Alaungpaya
Encyclopedia
Alaungpaya was king of Burma (Myanmar) from 1752 to 1760, and the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty
. By his death in 1760, the former chief of a small village in Upper Burma
had reunified all of Burma, subdued Manipur
, recovered Lan Na, and driven out the French
and the English who had given help to the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
. He also founded Yangon
in 1755. He died from illness during his campaign in Siam.
He is considered one of the three greatest kings of Burma, alongside Anawrahta
and Bayinnaung
, for unifying the country for the third time in Burmese history.
, a village of a few hundred households in the Mu river valley
located about 60 miles northwest of Ava
, on 24 September 1714 to Min Nyo San and his wife Saw Nyein Oo . He was the second son, and part of gentry families that had administered the Mu valley for generations. His father Min Nyo San was a hereditary chief of Moksobo, and his uncle, Kyawswa Htin , better known as Sitha Mingyi , was the lord of the Mu valley district. He claimed descent from a 15th century cavalry commander, brother of King Mohnyin Thado
and ultimately the Pagan royal line. He came from a large family, and was related by blood and by marriage to many other gentry families throughout the valley. In 1730, he married Yun San
, daughter of chief of a neighboring village, Siboktara . They went on to have six sons and three daughters. (The fourth daughter died young.)
was in rapid decline. The "palace kings" at Ava had been unable to defend against the Manipuri
raids that had been ransacking increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma since 1724. Ava had failed to recover southern Lan Na (Chiang Mai) that revolted in 1727, and did nothing to prevent the annexation of northern Shan states
by China
in the 1730s. The Mu valley was directly on the path of the Manipuri raids year after year. Although Burma was far larger than Manipur, Ava had been unable to defeat the raids or organize a punitive expedition to Manipur itself. The people watched helplessly as the raiders torched villages, ransacked pagoda
s, and taking away captives.
It was during these troubled times in the absence of royal authority that men like Aung Zeya came forward. He assumed his father's responsibilities as chief of his village in his early twenties. A tall man for the times, (five feet eleven inches in height as described by an English envoy), the solidly built, sun-burned Aung Zeya displayed his natural ability to lead men, and viewed as a leader by his gentry peers throughout the valley. They began to take matters into their own hands to defend against the raids.
The sickly regime at Ava was weary of any potential rivals. In 1736, Toungoo Yaza, the commander-in-chief of the army, summoned Aung Zeya to Ava to check if the village headman was a potential threat to the regime. Satisfied that the 22-year-old had no designs on the throne, Toungoo Yaza on behalf of the king bestowed the title Bala Nanda Kyaw to Aung Zeya. Aung Zeya became deputy to his uncle the lord of Mu valley, and the administrative officer kyekaing , responsible for tax collection and for the preservation of order.
of Lower Burma broke away, and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
with the capital at Pegu (Bago). Ava's enfeebled attempts to recover the south failed to make a dent. The low grade warfare between Ava and Pegu went on until late 1751, when Pegu launched its final assault, invading Upper Burma in full force. By early 1752, Peguan forces, aided by French
-supplied firearms and Dutch and Portuguese mercenaries, had reached the gates of Ava. The heir apparent of Hanthawaddy Upayaza summoned all administrative officers in Upper Burma to submit. Some chose to cooperate but others like Aung Zeya chose to resist.
Aung Zeya persuaded 46 villages in the Mu valley to join him in resistance. He found a ready audience in "an exceptionally proud group of men and women" of Upper Burma who longed to redress the numerous humiliations that their once proud kingdom had suffered. On 21 March 1752, as the Hanthawaddy forces were about to breach the outer walls of Ava, Aung Zeya proclaimed himself king with the royal style of Alaungpaya (the Embryo Buddha), and founded the Konbaung Dynasty. His full royal style was Thiri Pawara Wizaya Nanda Zahta Maha Dharma Yazadiyaza Alaung Mintayagyi.
Not everyone was convinced, however. After Ava fell to Peguan forces on 23 March 1752, Alaungpaya's own father urged him to submit. The father pointed out that although Alaungpaya had scores of enthusiastic men, they only had a few muskets, and that their little stockade did not stand a chance against a well-equipped Peguan army that had just sacked a heavily fortified Ava. Alaungpaya was undeterred, saying: "When fighting for your country, it matters little whether there are few or many. What does matter is that your comrades have true hearts and strong arms". He prepared the defenses by stockading his village, now renamed Shwebo, and building a moat around it. He had the jungle outside the stockade cleared, the ponds destroyed and the wells filled.
in present-day northern Mandalay Region.
Nonetheless, Alaungpaya's forces wiped out the first two Hanthawaddy detachments sent to secure allegiance. Next, they survived the month-long siege by the Hanthawaddy army of several thousand led by Gen. Talaban himself, and drove out the invaders in a rout. The news spread. Soon, Alaungpaya was mustering a proper army from across the Mu valley and beyond, using his family connections and appointing his fellow gentry leaders as his key lieutenants. Success drew fresh recruits everyday from many regions across Upper Burma. Most other resistance forces as well as officers from the disbanded Palace Guards had joined him with such arms as they retained. By October 1752, he had emerged the primary challenger to Hanthawaddy, and driven out all Hanthawaddy outposts north of Ava, and their allies Gwe Shans from Madaya. A dozen legends gathered around his name. Men felt that when he led them they could not fail.
Despite repeated setbacks, Pegu incredibly still did not send in reinforcements even as Alaungpaya consolidated his gains throughout Upper Burma. On 3 January 1754, Konbaung forces retook Ava. Alaungpaya now received homage from the nearer Shan states, as far north as Momeik
. In March 1754, Hanthawaddy finally sent the entire army, laying siege to Ava and advancing up to Kyaukmyaung
a few miles from Shwebo. But Alaungpaya personally led the Konbaung counterattack, and drove out the southern armies by May.
