Smin Upakaung the Elder (, ; 1380s–1401) was a Hanthawaddy commander who fought in the Second Ava–Hanthawaddy War. A son-in-law of 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 ...

, the commander died in action in the battle of Myede at the beginning of the war in 1401. He was the elder brother of

Smin Bayan Smin Bayan (; or သမိန် ပရမ်း,The modern spelling သမိန် ဗရမ်း per (MSK 1973: 33–37) and (Ne Soe Htet 2011: 211–215). သမိန် ပရမ်း is the spelling used in the main chronicles; see (M ...

and the first husband of Princess Tala Mi Saw.

Brief

''Smin Upakaung was a

Mon language The Mon language, formerly known as Peguan and Talaing, is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon people. Mon, like the related Khmer language, but unlike most languages in mainland Southeast Asia, is not tonal. The Mon language is a recogn ...

title worn by successive commanders in the service of the monarchs of Hanthawaddy Pegu. This article is about the first of three Smin Upakaungs mentioned in the royal chronicles.'' Chronicles provide little information about his background except that he was married to Princess Tala Mi Saw by 1401.Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 213 His personal name is not known. By the start of the Second Ava–Hanthawaddy War, he was known by his title of Smin Upakaung and served as a minister (အမတ်, ''amat'') at the court of his father-in-law King

.Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 312Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 447 His wartime career was short. When the war began in November 1401, Upakaung commanded one of the three vanguard flotillas, under the overall command of Gen.

Byat Za SminSmin is a transliteration of the Mon language title သ္ငီ. The title is also transliterated into English as Smim. Byat Za (, ; also spelled in Burmese, သမိန်ဖြတ်စ,The name reported in the standard Burmese chronicle ...

, that invaded the northern kingdom of

Ava Ava or AVA may refer to: Places Asia and Oceania * Ava Kingdom, in upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 ** Inwa, formerly Ava, the capital of Ava Kingdom ** Earl of Ava, a British colonial earldom in Burma * Ava, Iran, Gilan Province, a village * Iva ...

.Pan Hla 2005: 205 His deputy commander was his younger brother Athayi. When the Hanthawaddy armada reached Myede, the invaders disembarked, and tried to take the fortified town. Upakaung subsequently was killed by an enemy gunshot from atop the walls of the town, and the attack was called off soon after. His brother Athayi took over the command after his death, and was noticed for his effective commandership. After the first dry season campaign was over, May 1402, King Razadarit not only awarded Athayi the title of Smin Upakaung but also married off Princess Tala Mi Saw to the new Upakaung.Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 218

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{cite book , author=

Royal Historical Commission of Burma The Royal Historical Commission (, ) of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) produced the standard court chronicles of the Konbaung era, ''Hmannan Yazawin'' (1832) and '' Dutiya Yazawin'' (1869). Commission (1829–1832) In May 1829, three ...

, title=

Hmannan Yazawin ''Hmannan Maha Yazawindawgyi'' (, ; commonly, ''Hmannan Yazawin''; known in English as the ''Glass Palace Chronicle'') is the first Burmese chronicle, official chronicle of Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). It was compiled by the Royal Histori ...

, volume=1–3 , orig-year=1832 , location=Yangon , language=my , year=2003 , publisher=Ministry of Information, Myanmar Hanthawaddy dynasty 1380s births 1401 deaths