Thado Minsaw of Prome (, ; 1440s–1526) Tai name ''Hso Ming Hpa'' was the founder of Prome Kingdom, and reigned the minor kingdom from 1482 to 1527. In 1524, he entered into an alliance with the

Confederation of Shan States The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan kingdoms called '' möng'' whose rulers bore the title '' saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of British India. The term "Shan States" was fir ...

, and participated in the 1525 sack of Ava (Inwa).

Early life

He was born Min Ba Saw (မင်းဘစော) to

Narapati I of Ava Narapati I of Ava (, ; 7 June 1413 – 24 July 1468) was king of Ava from 1442 to 1468. In the early years of his reign, this former viceroy of Prome (Pyay) was forced to deal with raids from the Shan State of Mogaung as well as the Ming Chine ...

and his chief queen Atula Thiri Maha Yaza Dewi of Ava. He was the seventh of the couple's eight children.Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 84 He had two elder brothers, four elder sisters and a younger sister. He was married to his first cousin Myat Hpone Pyo, who was the youngest daughter of his maternal uncle Saw Shwe Khet, governor of Prome and later Tharrawaddy.Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 84 Ba Saw grew up in Ava until 1460 when his father appointed him governor of Tharrawaddy, the southernmost town on the border with the Hanthawaddy Kingdom.(Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 84) says Ba Saw was appointed governor in 821 ME (1459/60) but later chronicles (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 293) and (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 95) give 822 ME (1460/61).

Governor of Tharrawaddy

His first dozen years at Tharrawaddy were non-eventful. He was reappointed to the post when his eldest brother Thihathura I succeeded the Ava throne in 1468. In late 1472/early 1473, Thado Minsaw entered into an alliance with his elder brother

Mingyi Swa , title = Viceroy of Toungoo , image = , caption = , reign = 15 October 1581 – , coronation = , succession = Heir Apparent of Burma , predecessor = ...

, the viceroy of Prome, to raise a rebellion against their brother. They expected to receive military aid from King Dhammazedi of Hanthawaddy but the plan did not materialize. Both brothers submitted to Thihathura in February 1473.(Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 102): Tabaung 834 ME = 28 January 1473 to 26 February 1473 Thihathura forgave his brothers and reappointed them to their former positions.Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 101–102

King of Prome

After Thihathura died in 1480, the new king

Minkhaung II Minkhaung II ( ; 9 October 1446 – 7 April 1501) was king of Ava from 1480 to 1501. His 20-year reign was the beginning of the decline of Ava's hold on Upper Burma. Yamethin, a region to the east of Ava, revolted upon Minkhaung's accession to ...

was greeted by a major rebellion by his brother Minye Kyawswa, the governor of

Yamethin Yamethin Township is a Townships of Burma, township of Yamethin District in the Mandalay Region of Burma, Burma (Myanmar). The administrative seat and principal city is Yamethin, which is also the major rail stop in the township, and it has a popul ...

. In 1482, Thado Minsaw's another elder brother Viceroy Mingyi Swa of Prome also died.Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 113–114 Thado Minsaw took advantage of the war between his nephews Minkhaung II and Minye Kyawswa in Upper Burma by taking over Prome, and declaring himself independent. He raised his brother Mingyi Swa's chief wife Saw Myat Lay as his chief queen. Minkhaung II managed to send an army to reclaim Prome. But the Avan army could not take Prome, and retreated after a month due to the fierce bombardment from

fire arrow Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the tra ...

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

, and the newly acquired

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

s. Ava could not send another force again as the much more serious Yamethin rebellion (and rebellions by the Shan States of

Mohnyin Mohnyin (, ; ) is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is the administrative center for both Mohnyin Township and Mohnyin District Mohnyin District () is a Districts of Burma, district of the Kachin State in northern Myanmar. The administrative c ...

and

Kale Kale (), also called leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars primarily grown for their Leaf vegetable, edible leaves; it has also been used as an ornamental plant. Its multiple different cultivars vary quite ...

) consumed its resources for the next two decades. Prome became an independent kingdom with territories that included Tharrawaddy in the south and Myede in the north.Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 93–97 Thado Minsaw largely stayed out of the fighting in Upper Burma. He forged a peaceful relationship with Hanthawaddy, the most powerful kingdom in the region. He changed his policy in the 1520s when Ava was on its last legs suffering from the sustained assaults by

. He entered into a league with

Sawlon Sawlon of Mohnyin ( ; 1486–1533), Tai name Hso Lung Hpa, was saopha of the Shan state of Mohnyin in the early the 16th century. He is best remembered in Burmese history as the conqueror of Ava Kingdom. Sawlon led a confederation of Shan stat ...

, the confederation's leader. On 22 March 1525 (14th waning of Tabaung 886 ME), the combined armies of Confederation and Prome sacked the city of Ava.Sein Lwin Lay 2006: 105–106 The king of Ava,

Shwenankyawshin Shwenankyawshin Narapati (, , ; 28 July 1476 – 14 March 1527) was king of Ava from 1501 to 1527. His reign saw the disintegration of the Ava Kingdom. He spent much of his reign fighting back the attacks from the Confederation of Shan States. ...

, who was Thado Minsaw's grandnephew, escaped. Prome and Confederation forces looted the city. The Prome armies brought back the famed poet monk Shin Maha Rattathara.Harvey 1925: 106–107 Prome remained in a league with the Confederation, which continued its attacks on Ava. Thado Minsaw died in February 1527,(Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 215) simply says that he died in 888 ME (30 March 1526 to 29 March 1527). (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 321) provides a more specific date: he died in Tabaung 888 ME (31 January 1527 to 1 March 1527). and was succeeded by his son Bayin Htwe.

Family

Thado Minsaw had three sons and three daughters with his first wife Myat Hpone Pyo, who died in Tharrawaddy before he became king of Prome. In 1482, he married his sister-in-law Saw Myat Lay; they did not have any children.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thado Minsaw Of Prome Ava dynasty Prome dynasty 1527 deaths 1440s births 16th-century Burmese monarchs 15th-century Burmese monarchs