Swelled by levies from throughout Upper Burma, including Shan, Kachin
and Chin
contingents, he launched a massive invasion of Lower Burma in a blitz
in January 1755. By May, his armies had conquered the entire Irrawaddy delta, and captured Dagon
(which he renamed Yangon). But the advance came to a sudden halt at the French-defended main port city of Syriam (Thanlyin), which repelled several Konbaung charges. Alaungpaya sought an alliance with the English, and sought arms. But no alliance or arms materialized. Konbaung forces finally took the city after a 14-month siege in July 1756, ending the French intervention in the Burmese civil war. The Konbaung forces then overcame determined but vastly outnumbered Hanthawaddy defenses, and sacked the Hanthawaddy capital Pegu in May 1757. The 17-year-old kingdom was finished.
Afterwards, Chiang Mai
and other states in present-day northwest Thailand, which had been in revolt since 1727, promptly sent in tribute. In the south too, the governors of Martaban (Mottama), and Tavoy (Dawei) also sent tribute.
(present-day northern and eastern Kachin State
, northern Shan State, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
) which had been annexed by the Qing Dynasty of China
in the mid-1730s. By early 1759, the Burmese had successfully reestablished their authority. (The Chinese attempt to reconquer the region would lead to the Sino-Burmese War (1765–1769).)
at the southwestern tip of the Irrawaddy delta. The English, concerned with the success of French-backed Hanthawaddy, had seized the island back in 1753. During the war with Hanthawaddy, Alaungpaya offered to cede the island to England in return for military help. He even ignored the fact that the English Company's ship, the Arcot, had opportunistically sold arms to the Hanthawaddy forces, and fired on his troops in 1755 during the battle of Syriam. (A letter written on pure gold measuring 55 by 12 cm and encrusted with 24 rubies sent by Alaungpaya to George II of Great Britain
in 1756 was discovered recently at Hanover
, Germany
. In this letter entrusted to Ensign John Dyer, Alaungpaya gave formal recognition to the East India Company
’s settlement in his country, but only by a royal order directed to the king of England.)
But no military help materialized. The English claimed they could not spare any arms because they too were engaged in their own bitter Seven Years' War
against the French. In 1758, Alaungpaya got the news that the English East India Company's agents sold ammunition and arms (500 muskets) to Mon rebels. (British historian GE Harvey claims that the news was a fabrication of Alaungpaya's Armenian advisers, and that the arms provided were five muskets, not 500.) On 6 October 1759, a 2000-strong Konbaung battalion overran the English fort, ending the first English colonial establishment in Burma for the time being.
, on their march to Imphal
, the Manipuri capital. After Palel, the Burmese entered Imphal without firing a shot. The Konbaung armies, according to the Manipuris, committed "unspeakably cruel" crimes against the populace, inflicting "one of the worst disasters in its history". But historian GE Harvey writes: Alaungpaya "was only doing unto them as they had done unto his people". Alaungpaya raised his nominee to the Manipuri throne, and returned with his army. He also brought back many Manipuri cavalry, who became elite calvary corps (known as Cassay Horse) in the Burmese army. (This was the start of Konbaung dynasty's long, draining involvement in Manipur. The small kingdom would prove a troublesome tributary, regularly putting up rebellions in 1764, 1768–1770, and 1775–1782. The Burmese involvement ceased after 1782 until they came back in 1812–1813.)
(present-day Mon State), where Konbaung control was still largely nominal. The Siamese provided shelter to the rebel leaders and their resistance troops. Alaungpaya sought assurances from the Siamese king that they not intervene in the Burmese affairs, and to surrender the rebel leaders. But the Siamese refused Burmese demands, and prepared for war.
In December 1759, Alaungpaya's 40,000-strong Burmese army left Martaban to invade Siam via Tennasserim. His second son, Hsinbyushin
was his deputy. The Burmese occupied the town of Tenasserim, moved eastward over the Tenasserim Hills
to the shore of the Gulf of Siam, turned north and captured the coastal towns, Kuwi
, Pranburi
and Phetchaburi
. The Siamese resistance stiffened as the Burmese approached the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya
but nonetheless were driven back, with heavy losses in men, guns and ammunition. The Burmese armies reached Ayutthaya in April 1760. Only five days into the siege, however, the Burmese king suddenly fell ill. (The Siamese sources say he was wounded by a cannon shell explosion while he was inspecting the cannon corps at the front.) But Burmese sources state clearly that he fell ill. There was no reason for the Burmese chronicles to hide the truth since it is more glorious for a Burmese king to die of wounds received on the battlefield than to die of a common ailment. His ailment has been stated as "dysentery
" or "scrofula
"
The Burmese forces began their retreat on 17 April 1760 (3rd waxing of Kason 1122 ME). Only Gen. Minkhaung Nawrahta
's 6000 men and 500 Cassay Horsemen remained as the rearguard
, and successfully fended off Siamese attacks along the route of retreat.
Although the Burmese did not achieve the ultimate objective of toppling Ayutthaya, they formally annexed the upper Tenasserim coast, and shifted the border down the coast at least to the Tavoy-Mergui
corridor. (The Siamese retook the lower coast up to Mergui in 1761.)
Alaungpaya was succeeded by his eldest son, Naungdawgyi
, despite his second son Hsinbyushin's attempt to take over the throne.
