Smim Maru
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Smin Maru (, or ;This is a Mon name. Modern Burmese pronunciations given. also spelled Smim Maru d. 1384) was a general of the Royal Hanthawaddy Army, and a pretender to the Hanthawaddy throne. Son of a court official, Maru rose to the upper echelons of the Hanthawaddy court by marrying Princess Tala Mi Thiri. He then became a close ally and alleged lover of Princess-Regent Maha Dewi. He was executed on the order of his brother-in-law King
Razadarit Razadarit (, ; , or ; also spelled Yazadarit, "king of kings"; 1368–1421) was king of Kingdom of Hanthawaddy, Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1384 to 1421. He successfully unified his Mon language, Mon-speaking kingdom, and fended off major assaults ...
in 1384.


Brief

Maru was not a royal but a son of a senior court official and a military commander.Pan Hla 2005: 65 Maru apparently become a wealthy man by the early 1370s when he asked for the hand of Princess Tala Mi Thiri, daughter of King Binnya U. (She had just returned from
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
after a divorce from King Kue Na of
Lan Na The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developmen ...
.) He is said to have offered five '' viss'' (8.16 kg) of gold in dowry.Pan Hla 2005: 64 Thiri's father King Binnya U had fond memories of Maru's father, who had died in action in his service, and gave his permission. A seven-day lavish wedding between Maru and the princess followed.Pan Hla 2005: 65 Though not a military man, Maru then became a commander in the army. He was the second-in-command of the army that defeated the rebellion of Gov. Than-Byat of
Syriam Thanlyin (; or ; , ; formerly Syriam) is a major port city of Myanmar, located across Bago River from the city of Yangon. Thanlyin comprises 17 quarters. It surrounding Thanlyin Township is home to the largest port in the country, Thilawa port, ...
.Pan Hla 2005: 66 The operation was orchestrated by Princess Maha Dewi, the elder sister of the king. In the following years, he became an ally of the powerful princess. According to the chronicle ''
Razadarit Ayedawbon ''Razadarit Ayedawbon'' () is a Burmese chronicle covering the history of Ramanya from 1287 to 1421. The chronicle consists of accounts of court intrigues, rebellions, diplomatic missions, wars etc. About half of the chronicle is devoted to the ...
'', three years after his marriage to Thiri, he became involved with the princess, now in her 50s.Pan Hla 2005: 67–68Fernquest Spring 2006: 5 The princess gained power over the following years as her brother's health deteriorated. A key faction the Pegu court led by Chief Minister Zeik-Bye opposed the Maha Dewi–Maru faction, and they tried to undermine Maha Dewi's influence by publicizing the affair. At any rate, the Maha Dewi–Maru faction was firmly in power by the early 1380s. By 1382, she was the de facto ruler.Pan Hla 2005: 81 Maru's end came in late 1383. In October, Maha Dewi, now in her official capacity as princess regent asked Maru and Zeik-Byet to lead the Pegu army to put down Prince Binnya Nwe's rebellion at
Dagon Dagon or Dagan (; ) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria, across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attestations of his cult come from cities such as Mari and Emar as well. In settl ...
.Pan Hla 2005: 129 However, Zeik-Bye secretly supported Nwe's rebellion, and provided intelligence to Nwe's camp. On 19 November, Maru's vanguard force was driven back.Pan Hla 2005: 154Fernquest Spring 2006: 6 After Binnya U's death on 2 January 1384, Maru tried to rally the court to put him on the throne. When he found no support, he and his wife tried to flee. But they were both captured. On 5 January 1384,The chronicle ''Razadarit Ayedawbon'' (Pan Hla 2005: 158) says the coronation ceremony was held on Tuesday, 1st waxing of
Tabodwe Tabodwe () is the eleventh month of the traditional Burmese calendar. Festivals and observances *Full moon of Tabodwe **Htamanè, Harvest Festival () **Mon National Day Rakhine people, Rakhine tug of war festival, Yatha Hswe Pwe. *Pagoda festiva ...
745 ME, the day after the court had chosen Binnya Nwe as king. But 1st waxing is a typographical error. Per (Pan Hla 2005: 356, footnote 1), the Burmese language version of the chronicle states that Razadarit became king on Monday, 12th waxing of Tabodwe 745 ME (Monday, 4 Jan 1384). It means the coronation ceremony was held on Tuesday, 13th waxing of Tabodwe 745 ME (5 January 1384), and Maru died on that day.
Binnya Nwe, who became king the day before, ordered Maru's immediate execution right before proceeding to his coronation ceremony.Pan Hla 2005: 160 (Maru's wife Thiri apparently escaped the execution. The chronicle does not say that the new king, who was about to take the title Razadarit, ordered the execution of his half-sister.)


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* * {{cite book , last=Pan Hla , first=Nai , author-link=Nai Pan Hla , title=
Razadarit Ayedawbon ''Razadarit Ayedawbon'' () is a Burmese chronicle covering the history of Ramanya from 1287 to 1421. The chronicle consists of accounts of court intrigues, rebellions, diplomatic missions, wars etc. About half of the chronicle is devoted to the ...
, language=my , orig-year=1968 , edition=8th printing , year=2005 , location=Yangon , publisher=Armanthit Sarpay Hanthawaddy dynasty Burmese generals