Thu Mahar Thiri Dhammaraja (1844 – 20 September 1921), commonly known as Myingun Prince, was a in Burmese royal prince during the late Konbaung dynasty. He is known for his role in the assassination of Crown Prince Kanaung in Myingun Myinkhondaing rebellion. Prince Myingun is portrayed as a villain by Burmese historians because his assassination of his father-in-law Crown Prince Kanaung, the kingdom's leading reformist, crippled attempts to modernize Burma's army and other institutions.

Early life

Myingun prince was born in 1844, before King Mindon ascended the throne, to Mindon prince and the Royal Queen of the Southern Gilded Chamber. His given name was Maung Myo Aye. He had a younger brother Myinkhondaing Prince. He was first conferred the title of Thilawa and later Thu Mahar Thiri Dhammaraja, and received the appanage of .Myingun is a town in

Magway Region Magway Region (, ; formerly Magway Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative division in central Myanmar. It is the second largest of Myanmar's seven divisions, with an area of . Pa-de Dam (ပဒဲဆည်) is one of ...

. In 1858, he married his first cousin, Meen Cho Bo, Princess of Taungnyo, daughter of Crown Prince Kanaung, by his wife, Myauk-saung Shin Key. He also married to saungya kolouptaw Shin O and Khinle Pya, the widow of his younger brother, the Prince of Myingundaing.

Rebellion and later life

On 2 August 1866, Crown Prince Kanaung was beheaded by the princes of Myingun and Myinkhondaing in a failed coup against his father, King Mindon at a cabinet meeting in the palace. King Mindon, however, managed to escape the assassination. A minister and some officials were killed along with Kanaung. After the unsuccessful coup, the two brothers and their mother ran away to Myingyan and later to Yangon. The

British Colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

government sent them to

Port Blair Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...

Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India comprising 572 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. The islands are grouped into two main clusters: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a ...

and then to

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

Chunar Chunar is a city located in Mirzapur district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is nearby Mirzapur city. The railway tracks passing through Chunar Junction railway station leads to major destinations of India, including Howrah, Delhi, Ta ...

and

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. Burma fell under colonial rule in 1886 and they left for Saigon, a French colony at the time. From there, he led anti-British movements among Burmese people and

saopha Saopha (), also spelled Sawbwa, was the title used by hereditary rulers of Shan states in Upper Myanmar. Chaopha and Chao Fa were similar titles used by the hereditary Tai rulers in mainland Southeast Asia and the Ahom kingdom in India. Nam ...

s in

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

. He returned to Myanmar twice in secret to supervise the fight against the British. His efforts were largely stymied when Britain and France signed an agreement in 1904 that brought the colonial powers closer together, the

Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and the French Third Republic, French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Fr ...

. He continued his fight against the British until his last days in Saigon. He died on September 20, 1921, at the age of 77 in Saigon, Vietnam.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Myingun Konbaung dynasty 1844 births 1921 deaths Burmese princes Sons of kings