), another at Toungoo and the other at Pegu, and none of them was hereditary. He made the viceroyships only because of his special personal relationships with those men. (The viceroy of Toungoo was his younger brother, for example. After the death of the incumbents, the offices automatically became governorships.) In accordance with the Toungoo policy, he allowed hereditary viceroyships only in the peripheral regions like the Shan States and Lan Na. (Later Konbaung kings would gradually reduce the number of hereditary viceroyships even in the Shan States.)
One key policy change that Alaungpaya initiated, and followed by latter Konbaung kings, was the establishment of military colonies and civilian settlement in Lower Burma. This policy would prove instrumental in eclipsing the Mon civilization by the early 19th century.
His most significant and enduring work was the founding of Yangon. After he conquered a pagoda village of Dagon
in 1755, he added settlements with people from his home region. (The Mu-valley place names like Ahlon
and Kyaukmyaung still endure to this date in Yangon.) By the eve of the First Anglo-Burmese War, Yangon had replaced Syriam (Thanlyin) as the chief port city of the kingdom.
with little Pali
.
, led a people "divided and broken, humiliated and ashamed" and "left to his successors a people united and confident, holding up their heads again in pride and in glory". But Htin Aung also cautions that Alaungpaya "had led his people in waging war but his leadership was still sorely needed to wage a peace. He had roused his people to the fever heat of nationalism but he was denied the time and the opportunity to calm them down to tolerance and restraint". Indeed, overconfident Konbaung kings that followed him would go to war with all the neighbors in the next seven decades on their way to founding the second largest Burmese empire, until they ran into the British in present-day northeastern India.
king to consciously manipulate ethnic identity as a means to military and political domination. To date, Mon nationalists hold him accountable for the utter destruction of the Mon country, and the end of centuries-long Mon dominance of Lower Burma. According to the Mon nationalist historian Nai Tun Thein, "the racial oppression practiced by Alaungpaya was worse than that of previous kings. He ended the cultural autonomy adopted by the Burmese rulers of the Pagan era, and by kings Tabinshwehti
and Bayinnaung
, and colonized the Mon state".
The charges need to be balanced with the fact that Alaungpaya was merely reacting to, what historian Victor Lieberman calls "dismally self-defeating" policy of ethnic polarization of Restored Hanthawaddy. It was the self-professed Mon kingdom that first attacked his homeland in 1752, and had begun persecutions and pogroms against ethnic Burmans in the south since 1740. (The upstart southern kingdom had portrayed itself "as a quintessentially Mon kingdom, ordained by prophecy, wherein Mon language and cultural symbols would enjoy pride of place, and the Burman north would become a tributary". About 8000 Burmans were massacred in 1740 alone. After executing scores of Avan captives in 1754, the Hanthawaddy leadership obliged all Burmans to wear an earring with the stamp of the Pegu heir-apparent and to cut their hair in Mon fashion as a sign of loyalty to the southern kingdom".) Moreover, while Alaungpaya was merciless in his sacks of Syriam and Pegu where the moats "ran red with gore", he reappointed Mon governors elsewhere who submitted.
In all, Alaungpaya's rule of Lower Burma lasted less than two years, most of which he spent elsewhere fighting. Indeed, it was the latter kings of Konbaung that increasingly suppressed the Mon culture with each Mon rebellion in 1762, 1774, 1783, 1792, and 1824–1826.
and Bayinnaung
, the founders of the First and Second Burmese Empires, respectively.
Konbaung dynasty
The Konbaung Dynasty was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. The dynasty created the second largest empire in Burmese history, and continued the administrative reforms begun by the Toungoo dynasty, laying the foundations of modern state of Burma...
. By his death in 1760, the former chief of a small village in Upper Burma
Upper Burma
Upper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....
had reunified all of Burma, subdued Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
, recovered Lan Na, and driven out the French
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
and the English who had given help to the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the kingdom that ruled Lower Burma and parts of Upper Burma from 1740 to 1757. The kingdom grew out of a rebellion by the Mon people, who then formed the majority in Lower Burma, against the Burman Toungoo Dynasty of Ava in Upper Burma...
. He also founded Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
in 1755. He died from illness during his campaign in Siam.
He is considered one of the three greatest kings of Burma, alongside Anawrahta
Anawrahta
Anawrahta Minsaw was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma...
and 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...
, for unifying the country for the third time in Burmese history.
Early life
The future king was born Aung Zeya at MoksoboShwebo
Shwebo is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 113 km northwest of Mandalay between the Irrawaddy and the Mu rivers. The city, also called Ratanasingha , was the capital of Myanmar from 1752 to 1760 during the Konbaung period....
, a village of a few hundred households in the Mu river valley
Mu River
Mu River is a river in upper central Myanmar , and a tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady. It drains the Kabaw valley and part of the Dry Zone between the Ayeyarwady to the east and its largest tributary Chindwin River to the west, flows directly north to south for about and...
located about 60 miles northwest of Ava
Ava
Innwa is a city in the Mandalay Division of Burma , situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. Its formal title is Ratanapura , which means City of Gems in Pali. The name Innwa means mouth of the lake, which comes from in , meaning lake, and wa , which means mouth...
, on 24 September 1714 to Min Nyo San and his wife Saw Nyein Oo . He was the second son, and part of gentry families that had administered the Mu valley for generations. His father Min Nyo San was a hereditary chief of Moksobo, and his uncle, Kyawswa Htin , better known as Sitha Mingyi , was the lord of the Mu valley district. He claimed descent from a 15th century cavalry commander, brother of King Mohnyin Thado
Mohnyin Thado
Mohnyin Thado was the eighth king of Ava who reigned from 1427 to 1440. The ethnic Burman saopha of Mohnyin came to power after overthrowing King Kale Kyetaungnyo and his queen Shin Bo-Me in 1427. His reign marks the plateauing of Ava's power...
and ultimately the Pagan royal line. He came from a large family, and was related by blood and by marriage to many other gentry families throughout the valley. In 1730, he married Yun San
Yun San
Me Yun San was the chief queen of King Alaungpaya of Burma , and the mother of three kings of Konbaung Dynasty: Naungdawgyi, Hsinbyushin and Bodawpaya. She is known for keeping the peace between her two eldest sons, Naungdawgyi and Hsinbyushin after Alaungpaya died in 1760, allowing Naungdawgyi to...
