Raja Kuning

Raja Kuning or Ratu Kuning was the sovereign queen of Patani in the 17th century. Her name means "the Yellow Queen" in English.

She succeeded her mother, Queen Raja Ungu. She was the last of four female rulers to have ruled in succession in the Patani Kingdom since 1584. She is the last queen regnant who is acknowledged as legitimate in the Patani chronicles. As Patani became less internationally attractive for traders in the late 17th century, sources about Patani history are scarce in that period. There is dispute over when her rule ended, and who succeeded her.

Early life Raja Kuning was the daughter of Raja Ungu and the Sultan of Pahang. After the Sultan of Pahang died, she returned to Patani with her mother. She was said to be named Kuning (meaning "Yellow") because she had whitish-yellow skin. At the age of 12, she married Okphaya Déca, King of Bordelong Phatthalung, for an alliance between Patani kingdom and Ayutthaya kingdom. After Patani had break off relations with Ayutthaya, her mother, the Queen Raja Ungu gave her daughter to marry Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah III of Johor in 1632. This led to an attack from Ayutthaya at the prompting of Okphaya Déca. However, she did not appear to have wielded significant political power, and important decisions were made by the elite (orang kaya) in the country. Her personal wealth was transferred to the state five days after her coronation. Some claimed her reign ended in 1688, although more likely the queen in 1670 was a different person, and that Raja Kuning's reign ended in 1651. Raja Kuning was said to have died while going to Johor by sea to reunite with her husband, and she was buried in Pancor in Kelantan. The queen of Pattani in 1670 may be Raja Mas Kelantan.