Early life
Thado Minsaw was born Maung Paw ( ) to then Prince of Badon (later King Bodawpaya) and his third wife Me Lun Thu (later Queen of Northern Palace) in 1762 inCrown prince
Conquest of Arakan
Thado Minsaw's first major assignment as crown prince was to lead the Burmese invasion of Arakan, an independent kingdom in the west, separated by the Arakan Yoma mountains. In October 1784, Thado Minsaw as commander-in-chief led an expedition force consisted of four divisions, totaling 30,000 men (including 2500 cavalry and 200 elephants). Three divisions crossed the Arakan Yoma from three different passes with Thado Minsaw's division crossing the mountains from its Minbu base. The fourth was a flotilla which came up from the Indian Ocean coastline from the erstwhile British base at Negrais. On the last day of the year, the Burmese forces captured the Arakanese capital Mrauk-U, ending nearly five centuries of Arakanese independence.Myint-U 2001: 14Harvey 1925: 267 Twenty thousand people were deported to populate the king's new capital Amarapura. In the looting and destruction that followed, much of Arakan's cultural and intellectual heritage was lost. The royal library was burned to the ground. The country was annexed and ruled through four governorships, each backed by a garrison. The Mahamuni Buddha, the very symbol of Arakanese sovereignty, was forcibly brought to Amarapura.Administration
Though still in his twenties, Thado Minsaw came to be relied upon by his father for both domestic and military affairs. In late 1785, Thado Minsaw was entrusted to govern in Amarapura while the king personally led a large scale invasion of Siam. After the invasion, which ended in total failure, Bodawpaya handed over managing the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom to Thado Minsaw, and concentrated on religion.Defense of Tenasserim
The crown prince was called on to service again in 1792 when the Siamese again invaded Tenasserim, the coastal region directly west ofTheater
The crown prince was also instrumental in revitalizing Burmese theater. In the 1780s, he brought together a circle of innovative young artists in his private court, including Maung Sa, the future Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa. In 1789, a Royal Commission consisted of princes and ministers was charged with translating Siamese and Javanese dramas from Thai to Burmese. With the help of Siamese artists captured from Ayutthaya in 1767,Brandon 1967: 27 the commission adapted two important epics from Thai to Burmese: the Siamese Ramayana and the Enao, the Siamese version of Javanese Panji tales into Burmese Yama Zatdaw and Enaung Zatdaw.Death
Crown Prince Thado Minsaw died at Amarapura at age 45 on 9 April 1808. He had 22 queens, 32 sons and 26 daughters. Although he was not to be king, the crown prince was father of two future kings, Bagyidaw and Tharrawaddy. The rest of Konbaung kings traced lineage to him.References
Bibliography
* * * * * {{s-end Burmese princes Konbaung dynasty Burmese generals 1762 births 1808 deaths Burmese heirs apparent who never acceded