List of rulers of Prome

Last updated

This is a list of rulers of Prome (Pyay) from the end of Pagan period to the beginning of Restored Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). Strategically located at the border of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, the city of Prome (Pyay) was governed closely by the central government throughout the Small Kingdoms period (1287–1555). Unlike in other locations, the high kings at Ava by and large did not allow hereditary viceroyship at Prome. A new governor, usually a senior prince close to the royal family, was appointed. The arrangement broke down in 1482 when the Prome Kingdom gained independence from Ava. In the early 17th century, Restored Toungoo kings abolished then existing hereditary viceroyships throughout the entire Irrawaddy valley. [note 1] After Pye Min, the office became strictly an appointed mayoralty, with the title of the office changed to wun (mayor/minister) from hitherto prevalent titles min (viceroy) or ne-sa (governor). [1]

Contents

List of rulers

The following list is per the standard Burmese chronicles Maha Yazawin and Hmannan Yazawin , unless otherwise noted. [2] [3] The Yazawin Thit chronicle reports a slightly different list. [4] The summary lists of the rulers of Prome in both Maha Yazawin and Hmannan Yazawin are internally inconsistent in terms of dates with their own reporting in the narrative sections. See the individual articles for inconsistencies.

NameTerm FromTerm UntilRelationship to predecessor(s)OverlordNotes
Thihathu I 1275 [note 2] 1288Appointed Narathihapate (1275–87)In revolt (1287–88)
Pazzawta c. 1288c. 1305Chief Minister of Thihathu I Kyawswa (1289–97)
Myinsaing brothers (1297–1310)		According to Yazawin Thit
Kyaswa c. 1305c. 1344Younger brother of Thihathu I Myinsaing brothers (1297–1310)
Thihathu (1310–25)
Saw Yan Naung c. 13441377/78Grandson of Thihathu I Pinya kings (c. 1344–64)
Thado Minbya (1364–67)
Swa Saw Ke (1367–77/78)		Elder brother of Swa Saw Ke of Ava
Myet-Hna Shay 1377/781388/89Nephew Swa Saw Ke
Htihlaing 1388/891390Appointed Swa Saw Ke
Letya Pyanchi 1390c. April 1413Appointed Swa Saw Ke (1390–1400)
Tarabya (1400)
Minkhaung I (1400–13)
Sokkate c. April 1413July 1413Appointed Minkhaung I Acting governor
Minye Kyawswa I c. July 1413c. November 1413Appointed Minkhaung I Minye Kyawswa Saw Shwe Khet, not the crown prince, per Yazawin Thit
Thihathu II c. November 1413c. November 1416Appointed Minkhaung I Later King Thihathu of Ava
Minye Kyawswa II c. November 1416c. March 1422Appointed Minkhaung I (1416–21)
Thihathu (1421–25)		Reappointed to be governor of Tharrawaddy
Min Maha c. March 14221429Appointed Min Hla (1425)
Kale Kye-Taung Nyo (1425–26)
Mohnyin Thado (1426–29)		Reappointed to be governor of Sagu
Thihathu III 142925 April 1442Appointed Mohnyin Thado (1429–39)
Minye Kyawswa I (1439–42)		Later known as King Narapati I of Ava
Minye Kyawswa II by 11 March 1442January 1446Appointed Narapati I Second term at Prome; Brother-in-law of Narapati I; Again reappointed to be governor of Tharrawaddy
Mingyi Swa January 14461482Appointed Narapati I (1446–68)
Thihathura I (1468–80)
Minkhaung II (1480–82)
Thado Minsaw 1482February 1527Son of Narapati of Ava NoneIndependent
Bayin Htwe by 1 March 1527c. December 1532SonNoneIndependent
Narapati c. December 1532c. February 1539Son Thohanbwa Vassal of Confederation of Shan States
Minkhaung c. February 153919 May 1542Brother Thohanbwa Vassal of Confederation of Shan States
Thado Dhamma Yaza I 19 May 154230 August 1551Appointed Tabinshwehti (1542–50)Tutor of Tabinshwehti; In revolt (1550–51)
Thado Dhamma Yaza II 30 August 1551Nov/Dec 1588Appointed Bayinnaung (1551–81)
Nanda (1581–88)		Younger brother of Bayinnaung
Thado Dhamma Yaza III 26 February 158915 September 1597Appointed Nanda (1588–1594)Son of Nanda; in revolt (1595–97)
Yan Naing 17 September 159713 July 1608 [5] UsurperNoneIndependent; Taken to Ava as POW
Thado Dhamma Yaza IV 2 November 1620 [6] 9 July 1628Appointed Anaukpetlun (1620–28)Later known as King Thalun
Minye Thiha, born (Udein Kyawhtin)June 1630 [7] 1650Appointed Thalun
Pye Min 13 September 16503 June 1661Appointed Pindale

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ See (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 214–216) and (Maha Yazawin 2006: 163–165) for Prome's leadership changes during the Pinya and Ava periods. See (Lieberman 2003: 161–162) for abolishing of hereditary viceroyships.
  2. ↑ Per scholarship (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 326, footnote 1). Both standard chronicles Maha Yazawin (Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 163) and Hmannan (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 214) state that the city of Prome was reestablished by Thihathu of Prome, a son of Narathihapate, in 604 ME (1242/1243 CE). However, Thihathu could not have founded the city in 1242/1243 since his father Narathihapate was born only in 1238. Scholarship gives 1275.