, daughter of chief of a neighboring village, Siboktara . They went on to have six sons and three daughters. (The fourth daughter died young.)
Chief of Moksobo and deputy chief of Mu valley
Aung Zeya grew up during a period in which the authority of Toungoo DynastyToungoo 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...
was in rapid decline. The "palace kings" at Ava had been unable to defend against the Manipuri
Manipuri
Manipuri is the synonym of Meetei or Meitei. Meetei is an endonym and Manipuri is an exonym.It may refer to:* Manipur, a state in northeastern India* Manipuri language, a Tibeto-Burman language also known as the Meeteilon...
raids that had been ransacking increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma since 1724. Ava had failed to recover southern Lan Na (Chiang Mai) that revolted in 1727, and did nothing to prevent the annexation of northern 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...
by China
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in the 1730s. The Mu valley was directly on the path of the Manipuri raids year after year. Although Burma was far larger than Manipur, Ava had been unable to defeat the raids or organize a punitive expedition to Manipur itself. The people watched helplessly as the raiders torched villages, ransacked pagoda
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
s, and taking away captives.
It was during these troubled times in the absence of royal authority that men like Aung Zeya came forward. He assumed his father's responsibilities as chief of his village in his early twenties. A tall man for the times, (five feet eleven inches in height as described by an English envoy), the solidly built, sun-burned Aung Zeya displayed his natural ability to lead men, and viewed as a leader by his gentry peers throughout the valley. They began to take matters into their own hands to defend against the raids.
The sickly regime at Ava was weary of any potential rivals. In 1736, Toungoo Yaza, the commander-in-chief of the army, summoned Aung Zeya to Ava to check if the village headman was a potential threat to the regime. Satisfied that the 22-year-old had no designs on the throne, Toungoo Yaza on behalf of the king bestowed the title Bala Nanda Kyaw to Aung Zeya. Aung Zeya became deputy to his uncle the lord of Mu valley, and the administrative officer kyekaing , responsible for tax collection and for the preservation of order.
Founding of Konbaung Dynasty
The authority of Ava continued to decline in the following years. In 1740, the MonMon 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...
of Lower Burma broke away, and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the kingdom that ruled Lower Burma and parts of Upper Burma from 1740 to 1757. The kingdom grew out of a rebellion by the Mon people, who then formed the majority in Lower Burma, against the Burman Toungoo Dynasty of Ava in Upper Burma...
with the capital at Pegu (Bago). Ava's enfeebled attempts to recover the south failed to make a dent. The low grade warfare between Ava and Pegu went on until late 1751, when Pegu launched its final assault, invading Upper Burma in full force. By early 1752, Peguan forces, aided by French
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
-supplied firearms and Dutch and Portuguese mercenaries, had reached the gates of Ava. The heir apparent of Hanthawaddy Upayaza summoned all administrative officers in Upper Burma to submit. Some chose to cooperate but others like Aung Zeya chose to resist.
Aung Zeya persuaded 46 villages in the Mu valley to join him in resistance. He found a ready audience in "an exceptionally proud group of men and women" of Upper Burma who longed to redress the numerous humiliations that their once proud kingdom had suffered. On 21 March 1752, as the Hanthawaddy forces were about to breach the outer walls of Ava, Aung Zeya proclaimed himself king with the royal style of Alaungpaya (the Embryo Buddha), and founded the Konbaung Dynasty. His full royal style was Thiri Pawara Wizaya Nanda Zahta Maha Dharma Yazadiyaza Alaung Mintayagyi.
Not everyone was convinced, however. After Ava fell to Peguan forces on 23 March 1752, Alaungpaya's own father urged him to submit. The father pointed out that although Alaungpaya had scores of enthusiastic men, they only had a few muskets, and that their little stockade did not stand a chance against a well-equipped Peguan army that had just sacked a heavily fortified Ava. Alaungpaya was undeterred, saying: "When fighting for your country, it matters little whether there are few or many. What does matter is that your comrades have true hearts and strong arms". He prepared the defenses by stockading his village, now renamed Shwebo, and building a moat around it. He had the jungle outside the stockade cleared, the ponds destroyed and the wells filled.
Upper Burma (1752–1754)
Konbaung was only one among many other resistance forces that had independently sprung up across a panicked Upper Burma. Fortunately for the resistance forces, the Hanthawaddy command mistakenly equated their capture of Ava with the victory over Upper Burma, and withdrew two-thirds of the invasion force back to Pegu, leaving just a third (less than 10,000 men) for what they considered a mop-up operation. At first, the strategy seemed to work. The Hanthawaddy forces established outposts as far north as present day northern Sagaing Region, and found allies in the Gwe Shans of MadayaMadaya
Madaya is a town in the Mandalay Division of central Myanmar. It is the seat of Madaya Township. It lies along National Highway 31. Lamaing lies just to the southeast...
in present-day northern Mandalay Region.
