Myinsaing Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Myinsaing Kingdom was a kingdom that ruled central Burma (Myanmar) from 1298 to 1313. Founded by three brothers of Shan and Burman
descent, it was one of many petty kingdoms that emerged following the collapse of Pagan Empire in 1287.
The three brothers, Athinhkaya
, Yazathingyan
and Thihathu
, former Pagan military commanders, gained control of the important Kyaukse
granary in the early 1290s. In 1298, the brothers formalized their rule of central Burma by forcing the nominal king of Pagan Kyawswa
, who had become a Mongol
vassal
, to abdicate the throne, and ruled as co-regent
s from their respective palaces in Myinsaing, Mekkara and Pinle
. In 1301, the brothers successfully fought off another (and last) invasion by the Mongols who sought to restore Kyawswa. After the Mongols also vacated their Upper Burma base of Tagaung in 1303, all of central Burma came under their rule. Nonetheless Myinsaing, along with Hanthawaddy
and Toungoo
kingdoms and various minor Shan States
, was still one of many petty kingdoms that sprouted across Burma, after the collapse of Pagan Empire.
The period is commonly referred to in Burmese history as the Age of Three Shan Brothers , marking the ascent of Shan power in Burmese history. The kingdom devolved into the Pinya Kingdom
and the Sagaing Kingdom
in 1315.
's service in the waning days of Pagan. Their father, Theinkhabo, was a younger brother of Shan saopha
from the Shan Hills
who had taken shelter in Kyaukse as a political refugee in 1260. Their mother was a daughter of a Burman banker from Myinsaing. The brothers had entered the royal service when they became young men. After a few years of service, they received minor titles of nobility and were appointed joint commanders of the garrison at Myinsaing, their hometown. Their only sister was even married to a son of the king, Prince Thihathu
, later governor of Prome (Pyay).
The brothers already behaved like sovereign kings nonetheless. When King Wareru
of Hanthawaddy received recognition as a tributary of the Sukhothai Kingdom
in 1294, it was the brothers, not Kyawswa, who sent a force to reclaim the former Pagan territory of Hanthawaddy (Lower Burma). While their attempt to reconquer Hanthawaddy was unsuccessful, it left no doubt as to who held the real power in central Burma.
The third brother, Thihathu, was the most ambitious, and not satisfied with a mere viceroy title. He assumed the royal titles of Lord of the White Elephant, and the Great Lord in 1295 and 1296 respectively. Alarmed by these obvious displays of power by Thihathu, Kyawswa in January 1297 sent his son the crown prince to the Mongols at Tagaung, offering submission and asking for recognition. In March 1298, the Mongol Emperor recognized Kyawswa as King of Burma and conferred Chinese titles on the brothers.
The brothers resented the new arrangement as a Mongol vassalage as it directly reduced their power. In December 1298, they invited the king to Myinsaing, their capital to take part in the dedication ceremony of a monastery built by them. The king believing that he was untouchable because of the Mongol backing foolishly went to Myinsaing, and led the dedication ceremony. But as soon as the ceremony was over, he was arrested, dethroned, and forced to become a monk at the very monastery he had dedicated.
was elected king by the dowager Queen Saw but soon became a governor under the authority of Myinsaing. Another of Kyawswa's sons, Kumara Kassapa, escaped to China, and came back with a Mongol army in 1300 to restore Kyawswa. With the Mongol army returning, the brothers executed Kyawswa.
The Mongols declared Kumara Kassapa as the new king of Burma, and invaded central Burma in January 1301. The Mongols suffered heavy losses from Burmese guerrilla attacks and from disease but managed to reach Myinsaing and lay siege to the fort. But Myinsaing's defenses held, and the Mongols were persuaded to call off the attack on receipt of a considerable bribe, which the Mongols took as tribute. Kumara Kassapa retreated back to Tagaung with the Mongols. The Yunnan government, which sent in the invasion, dissatisfied with the conduct of the campaign executed all the leaders on their return but sent in no further expeditions. In 1303, the Mongols abolished the province of Chiang-Mien based in Tagaung in northern Burma, and withdrew entirely from Upper Burma.
was also independent. The entire northwestern-to-eastern arc of the kingdom was surrounded by the Shan States
. The Shans, unlike the Mongols, did not leave and would become major players in Burmese (and South-East Asian) history.
by the Irrawaddy river, and founded the Pinya Kingdom.
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
descent, it was one of many petty kingdoms that emerged following the collapse of Pagan Empire in 1287.
The three brothers, Athinhkaya
Athinhkaya
Athinhkaya was a co-founder of Myinsaing Kingdom in today's central Burma . A former commander in Pagan Empire's military, Athinhkaya was the eldest of the Three Shan Brothers that founded Myinsaing Kingdom, which filled the void in central Burma following the collapse of Pagan's authority in 1287...
