The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c29.s4.23

v3.c29.s4.23

Binnyakyan (1450–53) raised the height of the Shwedāgon pagoda to 302 feet. At his death, as a result of palace massacres, there was no male of the family left alive. The throne then passed by general consent to Razadarit’s daughter Shinsawbu (1453–72). Village headmanships have been known to descend in the female line¹, and Shān hill states have been held by chieftainesses, but this is the only instance of a major state in Burma being held by a woman. Daughter, sister, wife and mother of kings, she ruled well, leaving behind so gracious a memory on earth that four hundred years later the Talaings could think of no fairer thing to say of Queen Victoria than to call her Shinsawbu re-incarnate.