Nonetheless, Alaungpaya's forces wiped out the first two Hanthawaddy detachments sent to secure allegiance. Next, they survived the month-long siege by the Hanthawaddy army of several thousand led by Gen. Talaban himself, and drove out the invaders in a rout. The news spread. Soon, Alaungpaya was mustering a proper army from across the Mu valley and beyond, using his family connections and appointing his fellow gentry leaders as his key lieutenants. Success drew fresh recruits everyday from many regions across Upper Burma. Most other resistance forces as well as officers from the disbanded Palace Guards had joined him with such arms as they retained. By October 1752, he had emerged the primary challenger to Hanthawaddy, and driven out all Hanthawaddy outposts north of Ava, and their allies Gwe Shans from Madaya. A dozen legends gathered around his name. Men felt that when he led them they could not fail.
Despite repeated setbacks, Pegu incredibly still did not send in reinforcements even as Alaungpaya consolidated his gains throughout Upper Burma. On 3 January 1754, Konbaung forces retook Ava. Alaungpaya now received homage from the nearer Shan states, as far north as Momeik
Momeik
Momeik, known as Know as Mong Mit in Shan, is a town situated on the Shweli River in northern Shan State of Myanmar .-Transport:...
. In March 1754, Hanthawaddy finally sent the entire army, laying siege to Ava and advancing up to Kyaukmyaung
Kyaukmyaung (Sagaing)
Kyaukmyaung is a town in Sagaing Division, Myanmar. It is situated 46 miles north of Mandalay on the west bank of the River Irrawaddy, and 17 miles east of Shwebo by road...
a few miles from Shwebo. But Alaungpaya personally led the Konbaung counterattack, and drove out the southern armies by May.
Lower Burma (1755–1757)
The conflict increasingly turned into an ethnic conflict between the Burman north and the Mon south. The Hanthawaddy leadership escalated "self-defeating" policies of persecuting southern Burmans. They also executed the captive king of Toungoo in October 1754. Alaungpaya was only happy to exploit the situation, encouraging remaining Burman troops to come over to him. Many did.Swelled by levies from throughout Upper Burma, including Shan, Kachin
Kachin people
The Kachin people are a group of ethnic groups who largely inhabit the Kachin Hills in northern Burma's Kachin State and neighbouring areas of China and India. More than half of the Kachin people identify themselves as Christians - while a significant minority follow Buddhism and some also adhere...
and Chin
Chin people
The Chin , known as the Kuki in Assam, are one of the ethnic groups in Burma. The Chins are found mainly in western part of Burma and numbered circa 1.5 million. They also live in nearby Indian states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur and Assam. Owing to Mizo influence and Baptist missionaries'...
contingents, he launched a massive invasion of Lower Burma in a blitz
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
in January 1755. By May, his armies had conquered the entire Irrawaddy delta, and captured Dagon
Dagon Township
Dagon Township is located immediately north of downtown Yangon. The township comprises five wards, and shares borders with Bahan township in the north, Ahlon township in the west, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, and Lanmadaw township, Latha township and Pabedan township in the south.Dagon...
(which he renamed Yangon). But the advance came to a sudden halt at the French-defended main port city of Syriam (Thanlyin), which repelled several Konbaung charges. Alaungpaya sought an alliance with the English, and sought arms. But no alliance or arms materialized. Konbaung forces finally took the city after a 14-month siege in July 1756, ending the French intervention in the Burmese civil war. The Konbaung forces then overcame determined but vastly outnumbered Hanthawaddy defenses, and sacked the Hanthawaddy capital Pegu in May 1757. The 17-year-old kingdom was finished.
Afterwards, Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
and other states in present-day northwest Thailand, which had been in revolt since 1727, promptly sent in tribute. In the south too, the governors of Martaban (Mottama), and Tavoy (Dawei) also sent tribute.
Farther Shan States (1758–1759)
In 1758, Alaungpaya dispatched an expedition to the northern Shan StatesShan 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...
(present-day northern and eastern Kachin State
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
, northern Shan State, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture
Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture in Yunnan Province, China. The capital city is Jinghong, the largest settlement in the area and one that straddles the Mekong River, called the Lancang River in Chinese.-Name:...
) which had been annexed by the Qing Dynasty of China
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in the mid-1730s. By early 1759, the Burmese had successfully reestablished their authority. (The Chinese attempt to reconquer the region would lead to the Sino-Burmese War (1765–1769).)
Negrais (1759)
Alaungpaya then turned his attention to the English colony at NegraisHaigyi Island
Haigyi Island may refer to:*Haigyi Island , a town located in the Ayeyarwady Division of south west Burma*Haigyi Island , an island located in the Ayeyarwady Division of south west Burma...
at the southwestern tip of the Irrawaddy delta. The English, concerned with the success of French-backed Hanthawaddy, had seized the island back in 1753. During the war with Hanthawaddy, Alaungpaya offered to cede the island to England in return for military help. He even ignored the fact that the English Company's ship, the Arcot, had opportunistically sold arms to the Hanthawaddy forces, and fired on his troops in 1755 during the battle of Syriam. (A letter written on pure gold measuring 55 by 12 cm and encrusted with 24 rubies sent by Alaungpaya to George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
in 1756 was discovered recently at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In this letter entrusted to Ensign John Dyer, Alaungpaya gave formal recognition to the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
’s settlement in his country, but only by a royal order directed to the king of England.)
But no military help materialized. The English claimed they could not spare any arms because they too were engaged in their own bitter Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
against the French. In 1758, Alaungpaya got the news that the English East India Company's agents sold ammunition and arms (500 muskets) to Mon rebels. (British historian GE Harvey claims that the news was a fabrication of Alaungpaya's Armenian advisers, and that the arms provided were five muskets, not 500.) On 6 October 1759, a 2000-strong Konbaung battalion overran the English fort, ending the first English colonial establishment in Burma for the time being.