, Yazathingyan
Yazathingyan
Yazathingyan was a co-founder of Myinsaing Kingdom in today's central Burma . A former commander in Pagan Empire's military, Yazathingyan was the middle brother of the Three Shan Brothers that founded Myinsaing Kingdom, which filled the void in central Burma following the collapse of Pagan's...
and Thihathu
Thihathu
Thihathu was a co-founder of Myinsaing Kingdom, and the founder of the Pinya Kingdom in today's central Burma . A former commander in Pagan Empire's military, Thihathu was the youngest and most ambitious of the Three Shan Brothers that founded Myinsaing Kingdom, which filled the void in central...
, former Pagan military commanders, gained control of the important Kyaukse
Kyaukse
Kyaukse is a small town in Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It is famous for the Kyaukse Elephant Dance.-Education:Kyaukse is home to the Kyaukse Education College, Technological University, Kyaukse and Kyaukse University.-Economy:...
granary in the early 1290s. In 1298, the brothers formalized their rule of central Burma by forcing the nominal king of Pagan Kyawswa
Kyawswa of Pagan
Kyawswa was a king of Pagan dynasty of Burma from 1287 to 1298. Son of the last sovereign king of Pagan Narathihapate, Kyawswa was one of many "kings" that proliferated after the collapse of the Pagan Empire. Though still styled as King of Pagan, Kyawswa's effective rule amounted to just the area...
, who had become a Mongol
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
, to abdicate the throne, and ruled as co-regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
s from their respective palaces in Myinsaing, Mekkara and Pinle
Pinle
Pinle is an archaeological excavation site, located in Myittha Township, Mandalay Division, Myanmar. Pinle was a capital of the Myinsaing Kingdom from 1298 to 1312....
. In 1301, the brothers successfully fought off another (and last) invasion by the Mongols who sought to restore Kyawswa. After the Mongols also vacated their Upper Burma base of Tagaung in 1303, all of central Burma came under their rule. Nonetheless Myinsaing, along with Hanthawaddy
Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled lower Burma from 1287 to 1539. The Mon-speaking kingdom was founded as Ramannadesa by King Wareru following the collapse of the Pagan Empire in 1287 as a nominal vassal state of Sukhothai Kingdom, and of the Mongol Yuan dynasty...
and Toungoo
Toungoo Dynasty
The Toungoo Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Burma from the mid-16th century to 1752. Its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung succeeded in reunifying the Pagan Empire for the first time since 1287, and in incorporating the Shan States for the first time...
kingdoms and various minor Shan States
Shan States
The Shan States were the princely states that ruled large areas of today's Burma , Yunnan Province in China, Laos and Thailand from the late 13th century until mid-20th century...
, was still one of many petty kingdoms that sprouted across Burma, after the collapse of Pagan Empire.
The period is commonly referred to in Burmese history as the Age of Three Shan Brothers , marking the ascent of Shan power in Burmese history. The kingdom devolved into the Pinya Kingdom
Pinya Kingdom
The Pinya Kingdom was a kingdom that ruled part of central Burma from 1313 to 1364. It was the successor state to the Myinsaing Kingdom, one of many petty kingdoms that emerged after the fall of the Pagan Empire in 1287...
and the Sagaing Kingdom
Sagaing Kingdom
The Sagaing Kingdom was a kingdom that ruled a part of central Burma from 1315 to 1364. The kingdom was the western half of the old Myinsaing Kingdom, which itself was one of many petty kingdoms that emerged after the fall of the Pagan Empire in 1287...
in 1315.
Origins
The founders of the kingdom were commanders in King NarathihapateNarathihapate
Narathihapate was the last king of Pagan dynasty of Burma from 1254 to 1287. The king is unkindly remembered for two things: his gluttonous appetite which supposedly required all his dinners to have 300 varieties of dishes; and his panic flight from Mongol invasions. He is forever remembered as ...
's service in the waning days of Pagan. Their father, Theinkhabo, was a younger brother of Shan saopha
Saopha
Saopha, Chaofa, or Sawbwa was a royal title used by the rulers of the Shan States of Myanmar . The word means "king" in the Shan and Tai languages...
from the Shan Hills
Shan Hills
The Shan Hills , also known as Shan Highland, are part of the range of hills that extends through Yunnan to Burma and Thailand, linking to the Himalayas, of which they may be considered foothills.-Etymology:...
who had taken shelter in Kyaukse as a political refugee in 1260. Their mother was a daughter of a Burman banker from Myinsaing. The brothers had entered the royal service when they became young men. After a few years of service, they received minor titles of nobility and were appointed joint commanders of the garrison at Myinsaing, their hometown. Their only sister was even married to a son of the king, Prince Thihathu
Thihathu of Prome
Thihathu of Prome was a Pagan prince who killed his father Narathihapate, the last sovereign king of the Pagan Empire.In 1287, Narathihapate fled Pagan to Lower Burma in panic just before Mongols sacked the capital. Thihathu, who was governor of Prome , arrested his father and forced the king to...
, later governor of Prome (Pyay).
