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 her name as Visutthathewi, the Yonok Chronicle prefers Visutthithewi. She also has a number of names across extant historical sources: in the Burmese and Chiang Saen chronicles, she is referred to as Lady Visutthathewi, and is also called Maha Dewi in U Kala's chronicle, Maha Yazawin, and as Ratcha Thewi and Nang Thewi in other sources.Early life
Visuddhidevi's origins are unclear; she may have been a daughter of Ketchettharaj, King of Lan Na, or Princess Ton Kham, the youngest daughter of Chettharat. Or she may have been the queen mother of her predecessor Mae Ku.Reign
The reign of her predecessor, Mekuti, saw Lan Na transition into a vassal state of the Toungoo empire. In 1564, she was installed as queen regnant by Bayinnaung, in response to Mekuti's refusal to join Bayinnaung's military campaign against Ayutthaya, which was seen by Bayinnaung as an act of rebellion.Throughout her fourteen-year reign, Lan Na enjoyed political stability, and Wisutthithewi offered tribute to the Toungoo empire, in exchange for political stability in her dominion, which had seen recurrent instability from raids and conflicts with neighboring territories.
Wisutthithewi is portrayed in a contemporaneous Thai epic poem Khlong mangthra rop Chiang Mai, written by an anonymous Lan Na author. The poem mentions a queen, Mae Mintaya Sri, which implies that she may have been wed to Bayinnaung. However, no other Burmese or Lan Na sources corroborate any marriage between Bayinnaung and Wisutthithewi; moreover, no Chiang Mai princess is listed among Bayinnaung's queens and concubines in these sources.