Manipur (1756, 1758)
Alaungpaya, who grew up watching Manipuri raids ransacking his home region year after year, was determined to return the favor as soon as he was able. While most of his forces were laying siege to Syriam, he sent an expedition to Manipur to "instill respect". In early 1756, the Burmese army defeated the Manipuri army, and ransacked the entire country, which the Manipuris call the First Devastation. After Lower Burma was defeated, Alaungpaya himself led another expedition in November 1758, this time to place the Burmese nominee to the Manipuri throne. His armies invaded by the Khumbat route in the Mainpur valley, and overcame fierce Manipuri resistance at PalelPalel
-Location:National Highway 39 passes through Pallel. It passes through a village called Bijoypur village....
, on their march to Imphal
Imphal
Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur.In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat, are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Kangla Fort used to be the home of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force and on November 2004 it was handed over to state of Manipur by Prime minister Dr....
, the Manipuri capital. After Palel, the Burmese entered Imphal without firing a shot. The Konbaung armies, according to the Manipuris, committed "unspeakably cruel" crimes against the populace, inflicting "one of the worst disasters in its history". But historian GE Harvey writes: Alaungpaya "was only doing unto them as they had done unto his people". Alaungpaya raised his nominee to the Manipuri throne, and returned with his army. He also brought back many Manipuri cavalry, who became elite calvary corps (known as Cassay Horse) in the Burmese army. (This was the start of Konbaung dynasty's long, draining involvement in Manipur. The small kingdom would prove a troublesome tributary, regularly putting up rebellions in 1764, 1768–1770, and 1775–1782. The Burmese involvement ceased after 1782 until they came back in 1812–1813.)
Siam (1759–1760)
After the rainy season of 1759, Alaungpaya and his armies returned to the south to deal with the still-unstable Lower Burma. One year back, a major Mon rebellion broke out, temporarily driving out the Konbaung governor of Pegu. Although the rebellion was put down, Mon resistance was still operating in the upper Tenasserim coastMon State
Mon State is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is sandwiched between Kayin State on the east, the Andaman Sea on the west, Bago Region on the north and Tanintharyi Region on the south, and has a short border with Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province at its south-eastern tip. The land area is...
(present-day Mon State), where Konbaung control was still largely nominal. The Siamese provided shelter to the rebel leaders and their resistance troops. Alaungpaya sought assurances from the Siamese king that they not intervene in the Burmese affairs, and to surrender the rebel leaders. But the Siamese refused Burmese demands, and prepared for war.
In December 1759, Alaungpaya's 40,000-strong Burmese army left Martaban to invade Siam via Tennasserim. His second son, Hsinbyushin
Hsinbyushin
Hsinbyushin was king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1763 to 1776. The second son of the dynasty founder Alaungpaya is best known for his wars with China and Siam, and is considered the most militaristic king of the dynasty. His successful defense against four Chinese invasions preserved...
was his deputy. The Burmese occupied the town of Tenasserim, moved eastward over the Tenasserim Hills
Tenasserim Hills
Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range is the geographical name of a mountain chain in Southeast Asia. Despite their relatively scant altitude these mountains form an effective barrier between Thailand and Burma in their northern and central region, extending to the Kra Isthmus into the Malay...
to the shore of the Gulf of Siam, turned north and captured the coastal towns, Kuwi
Prachuap Khiri Khan
Prachuap Khiri Khan is a town in southern Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan province and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only 10 km from the Burmese border at Dansingkhorn. The town can reached from Bangkok by train from Hualampong Station or by...
, Pranburi
Pranburi
Pranburi may refer to*the town and district of Pran Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand* Pranburi River, which flows through the district*Pranburi Forest Park, at the estuary of the Pranburi river...
and Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi , also known as Phetburi, is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means city of diamonds . It is approximately 160km south of Bangkok, at the northern end of the Thai Peninsula...
. The Siamese resistance stiffened as the Burmese approached the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya (city)
Ayutthaya city is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Located in the valley of the Chao Phraya River. The city was founded in 1350 by King U Thong, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya...
but nonetheless were driven back, with heavy losses in men, guns and ammunition. The Burmese armies reached Ayutthaya in April 1760. Only five days into the siege, however, the Burmese king suddenly fell ill. (The Siamese sources say he was wounded by a cannon shell explosion while he was inspecting the cannon corps at the front.) But Burmese sources state clearly that he fell ill. There was no reason for the Burmese chronicles to hide the truth since it is more glorious for a Burmese king to die of wounds received on the battlefield than to die of a common ailment. His ailment has been stated as "dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
" or "scrofula
Scrofula
Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis refers to a lymphadenitis of the cervical lymph nodes associated with tuberculosis. It was previously known as "scrofula".-The disease:...
"
The Burmese forces began their retreat on 17 April 1760 (3rd waxing of Kason 1122 ME). Only Gen. Minkhaung Nawrahta
Minkhaung Nawrahta
Minkhaung Nawrahta was a general of the Royal Burmese Army of the Konbaung Dynasty during the reign of King Alaungpaya. He is best known for his rearguard defense in the Burmese-Siamese War in Siam as the Burmese forces rushed back a dying Alaungpaya back home. The general, who was well respected...
's 6000 men and 500 Cassay Horsemen remained as the rearguard
Rearguard
Rearguard may refer to:* A military detachment protecting the rear of a larger military formation, especially when retreating from a pursuing enemy force. * Rear Guard , a computer game released in 1982...
, and successfully fended off Siamese attacks along the route of retreat.
