Ratu Ungu

Who was Ratu Ungu?

Ratu Ungu ruled the Sultanate of Patani, succeeding her sister Ratu Biru. She was the third successive and last daughter of Sultan Mansur Shah to rule the country and was succeeded by her daughter Ratu Kuning. Following the usurpation of the throne of Ayudhya by King Prasartthong in 1629, she refused to send the bunga mas which were typically sent as a sign of Patani's tributary status to Siam. Therefore, Ayudhya sent an army south in 1632 to quell her rebellion, but the attack was repulsed. A subsequent attack by Siam in 1634 was supposed to be joined by the Dutch but the latter's ships arrived too late and again the attack failed. Finally in 1636, just following the death of Ratu Ungu, a peace settlement was reached to restore relations between the two countries. In Malay, her name means "purple" or "purple queen."