Kurwana of Aguilette

Kurwana of Aguilette (April 872 - 16 July 916), Queen of Hsindra and Bekinla, was spouse of King Fabio IV, as well as mother of Isacca IV and grandmother of Minyaung V and Roao I. She governed as regent during her son's minority and was one of the most powerful women in the early 10th century.

Background
Kurwana was born on the Saungson Island and was the daughter of Belfante of Montegne, the governor of the Saungson Island appointed by Maharapura, by his second wife Anne of Lysé. After the death of her uncle Henther II, Duke of Aguilette, her father became Duke of Aguilette, i.e. Belfante I, in 889.

Her father's first wife was Manice Mihadela. They had 3 sons and 2 daughters, but only the second son Belfante II survived. Her parents had 4 sons and 4 daughters, of which 3 sons and 1 daughter died prematurely. She was the third child and the first daughter between them. Her siblings include Kyantalin, Viceroy of the Saungson Island, Anna, Duchess of Sankiang and Liuatrice, Marquise of Ulban.

Marriage and children
At the age of 12, Kurwana married Prince Fabio of Hsindra, who was 4 years older than her. Their marriage was arranged by their fathers as part of their alliance against the Balish Empire and Maharapura. Prince Fabio was the second son of King Minyaung IV; at that time, his title was Prince of Indamaha. Although he was loved by the king, he was not welcomed by the court. On the one hand, he was the second son and not the heir, but his half brother, Prince Muhatane; on the other hand, his mother Ophia de Mesarol had a bad reputation, who was originally just a mistress, but later, she designed to annull the marriage between Minyaung IV and his first wife, Madharia of Sayamati, then married the king, but eventually she died in the power struggle, after which the marriage between the king and Madharia was also renewed. After Kurwana married Fabio, she also became a marginal figure in Hsindran court. The wedding of the two was held in 884, but the specific date was unknown. Only knew that it was in summer. Many nobles didn't attend on the pretext that the weather was too hot, which made Kurwana lose face. Since then, Kurwana began to feel that the nobles were too arrogant and slow to pay attention to the majesty of the royal family, which became one of her motives to suppress the nobility in her future regency.

The marriage between Kurwana and Fabio was very harmonious. Fabio's mother, Queen Ophia, was disgusted by the court, so Kurwana publicly mourned her in the palace. Although she only wanted to fight against the nobles, it made her win the favor of her husband and father-in-law the king. Some nobles panicked at Kurwana and called her "little Ophia". However, after all, she was only a Princess consort and had less influence than Ophia who was a queen, so people didn't pay much attention to her, which provided her with an opportunity to cultivate her own political power. Under her recommendation, Savad Kabash, who was originally a farmer, was placed in an important position by Minyaung IV. Later, he will continue to play a role in the government.

Kurwana and Fabio had 3 sons and 1 daughter. Except that the eldest son died of smallpox at the age of 7, the other 2 sons and 1 daughter had grown up smoothly. Their children included:

1. Minyaung, Prince of Origad, was born on 2 September 888 and died of smallpox on 13 January 896.

2. Princess Ophia, was born on 27 April 892 who remained unmarried for her entire life and became a nun when she was 20. She died on 19 October 961.

3. King Isacca IV, was born on 16 February 895, and died on 22 March 957.

4. Fabio III, Duke of Rangaing, was born on 24 September 896, and died on 7 June 952. He fathered 2 kings, Minyaung V and Roao I.

Queen of Hsindra
On 14 October 887, Muhatane, Prince of Origad died and left no offspring, which meant that his only brother Fabio would become the new prince of Origad. This aroused the opposition of some nobles. Later, it evolved into the rebellion led by Dumin de Bolsifa, Count of Mishra. Fortunately, the rebellion was suppressed in December. Kurwana urged the execution of all the nobles of the rebellion, but Minyaung IV and Fabio did not agree, and just executed Bolsifa.

On 9 May 890, Minyaung IV died, then Fabio became king of Hsindra, and Kurwana was crowned Queen of Hsindra and Bekinla at Elkoshia Palace on 27 August. Although the previous political activities against Fabio IV were suppressed, his throne was still considered unstable. It was suggested that the queen took the children to Bekinla, but Kurwana refused. She said, "where the king is, the queen is."

Kurwana was described as a stern and frightening woman. Her appearance was not outstanding. She was short and looked dull, but her character was strong and smart. As the queen, she was determined to strengthen the authority of the royal family. Her mother-in-law Queen Ophia, was forced to death by the nobles, which made her deeply feel the arrogance of the nobles and the powerlessness of the royal family to the nobles. At her suggestion, Fabio IV established the aristocratic court to hear the illegal acts of the aristocracy, and the judges were directly appointed by the king. In order to weaken the strength of the nobles, Fabio IV and Kurwana chose to cooperate with the Mesarol family and closed most of the mints in Hsindra. The remaining dozens were operated by the royal family and the Mesarols, because the Mesarol family was very rich and had strong economic strength, which could fight the nobles to a great extent.