Although the Burmese did not achieve the ultimate objective of toppling Ayutthaya, they formally annexed the upper Tenasserim coast, and shifted the border down the coast at least to the Tavoy-Mergui
Mergui
Myeik is a city in Tanintharyi Division in Myanmar , located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on the Andaman Sea. the estimated population was over 209,000. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling corridor into Thailand.-History:Myeik was the southernmost...
corridor. (The Siamese retook the lower coast up to Mergui in 1761.)
Death
Alaungpaya died on Sunday, 11 May 1760 (12th waning of Kason 1122 ME) at the dawn, at Kinywa, near Martaban, after being rushed back from the Siamese front by the advance guard. He had longed for the sights and sounds of home, Shwebo for one last time but it was not to be. His death was made public at Yangon, and his body was taken up stream on a state barge. At Kyaukmyaung landing stage near Shwebo, the whole court came out to meet it, and bore it solemnly through the Hlaingtha Gate of Shwebo. He was buried with the ritual of the kings in the palace city, which once had been his lowly village, amid the mourning of an entire people. He had reigned only eight years, and was not yet 46 when he died. Historian Harvey writes that "men are remembered by the years they use, not by the years they last".Alaungpaya was succeeded by his eldest son, Naungdawgyi
Naungdawgyi
Naungdawgyi was king of Konbaung Dynasty of Burma from 1760 to 1763. He was a top military commander in his father Alaungpaya's reunification campaigns of the country. As king, he spent much of his short reign suppressing multiple rebellions across the newly founded kingdom from Ava and Toungoo ...
, despite his second son Hsinbyushin's attempt to take over the throne.
Government
Alaungpaya spent most of his reign in the military campaigns. For the administration of his newly acquired territories, he largely continued the polices of the Restored Toungoo kings—the most important aspect of which was to reduce the number of hereditary viceroyships. Aware that hereditary viceroyships were a constant cause of instability, the king appointed governors in most of his newly conquered territories throughout the Irrawaddy valley. By and large, he reappointed existing governors if they submitted to him without a fight. In fact, most ethnic Mon governors of the south retained their position. He appointed only three viceroys: one at the Seven Hill Districts (present-day Magwe Region centered around MindonMindon, Burma
Mindon is a village in Burma. It is the capital of Mindon Township of Thayet District in the Magway Region....
), another at Toungoo and the other at Pegu, and none of them was hereditary. He made the viceroyships only because of his special personal relationships with those men. (The viceroy of Toungoo was his younger brother, for example. After the death of the incumbents, the offices automatically became governorships.) In accordance with the Toungoo policy, he allowed hereditary viceroyships only in the peripheral regions like the Shan States and Lan Na. (Later Konbaung kings would gradually reduce the number of hereditary viceroyships even in the Shan States.)
One key policy change that Alaungpaya initiated, and followed by latter Konbaung kings, was the establishment of military colonies and civilian settlement in Lower Burma. This policy would prove instrumental in eclipsing the Mon civilization by the early 19th century.
Infrastructure
Most of the non-military work he commissioned came during a few brief hiatuses between campaigns. In 1752, he designated Shwebo as the capital of his kingdom, and enlarged what once was a mid-size village into a sizable city. He built a palace on the model of those erected by the ancient kings. In 1758, he built the Mahananda Lake to supply Shwebo with water. He also built canals by damming the Mu river for agriculture but the work decayed after his death.His most significant and enduring work was the founding of Yangon. After he conquered a pagoda village of Dagon
Dagon Township
Dagon Township is located immediately north of downtown Yangon. The township comprises five wards, and shares borders with Bahan township in the north, Ahlon township in the west, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, and Lanmadaw township, Latha township and Pabedan township in the south.Dagon...
in 1755, he added settlements with people from his home region. (The Mu-valley place names like Ahlon
Ahlon Township
Ahlon Township is located in the western part of Yangon. The township comprises eleven wards, and shares borders with Sanchaung township and Kyimyindaing township in the north, the Yangon river in the west, Dagon township in the east, and Lanmadaw township in the south...
and Kyaukmyaung still endure to this date in Yangon.) By the eve of the First Anglo-Burmese War, Yangon had replaced Syriam (Thanlyin) as the chief port city of the kingdom.
Judiciary
For the land of the law, in 1755 he commissioned the Manu Kye dhammathat (lit. Manu Kye Law Book), a compilation of existing laws and customs, and of the rulings preserved in previous law books. Although the law book was poorly arranged and offered little explanations on contradictory passages, it attained enormous popularity, owing to its encyclopedic nature and to its being written in simple BurmeseBurmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
with little Pali
Pali language
Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pāi Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism.-Etymology of the name:The word Pali itself...
.
Leadership style
Alaungpaya was a charismatic military "leader of the first quality" who deeply inspired his people to do greater things. He was lavish in his praise and rewards but also merciless failure. According to GE Harvey, "men felt that when he led them they could not fail", and "to be named at one of his investitures was the ambition of men's lives."Rise of Konbaung Dynasty
The most important legacy of Alaungpaya was the restoration of central rule in Burma for the first time in four decades, and the rise of the Konbaung Dynasty. Alaungpaya, according to the Burmese historian Htin AungHtin Aung
Dr. Htin Aung was an important author and scholar of Burmese history and Burmese culture. Oxford and Cambridge educated Htin Aung wrote several books on Burmese history and culture in both Burmese and English. His English language works brought a much-needed Burmese perspective to the...
, led a people "divided and broken, humiliated and ashamed" and "left to his successors a people united and confident, holding up their heads again in pride and in glory". But Htin Aung also cautions that Alaungpaya "had led his people in waging war but his leadership was still sorely needed to wage a peace. He had roused his people to the fever heat of nationalism but he was denied the time and the opportunity to calm them down to tolerance and restraint". Indeed, overconfident Konbaung kings that followed him would go to war with all the neighbors in the next seven decades on their way to founding the second largest Burmese empire, until they ran into the British in present-day northeastern India.
