People’s Advocate in the Government

As a reformer, she fought for seven years against reformist ministers’ attempts to limit Royal power, and also pushed to decrease the number of acceptable queens and King’s concubines in the monarchy.

British propaganda depicted her as a depraved tyrant who ruled over her husband and was opposed to any reform in the country’s political system. The monarch and queen were frequently depicted in a negative light in connection with proposals for military engagement and annexation.

9.  Her Tomb is Besides Famous People’s Remains

Burmese Royal family members have a long-term intention of moving the tombs of King and Queen Mandalay.

Nevertheless,  Supayalat’s ashes are interred beside those of U Thant, Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Daw Khin Kyi, and Aung San Suu Kyi’s mother, in the Shwedagon Pagoda’s shadow, a spot she would no doubt have appreciated.

10.  She Fought Love Against Her Sister as a Co-Wife

Supayalat had secret affairs with the prince Thibaw till he made it known in official writing. Her parents, on the other hand, wanted to marry off their eldest daughter, Supayagyi, to the prince. When Supayalat refused to share her love for Thibaw, she broke with Royal etiquette to demand that he accept her as his sole wife.

The King accepted, despite the displeasure of the Royal family. On the wedding night of the two queens, the King slept in his suite with his Queen Supayalat rather than in the main queen’s room. As a result of this, all the members of the court were aware of who the true Queen was.