See, it’s not just me…

See, it's not just me that's obsessed with kings, it's my whole family. This from my aunt:

Many of you have heard about the Alagaratnam's Royal Connection. Cyntha [my mother] called me today and asked me to research this and this is what I have gathered from the genealogy book.

The 12th king of Jaffna "PARARAJASEKARAM VI", known as "Sinhai Ariyan", ruled from 1478-1561.

He married twice. He had two sons with his first wife Chola Princess Rajalatchumiammal. Both sons died. One was poisoned and other was murdered.

He had five sons with his second wife PANDIA PRINCESS VALLIAMMAI. Four were murdered and the remaining son was PARANIRUPASINGAM and he was the heir to the throne.

The king also had a mistress and an illegitimate son Sangili Raja. Sangili Rajah murdered the King (the father) and took on the throne to be the 13th King of Jaffna.

The ACTUAL heir to the throne, PARANIRUPASINGAM, the LEGITIMATE son of the KING PARARAJASEKARAM VI, had a son PARARAJASINGAM MUDALY and his daughter was Princess VETHAVALLY. See attached sheet for the rest of the connections.

Please note that we are not connected to the illegitimate son, the 13th king Sangilyan.

We are connected to the legitimate son PARANIRUPASINGAM who was the heir to the throne but was never a king.

It is funny but it is true.

I couldn't open the attached document, but I've seen it before; if I remember right, I'm about thirteen generations directly down from Princess Vethavally. Though I'm not sure how she gets to keep being called a Princess, once her great-grandfather was murdered and her grandfather ousted.

I think my favorite bit was "one was poisoned and the other was murdered." 'Cause poison isn't murder? Or just 'cause we know *how* that one was murdered...?

And of course, no mention of who murdered them, but you've gotta wonder about Princess Valliammai. The other wife who gets the legitimate heirs out of the picture in favor of her own sons is right out of the Ramayana. I bet it was Princess Rajalatchumiammal who got four of Valliammai's sons in revenge; couldn't quite finish the job, though. Kudos to that unnammed mistress -- she beat them all in the end. You can just picture these women, in this court, quietly seething and plotting.

Now I want to go rent The Lion in Winter again...