Ratu Hijau

Raja Hijau or Ratu Hijau (; ), also spelt Raja Ijau, was a Malay sovereign queen of Patani who reigned from 1584 to 1616. Her name means "the Green Queen" in English. She was also known as the 'great queen of Patani'. Her rule in Patani ushered in the golden age of Patani.

Early life

Raja Hijau was the eldest of three daughters of Sultan Mansur Shah. There is no mention of her being married in historical accounts, but some have speculated that she married the Chinese pirate Lin Daoqian who was said to have married a Sultan's daughter in Patani. Her younger brother Bahdur succeeded to the throne aged 10, but was murdered in 1584 by his half-brother who was in turn killed.

During her reign, trade with the outside world increased, and European traders such as the Portuguese and Dutch came to the port. The majority of the merchants were said to be Chinese merchants, of which the most important of them, such as the leading commercial official Datu Sirinara, had converted to Islam and adopted Malay court etiquette. The first Dutch Company agents visited this region of what is now southern Thailand during her reign in 1602, while the English arrived in 1612. According to Jacob van Neck's writing in 1604, he reported a relatively prosperous state under Raja Hijau, who was "one well-disposed to merchants". The arrival of the European also led to conflicts, and the Dutch attacked English ships in Patani, which led to the withdrawal of the English from Patani even though Raja Hijau ordered that the English be protected.