Takayutpi
Encyclopedia
Thushin Takayutpi was the last sovereign king
of Hanthawaddy Pegu
who reigned from 1526 to 1539. At his ascension, the 15-year-old king inherited the most prosperous and powerful kingdom of all post-Pagan kingdoms. Thirteen years later, due to the young king's inexperience and mismanagement, the Mon
-speaking kingdom founded in 1287 was conquered by a far smaller Kingdom of Toungoo, which became independent from Ava
only in 1510.
The young king never took an interest in running the kingdom. He "never looked at a book; he gave himself up for sport in the woods with elephants and horses; he searched for shellfish and crabs; he was like one witless". He was not respected by his own governors. His brother-in-law Saw Binnya ruled Martaban (Mottama) like a sovereign king.
His weak leadership gave an opening to Toungoo's ambitious king Tabinshwehti
and his deputy Gen. Bayinnaung
. Beginning in 1535, Toungoo began annual dry-season raids into Hanthawaddy territory. Still, Toungoo could not make headway against Pegu's fortified defenses led by two experienced ministers and aided by foreign mercenaries with guns. By 1537, Peguan defenses had successfully repulsed Toungoo's three consecutive annual invasions. Unable to break Peguan defenses, Toungoo finally used a stratagem to create a split in the Hanthawaddy camp. Takayutpi foolishly believed Toungoo's misinformation about the loyalty of the two ministers, who had been his tutors since childhood and were absolutely devoted to him, and executed them.
When Toungoo again invaded in late 1538, Takayutpi, now without his best generals, lost heart and fled Pegu for Prome Kingdom
(Pyay) where another brother-in-law of his, Narapati of Prome, was king. (He did not retreat to Martaban, which was nominally still part of Hanthawaddy because he did not trust its governor Saw Binnya.) Toungoo took the capital city of Pegu without firing a shot in early 1539. On their flight to Prome, his demoralized forces, though far superior in numbers, were defeated by Bayinnaung's smaller but better disciplined forces at the Battle of Naungyo
.
Having reached Prome with a decimated force, Takayutpi urged his allies– the king of Prome and the Confederation of Shan States– to restore him to his throne but they refused. Within the year, the king entered the Irrawaddy delta
with a small armed band to collect war elephants. At Ingabin near Maubin
he suddenly fell ill and died. He was the last of the dynasty established by Wareru
in 1287. (After the death of Tabinshwehti in 1550, Smim Sawhtut
and Smim Htaw
proclaimed themselves as king of Hanthawaddy. They never controlled any territory of significance, and were driven out within a year.)
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Hanthawaddy Pegu
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...
who reigned from 1526 to 1539. At his ascension, the 15-year-old king inherited the most prosperous and powerful kingdom of all post-Pagan kingdoms. Thirteen years later, due to the young king's inexperience and mismanagement, 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 kingdom founded in 1287 was conquered by a far smaller Kingdom of Toungoo, which became independent from Ava
Ava Kingdom
The Ava Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma from 1364 to 1555. Founded in 1364, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms that had ruled central Burma since the collapse of Pagan Empire in the late 13th century...
only in 1510.
The young king never took an interest in running the kingdom. He "never looked at a book; he gave himself up for sport in the woods with elephants and horses; he searched for shellfish and crabs; he was like one witless". He was not respected by his own governors. His brother-in-law Saw Binnya ruled Martaban (Mottama) like a sovereign king.
His weak leadership gave an opening to Toungoo's ambitious 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...
and his deputy Gen. 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...
. Beginning in 1535, Toungoo began annual dry-season raids into Hanthawaddy territory. Still, Toungoo could not make headway against Pegu's fortified defenses led by two experienced ministers and aided by foreign mercenaries with guns. By 1537, Peguan defenses had successfully repulsed Toungoo's three consecutive annual invasions. Unable to break Peguan defenses, Toungoo finally used a stratagem to create a split in the Hanthawaddy camp. Takayutpi foolishly believed Toungoo's misinformation about the loyalty of the two ministers, who had been his tutors since childhood and were absolutely devoted to him, and executed them.
When Toungoo again invaded in late 1538, Takayutpi, now without his best generals, lost heart and fled Pegu for Prome Kingdom
Prome Kingdom
The Prome Kingdom was a kingdom that existed for six decades between 1482 and 1542 in the present-day central Burma . Based out of the city of Prome , the minor kingdom was one of the several statelets that broke away from the dominant Ava Kingdom in the late 15th century...
(Pyay) where another brother-in-law of his, Narapati of Prome, was king. (He did not retreat to Martaban, which was nominally still part of Hanthawaddy because he did not trust its governor Saw Binnya.) Toungoo took the capital city of Pegu without firing a shot in early 1539. On their flight to Prome, his demoralized forces, though far superior in numbers, were defeated by Bayinnaung's smaller but better disciplined forces at the Battle of Naungyo
Battle of Naungyo
The Battle of Naungyo was a land battle fought between the armies of the Toungoo Kingdom and Hanthawaddy Kingdom during the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War . The battle was the most decisive Toungoo victory of the war. Toungoo armies led by Gen. Kyawhtin Nawrahta decisively defeated a numerically far...
.
Having reached Prome with a decimated force, Takayutpi urged his allies– the king of Prome and the Confederation of Shan States– to restore him to his throne but they refused. Within the year, the king entered 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...
with a small armed band to collect war elephants. At Ingabin near Maubin
Maubin
Ma-ubin or Maubin is a town in the Ayeyarwady Division of south-west Burma. It is the seat of the Ma-ubin Township in the Ma-ubin District. The population as of 1993 was 42,000...
he suddenly fell ill and died. He was the last of the dynasty established by 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...
in 1287. (After the death of Tabinshwehti in 1550, Smim Sawhtut
Smim Sawhtut
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...
and 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...
proclaimed themselves as king of Hanthawaddy. They never controlled any territory of significance, and were driven out within a year.)