Smim Sawhtut
Encyclopedia
Smim Sawhtut was a pretender
to the Hanthawaddy
throne, who assassinated King Tabinshwehti
of Toungoo
. The ethnic Mon
governor of Sittaung
was a minister in the court of Tabinshwehti, who had conquered the Mon
-speaking Hanthawaddy Pegu in 1539. He became a close confident of the king. On 30 April 1550, he lured the king to the region near Pantanaw
in the Irrawaddy delta
to search for a white elephant—considered auspicious by the Burmese, and there assassinated him.
After the assassination, Smim Sawhtut returned to Sittaung, and proclaimed himself king. About a month a half later, the ethnic Mon ministers at the capital Pegu (Bago) then drove out Minkhaung, Bayinnaung
's brother who was there as the interim governor while Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung were away. (Bayinnaung was away in the delta, chasing Smim Htaw
, another pretender to the throne.) The ministers then invited Sawhtut, though not of royal lineage, to take the throne, thus restoring the Mon lineage of the dynasty.
At Pegu, Sawhtut proved a tyrant as king, and soon alienated the goodwill of the people had felt for a king of their own ethnicity. The ministers then secretly invited Smim Htaw, who had been driven out of the delta by Bayinnaung, and had since fled to Martaban, to Pegu. (Bayinnaung was back in his home town of Toungoo in the north, preparing for the reconquest.) Smim Htaw collected a large body of men, and marched to Pegu. The two sides fought a battle outside the capital. Smim Htaw's side was victorious. Smim Sawhtut was captured and beheaded.
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the 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...
throne, who assassinated King Tabinshwehti
Tabinshwehti
Tabinshwehti was a king who unified Burma in 1539 and known as the founder of the Second Burmese Empire.Tabinshwehti succeeded his father Mingyinyo as ruler of the Toungoo dynasty in 1530...
of 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...
. The ethnic Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
governor of Sittaung
Sittaung
Sittaung is a town in Paungbyin Township, Mawlaik District, in the Sagaing Region of Burma on the right bank of the Chindwin River. There is a highway running west to the Indian border which provides Tamu with access to transport on the Chindwin. This road was laid out in 1887 by troops under...
was a minister in the court of Tabinshwehti, who had conquered the Mon
Mon language
The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. Mon, like the related language Cambodian—but unlike most languages in Mainland Southeast Asia—is not tonal. Mon is spoken by more than a million people today. In recent years, usage of Mon has...
-speaking Hanthawaddy Pegu in 1539. He became a close confident of the king. On 30 April 1550, he lured the king to the region near Pantanaw
Pantanaw
Pantanaw is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Myanmar. It is the seat of the Pantanaw Township in the Maubin District. It is the hometown of former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant and of the renowned artist U Ba Nyan....
in the Irrawaddy delta
Irrawaddy Delta
The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region , the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River...
to search for a white elephant—considered auspicious by the Burmese, and there assassinated him.
After the assassination, Smim Sawhtut returned to Sittaung, and proclaimed himself king. About a month a half later, the ethnic Mon ministers at the capital Pegu (Bago) then drove out Minkhaung, Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
's brother who was there as the interim governor while Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung were away. (Bayinnaung was away in the delta, chasing Smim Htaw
Smim Htaw
Smim Htaw was a pretender to the Hanthawaddy throne, and the last king in the line of the Hanthawaddy dynasty. An ex-Buddhist monk, and a son of King Binnya Ran II by a minor queen, Htaw first raised a rebellion in 1549 during the reign of King Tabinshwehti of Toungoo, who had conquered the...
, another pretender to the throne.) The ministers then invited Sawhtut, though not of royal lineage, to take the throne, thus restoring the Mon lineage of the dynasty.
At Pegu, Sawhtut proved a tyrant as king, and soon alienated the goodwill of the people had felt for a king of their own ethnicity. The ministers then secretly invited Smim Htaw, who had been driven out of the delta by Bayinnaung, and had since fled to Martaban, to Pegu. (Bayinnaung was back in his home town of Toungoo in the north, preparing for the reconquest.) Smim Htaw collected a large body of men, and marched to Pegu. The two sides fought a battle outside the capital. Smim Htaw's side was victorious. Smim Sawhtut was captured and beheaded.