Hnin U Yaing

Hnin U Yaing နှင်းဥရိုင်
Princess of Hanthawaddy
Born	c. 1260s Thaton
Died	c. 1310s – 1320s Martaban
Spouse	Min Bala
Issue	Saw O Saw Zein
House	Hanthawaddy
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Hnin U Yaing (Burmese: နှင်းဥရိုင်, pronounced: [n̥ɪ́ɴ ʔṵ jàiɴ]; c. 1260s – 1320s) was a princess of Hanthawaddy Kingdom who was the sister of two kings, Wareru and Hkun Law, and the mother of two kings Saw O and Saw Zein. She was also a paternal great-grandmother of Razadarit, considered the greatest Hanthawaddy king. She and her husband Min Bala played king maker in 1310 when they overthrew her brother Hkun Law, and placed their eldest son Saw O on the throne.^[1]

Background

The future queen mother was born near Thaton to commoner parents, a Shan father and a Mon mother.^[2] She had at least three elder brothers, Wareru, Hkun Law and Yan Maw Hla. As the youngest sister of Wareru and Hkun Law, who were both born in the 1250s, she was likely born in the late 1250s or early 1260s. She died during the reign of her son Saw O, 1310-1324.

Help in rise of Wareru

According to the legend, Hnin U Yaing in her youth was a dashing beauty. In 1281, her brother Wareru reportedly used her good looks to seize the governorship of Martaban. Wareru asked Hnin U Yaing to strategically choose her bathing place in a river spot where the governor would see her. The governor fell for Hnin U Yaing, and asked to marry her. At the wedding ceremony, Wareru killed the governor, and became the lord of Martaban.^[3]

References

1. Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. Phayre (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta. p. 66.
2. Maung Htin Aung (1967). "Pagan and the Mongol Intrusion". A History of Burma. New York and London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 78–80.
3. GE Harvey (1925). "IIIb, Pegu, 1287-1539". History of Burma (2000 ed.). Asian Educational Services. pp. 110–111. ISBN 81-206-1365-1. ISBN 9788120613652.