Related Research Articles

Narathihapate was the last king of the Pagan Empire who reigned from 1256 to 1287. The king is known in Burmese history as the "Taruk-Pyay Min" for his flight from Pagan (Bagan) to Lower Burma in 1285 during the first Mongol invasion (1277–87) of the kingdom. He eventually submitted to Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan dynasty in January 1287 in exchange for a Mongol withdrawal from northern Burma. But when the king was assassinated six months later by his son Thihathu, the Viceroy of Prome, the 250-year-old Pagan Empire broke apart into multiple petty states. The political fragmentation of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery would last for another 250 years until the mid-16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mingyi Nyo</span> King of the Toungoo dynasty

Mingyi Nyo was the founder of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). Under his 45-year leadership (1485–1530), Toungoo (Taungoo), grew from a remote backwater vassal state of Ava Kingdom to a small but stable independent kingdom. In 1510, he declared Toungoo's independence from its nominal overlord Ava. He skillfully kept his small kingdom out of the chaotic warfare plaguing Upper Burma. Toungoo's stability continued to attract refugees from Ava fleeing the repeated raids of Ava by the Confederation of Shan States (1490s–1527). Nyo left a stable, confident kingdom that enabled his successor Tabinshwehti to contemplate taking on larger kingdoms on his way to founding the Toungoo Empire.

Nanda Bayin, was king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1581 to 1599. He presided over the collapse of the First Toungoo Empire, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myinsaing Kingdom</span>

The Myinsaing Kingdom was the kingdom that ruled central Burma (Myanmar) from 1297 to 1313. It was founded by three brothers from Myinsaing, and was one of many small kingdoms that emerged following the collapse of Pagan Empire in 1287. Myinsaing successfully fended off the second Mongol invasion in 1300–01, and went on to unify central Burma from Tagaung in the north to Prome (Pyay) in the south. The brothers' co-rule ended between 1310 and 1313, with the death of the two elder brothers. In 1315, the central Burmese state split into two rival states of Pinya and Sagaing. Central Burma would not be reunified until the rise of Ava five decades later.

Thihathu was a co-founder of the Myinsaing Kingdom, and the founder of the Pinya Kingdom in today's central Burma (Myanmar). Thihathu was the youngest and most ambitious of the three brothers that successfully defended central Burma from Mongol invasions in 1287 and in 1300–01. He and his brothers toppled the regime at Pagan in 1297, and co-ruled central Burma. After his eldest brother Athinkhaya's death in 1310, Thihathu pushed aside the middle brother Yazathingyan, and took over as the sole ruler of central Burma. His decision to designate his adopted son Uzana I heir-apparent caused his eldest biological son, Saw Yun to set up a rival power center in Sagaing in 1315. Although Saw Yun nominally remained loyal to his father, after Thihathu's death in 1325, the two houses of Myinsaing officially became rival kingdoms in central Burma.

Athinhkaya Saw Yun was the founder of the Sagaing Kingdom of Myanmar (Burma). The eldest son of King Thihathu set up a rival kingdom in 1315 after Thihathu appointed Uzana I as heir-apparent. Saw Yun successfully resisted two small expeditions by Pinya by 1317. While Saw Yun nominally remained loyal to his father, he was the de facto king of the area roughly corresponding to present-day Sagaing Region and northern Mandalay Region.

Uzana I of Pinya was king of Pinya from 1325 to 1340. Of Pagan royalty, Uzana inherited a disunited kingdom, which fell apart right after his predecessor Thihathu's death. Not only could he not retake the northern Sagaing Kingdom but he also had little control over his southern vassals. Even in his core power base in present-day central Myanmar (Burma), Uzana faced a serious rival in his half-brother Kyawswa. He ultimately lost the power struggle, and abdicated the throne in 1340 to a regent. He lived out his last years as a monk in Mekkhaya.

