Queen Rajendra of Nepal
Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi (?–13 July 1785) was the consort of Pratap Singh Shah, King of Kingdom of Nepal. During her eight years of regency, she contributed to the unification of modern Nepal begun by Prithvi Narayan Shah.
| Queen Rajendra | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen consort of Nepal Queen regent of Nepal | |||||
| Died | 13 July 1785 Hanuman Dhoka Palace, Basantapur, Kathmandu | ||||
| Spouse | Pratap Singh Shah | ||||
| Issue | Nagendra Shah Rana Bahadur Shah | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | House of Shah (by marriage) | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Life
Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi was born as a princess in Palpa.
She was the mother of Nagendra Shah (died aged six months) and Rana Bahadur Shah. Her husband Pratap Singh Shah became king at the age of 23, and died when he was 25. Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi then became queen regent for her son Rana Bahadur Shah.
Regency
She became regent on 17 November 1777 and she was taken prisoner in silver handcuffs in 1778. She was restored on 20 June 1779 and continued to be queen regent until her death. During the time, the principalities of Lamjung, Kaski and Tanahun were annexed in the kingdom of Nepal, under her military leadership.
Death
Rajendra Lakshmi died on 1842 BS due to tuberculosis in Hanuman Dhoka Palace of Kathmandu.
Historic Evaluation
Queen Regent Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi repelled the combined attacks of the Chaubise kings, and expanded Nepal's borders up to Kali Gandaki. She is viewed as an able administrator who extended King Prithvi Narayan Shah's military campaign. However, her reign was not free of problems, due to her strife with her brother-in-law Bahadur Shah, her court had become a space for courtly intrigues and conspiracies.