Saw Myat Lay

Saw Myat Lay was the second child of Princess Saw Min Phyu and Saw Shwe Khet,Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 83–84 who was governor of Prome (r. 1417–1422; 1442–1446) and Tharrawaddy (r. 1422–1427; 1446–1460). Likely born in the late 1430s,{{efn|Given that her mother Saw Min Phyu was born only in 1415 per (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 54), and that her first husband Mingyi Swa was born {{circa}} 1435, Myat Lay may have been born in the late 1430s.}} the princess was a granddaughter of the famous crown prince Minye Kyawswa of Ava, and a great granddaughter of King Minkhaung I of Ava from her mother's side, and a descendant of King Kyawswa of Pagan from both sides. She had two full siblings: Gov. Minye Kyawswa I of Kalay and Myat Hpone Pyo; and three half-siblings.{{efn|Per (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 84, 90), Shwe Khet had two children by his first wife Saw Myo Ke; and per (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 53), he had a daughter with Min Hla Htut.}}

Though the royal chronicles do not state her place of birth, Myat Lay was raised in Prome where her father was governor between 1442 and 1446,Hmannan Vol. 2 3003: 84, 86 and in Tharrawaddy, the southernmost district of Prome to which her father was reassigned, from 1446 onwards until her marriage.Hmannan Vol. 2 3003: 88 She returned to Prome, perhaps in the 1450s, when she was married to Viceroy Mingyi Swa, the second son of then King Narapati I of Ava. She became the vicereine of Prome, and had 11 children with Swa.

Myat Lay became the chief queen consort in 1482. That year, Viceroy Swa died, and his younger brother Gov. Thado Minsaw of Tharrawaddy seized the viceroyalty of Prome, and declared Prome's independence from Ava. In the process, he also raised his sister-in-law Myat Lay as his chief queen. Thado Minsaw's rebellion was successful; Prome became an independent state with territories that included Tharrawaddy in the south and Myede in the north.Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 93–97 It was the last mention of Myat Lay in the chronicles. Thado Minsaw lived until 1526 but it is unclear if Myat Lay survived him until then.

Myat Lay and her first husband Swa had 11 children (four sons and seven daughters). She did not have any children with her second husband.

The following is the queen's ancestry according to the royal chronicles.

{{ahnentafel

| collapsed=yes |align=center

| title=Ancestry of Queen Myat Lay

| boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;

| boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

| boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

| boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

| boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;

| 1= 1. Myat Lay

| 2= 2. Saw Shwe Khet

| 3= 3. Saw Min Phyu

| 4= 4. Thinkhaya of Pagan

| 5= 5. Saw Min Pu

| 6= 6. Minye Kyawswa

| 7= 7. Saw Min Hla

| 8= 8. Min Shin Saw of Thayet

| 9= 9. unnamed

| 10= 10. Thinkhaya of Wadi

| 11= 11. Saw Pale of Wadi

| 12= 12. Minkhaung I of Ava

| 13= 13. Shin Mi-Nauk

| 14= 14. Tarabya I of Pakhan

| 15= 15. unnamed

}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book| title = Maha Yazawin | edition = 2006, 4th printing

| last = Kala | first = U | year = 1724

| author-link = U Kala

| publisher = Ya-Pyei Publishing | location = Yangon

| volume = 1–3

| language = my

}}

• {{cite book| title = Yazawin Thit | edition = 2nd

| year = 2012

| author = Maha Sithu

| orig-year = First published 1798

| editor1 = Kyaw Win

| editor2 = Thein Hlaing

| publisher = Ya-Pyei Publishing | location = Yangon

| volume = 1–3

| language = my

}}

• {{cite book| title = Hmannan Yazawin | edition = 2003rd

| year = 1832

| author = Royal Historical Commission of Burma

| publisher = Ministry of Information, Myanmar | location = Yangon

| volume = 1–3

| language = my

}}

{{refend}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-hou|Prome|{{circa}}|late 1430s||}}

{{s-roy}}

{{s-bef|before=herself|as=Vicereine of Prome}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chief Queen Consort of Prome|years=1482–?}}

{{s-aft|after=Shwe Zin Gon}}

{{s-end}}

Category:15th-century Burmese women

Category:Chief queens consort of Prome