Thihathu of Prome, or Sihasura, was viceroy of Prome (Pyay) from 1275 to 1288. He is known in Burmese history for assassinating his own father King Narathihapate, the last sovereign king of the Pagan Empire, in 1287. He was the maternal grandfather of King Swa Saw Ke of Ava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinya Kingdom</span> Kingdom in Central Myanmar (Burma) – 1313 to 1365

The Kingdom of Pinya, also known as the Vijaia State (၀ိဇယတိုင်း), was the kingdom that ruled Central Myanmar (Burma) from 1313 to 1365. It was the successor state of Myinsaing, the polity that controlled much of Upper Burma between 1297 and 1313. Founded as the de jure successor state of the Pagan Empire by Thihathu, Pinya faced internal divisions from the start. The northern province of Sagaing led by Thihathu's eldest son Saw Yun successfully fought for autonomy in 1315−17, and formally seceded in 1325 after Thihathu's death.

Mohnyin Thado was king of Ava from 1426 to 1439. He is also known in Burmese history as Mohnyin Min Taya after his longtime tenure as the sawbwa of Mohnyin, a Shan-speaking frontier state. He founded the royal house of Mohnyin that would rule the kingdom until 1527.

Mingyi Swa of Prome was viceroy of Prome from 1446 to 1482 during the reigns of kings Narapati I, Thihathura I and Minkhaung II of Ava.

Bayin Htwe was king of Prome (Pyay) from 1527 to 1532. His small kingdom, founded by his father Thado Minsaw in 1482, was conquered by the Confederation of Shan States in 1532, and he was taken prisoner to Upper Burma. He was later released, and returned to Prome only to be refused entry by his son Narapati. Bayin Htwe died at the outskirts of Prome (Pyay) in mid 1533.

Minkhaung II of Toungoo was viceroy of Toungoo (Taungoo) from 1549 to 1551 and from 1552 to 1584 during the reigns of kings Tabinshwehti, Bayinnaung and Nanda of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). He briefly revolted against his eldest half-brother Bayinnaung from 1550 to 1551 but was pardoned by Bayinnaung. Alongside his brothers Bayinnaung, Minye Sithu, Thado Dhamma Yaza II, Thado Minsaw and his nephew Nanda, he fought in nearly every campaign between 1552 and 1584 that rebuilt, expanded and defended the Toungoo Empire.

Saw Yan Naung was governor of Prome (Pyay) from c. 1344 to 1375 and viceroy of Prome from 1375 to 1377/78. Descended from Pagan and Pinya royalty, Saw Yan Naung was first appointed to the governorship by King Kyawswa I of Pinya. From 1367 onwards, the governor helped his brother King Swa Saw Ke of Ava consolidate the former southern vassals states of Pinya into Ava's fold.

Kyaswa was viceroy of Prome (Pyay) from c. 1305 to 1344. He was a younger brother of the patricide governor Thihathu of Prome, and son of King Narathihapate of Pagan.

Saw Lu Thinkhaya was the ruler of Toungoo from 1420 to 1435. He was first appointed governor of the frontier vassal state by King Minkhaung I of Ava in 1420. Following the succession crises at Ava, Thinkhaya declared independence in 1426. He seized up to Yamethin in 1428–29, and in an alliance with King Binnya Ran I of Hanthawaddy Pegu attempted to pick off Prome (Pyay) in 1430–31. But after Ava and Pegu separately reached a truce, Thinkhaya retreated to his home region, and may have lost control of the Yamethin region by 1434. Less than a year after his death in 1435, Toungoo became a vassal of Hanthawaddy.

Letya Pyanchi was governor of Prome (Pyay) from 1390 to 1413. The governor, a Martaban–Hanthawaddy royal, was a key Ava commander in the Forty Years' War against Hanthawaddy Pegu.

Min Maha was governor of Prome (Pyay) from 1422 to 1429. He was a commander of the elephant corps in the Royal Ava Army before appointed to succeed his father-in-law Gov. Minye Kyawswa II of Prome. In 1429, he was reappointed to be governor of Sagu by King Mohnyin Thado.

Minye Kyawswa Saw Shwe Khet was governor of Prome (Pyay), a major vassal state of Ava, from 1417 to 1422, and from 1442 to 1446. He was the only governor or viceroy of Prome to serve more than one term. He also served as governor of districts of Prome: twice at Tharrawaddy (Thayawadi) (1422–1427) and (1446–1460) and at Paungde (1460–1470s).

Yazathingyan was chief minister of Ava from 1426 to 1468. He served over 67 years as a senior royal army officer and court minister under seven kings of Ava from Minkhaung I to Narapati I. He also held several governorships, most prominently at Sagaing (1413–1450).

References

  1. ↑ Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 271–272
  2. ↑ Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 163–165
  3. ↑ Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 214–216
  4. ↑ Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 326
  5. ↑ (Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 148): 1st waxing of Wagaung 970 ME = 13 July 1608
  6. ↑ (Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 183–184): Monday, 9th waxing of Tazaungmon 982 ME = 2 November 1620
  7. ↑ (Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 201): Waso 992 ME = 10 June 1630 to 9 July 1650

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.