Post-Pagan (1287–1298)
In 1287, Narathihapate fled Pagan, which subsequently was sacked by the invading Mongol forces. Already experienced commanders, the brothers strengthened their garrison at Myinsaing. After the Mongols left, Kyawswa succeeded his father Narathihapate. But he was just a nominal king of Pagan for he controlled no more than a few miles outside Pagan. Indeed, the Pagan Empire had ceased to exist. Instead, the real power in central Burma rested with the brothers who through their small but well-disciplined army controlled the Kyaukse district, the most important granary of Pagan. Kyawswa had no choice but to recognize them as lords of Kyaukse. Around, 1293, the king appointed the eldest brother as viceroy of Myinsaing, the second brother as viceroy of Mekkara, and the third brother as viceroy of Pinle.The brothers already behaved like sovereign kings nonetheless. When King Wareru
Wareru
Wareru was the founder of the Ramanya Kingdom located in today's Lower Burma . The kingdom is more commonly known as Kingdom of Hanthawady Pegu , or simply Pegu although the kingdom's first capital was Martaban...
of Hanthawaddy received recognition as a tributary of the Sukhothai Kingdom
Sukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
in 1294, it was the brothers, not Kyawswa, who sent a force to reclaim the former Pagan territory of Hanthawaddy (Lower Burma). While their attempt to reconquer Hanthawaddy was unsuccessful, it left no doubt as to who held the real power in central Burma.
The third brother, Thihathu, was the most ambitious, and not satisfied with a mere viceroy title. He assumed the royal titles of Lord of the White Elephant, and the Great Lord in 1295 and 1296 respectively. Alarmed by these obvious displays of power by Thihathu, Kyawswa in January 1297 sent his son the crown prince to the Mongols at Tagaung, offering submission and asking for recognition. In March 1298, the Mongol Emperor recognized Kyawswa as King of Burma and conferred Chinese titles on the brothers.
The brothers resented the new arrangement as a Mongol vassalage as it directly reduced their power. In December 1298, they invited the king to Myinsaing, their capital to take part in the dedication ceremony of a monastery built by them. The king believing that he was untouchable because of the Mongol backing foolishly went to Myinsaing, and led the dedication ceremony. But as soon as the ceremony was over, he was arrested, dethroned, and forced to become a monk at the very monastery he had dedicated.
Mongol invasion (1301)
In Pagan, Kyawswa's son SawhnitSawhnit
Sawhnit was a viceroy of Pagan from 1298 to 1325 under the suzerain of Myinsaing Kingdom in central Burma . He was a son of the Mongol vassal king Kyawswa, and a grandson of Narathihapate, the last sovereign king of Pagan dynasty. Sawhnit succeeded as "king" after his father was forced to...
was elected king by the dowager Queen Saw but soon became a governor under the authority of Myinsaing. Another of Kyawswa's sons, Kumara Kassapa, escaped to China, and came back with a Mongol army in 1300 to restore Kyawswa. With the Mongol army returning, the brothers executed Kyawswa.
The Mongols declared Kumara Kassapa as the new king of Burma, and invaded central Burma in January 1301. The Mongols suffered heavy losses from Burmese guerrilla attacks and from disease but managed to reach Myinsaing and lay siege to the fort. But Myinsaing's defenses held, and the Mongols were persuaded to call off the attack on receipt of a considerable bribe, which the Mongols took as tribute. Kumara Kassapa retreated back to Tagaung with the Mongols. The Yunnan government, which sent in the invasion, dissatisfied with the conduct of the campaign executed all the leaders on their return but sent in no further expeditions. In 1303, the Mongols abolished the province of Chiang-Mien based in Tagaung in northern Burma, and withdrew entirely from Upper Burma.
Geographical extent
After the Mongols' withdrawal from their erstwhile base at Tagaung, Myinsaing became the dominant power in central Burma. By Pagan and later standards, the area Myinsaing controlled was rather small, covering just the central dry zone of Burma. In the south, Hanthawaddy and Toungoo were independent with their own kings. In the west, ArakanRakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
was also independent. The entire northwestern-to-eastern arc of the kingdom was surrounded by the Shan States
Shan States
The Shan States were the princely states that ruled large areas of today's Burma , Yunnan Province in China, Laos and Thailand from the late 13th century until mid-20th century...
. The Shans, unlike the Mongols, did not leave and would become major players in Burmese (and South-East Asian) history.
End of Myinsaing
Thihathu, the youngest brother, did not want to share power, even with his own brothers. In 1309, he blatantly crowned himself king. After the middle brother died, Thihathu poisoned the eldest brother, and took over as the king of Upper Burma. In February 1313, following the advice of court astrologers, Thihathu moved his capital to a new city of PinyaPinya
Pinya was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was the residence of a dynasty of six kings who ruled this part of central Myanmar from 1313 to 1364.-History:...
by the Irrawaddy river, and founded the Pinya Kingdom.