Saopha (in Burmese, Sawbwa, Thai:เจ้าฟ้า transliteration: cā̂ofā́) was a title used by the rulers of about twenty of the Shan states of northeastern Burma, presently Myanmar. The word means "king" in the Shan and Tai languages. According to local chronicles, some dynasties of saophas date from as early as the 2nd century; however, the earlier sections of these chronicles are generally agreed to be legendary. 1