Charges of Burman nationalism
Alaungpaya has also been named as the first BurmanBamar
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...
king to consciously manipulate ethnic identity as a means to military and political domination. To date, Mon nationalists hold him accountable for the utter destruction of the Mon country, and the end of centuries-long Mon dominance of Lower Burma. According to the Mon nationalist historian Nai Tun Thein, "the racial oppression practiced by Alaungpaya was worse than that of previous kings. He ended the cultural autonomy adopted by the Burmese rulers of the Pagan era, and by kings 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 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...
, and colonized the Mon state".
The charges need to be balanced with the fact that Alaungpaya was merely reacting to, what historian Victor Lieberman calls "dismally self-defeating" policy of ethnic polarization of Restored Hanthawaddy. It was the self-professed Mon kingdom that first attacked his homeland in 1752, and had begun persecutions and pogroms against ethnic Burmans in the south since 1740. (The upstart southern kingdom had portrayed itself "as a quintessentially Mon kingdom, ordained by prophecy, wherein Mon language and cultural symbols would enjoy pride of place, and the Burman north would become a tributary". About 8000 Burmans were massacred in 1740 alone. After executing scores of Avan captives in 1754, the Hanthawaddy leadership obliged all Burmans to wear an earring with the stamp of the Pegu heir-apparent and to cut their hair in Mon fashion as a sign of loyalty to the southern kingdom".) Moreover, while Alaungpaya was merciless in his sacks of Syriam and Pegu where the moats "ran red with gore", he reappointed Mon governors elsewhere who submitted.
In all, Alaungpaya's rule of Lower Burma lasted less than two years, most of which he spent elsewhere fighting. Indeed, it was the latter kings of Konbaung that increasingly suppressed the Mon culture with each Mon rebellion in 1762, 1774, 1783, 1792, and 1824–1826.
Commemorations
Alaungpaya, as the founder of the Third Burmese Empire, is considered one of the three greatest Burmese kings, alongside AnawrahtaAnawrahta
Anawrahta Minsaw was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma...
and 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...
, the founders of the First and Second Burmese Empires, respectively.
- Team Alaungpaya, one of four student teams in Burmese schools
- Statute of Alaungpaya is one of three statutes of kings that towers over the Naypyidaw square. The other two are the statutes of AnawrahtaAnawrahtaAnawrahta Minsaw was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma...
and BayinnaungBayinnaungBayinnaung 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...
. - UMS Alaungpaya, Myanmar Navy Corvette
- Aung Zeya Bridge, a suspension bridge in Yangon
- Aung Zeya Road, a road in Yangon
Consorts
- Me Yun SanYun SanMe Yun San was the chief queen of King Alaungpaya of Burma , and the mother of three kings of Konbaung Dynasty: Naungdawgyi, Hsinbyushin and Bodawpaya. She is known for keeping the peace between her two eldest sons, Naungdawgyi and Hsinbyushin after Alaungpaya died in 1760, allowing Naungdawgyi to...
, Chief Queen - Shin Pyei
- Shin Min Du
- Thida Mahay
- Shin Kla
- Shin Shwe Kho Gyi
- Shin Shwe Kho Gale
Sons
- NaungdawgyiNaungdawgyiNaungdawgyi was king of Konbaung Dynasty of Burma from 1760 to 1763. He was a top military commander in his father Alaungpaya's reunification campaigns of the country. As king, he spent much of his short reign suppressing multiple rebellions across the newly founded kingdom from Ava and Toungoo ...
, 1734–1763 - HsinbyushinHsinbyushinHsinbyushin was king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1763 to 1776. The second son of the dynasty founder Alaungpaya is best known for his wars with China and Siam, and is considered the most militaristic king of the dynasty. His successful defense against four Chinese invasions preserved...
, 1736–1776 - Amyint Mintha, 1743–1777
- BodawpayaBodawpayaBodawpaya was the sixth king of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma. Born Maung Shwe Waing and later Badon Min, he was the fourth son of Alaungpaya, founder of the dynasty and the Third Burmese Empire. He was proclaimed king after deposing his nephew Phaungkaza Maung Maung, son of his oldest brother...
, 1745–1819 - Pakhan Mintha, 1749–1802
- Sitha Mintha, 1753–1782
- Pindale Mintha, 1754–1785
- Myingun Mintha, d. 1804
- Kodaw-gyi, died young
- Myawaddy Mintha, d. 1792
Daughters
- Khin Myat Hla, died young
- Me Tha, Sri Maha Mangala Devi, Princess of KanniKanni, KalewaKanni is a village in Kalewa Township, Kale District, in the Sagaing Region of western Burma.-External links:*...
, b. 1738 - Me Myat Hla, 1745–1788
- Me Sin, Princess of Pegu, 1747–1767
- Me Minkhaung, Princess of Pandaung
- Min Shwe Hmya, Princess of Zindaw, b. 1754
- Me Nyo Mya, Princess of Pin
External links
- Capt. George Baker, Observations at Persaim and in the Journey to Ava and Back in 1755 SOAS
- Treaty between Alaung-hpaya and the British East India Company in 1757 SOAS
- Robert Lester, Proceedings of an Embassy to the King of Ava, Pegu, &C. in 1757 SOAS
- Capt. Walter Alves, Diary of the Proceedings of an Embassy to Burma in 1760 SOAS
- Michael Symes, An Account of an Embassy to the Kingdom of Ava, sent by the Governor-General of India, in the year 1795, detailed descriptions of Alaungpaya's military campaigns in the south during the 1750s.