Thray Sithu of Myinsaing (, ; – 1426) was a Burmese royal who served as a senior minister at the court 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 ...
from 1400 to 1426. A grandson of two kings, the prince was governor of
Myinsaing
Myinsaing (, ; also transliterated as Myinzaing) is a historical site, located in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was one of the three de facto capitals of Myanmar from 1297 to 1310 during the Myinsaing period. In the present day, ...
, the ancestral home of the
Pinya
Pinya (), or Vijayapura, was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989 ...
–
Sagaing
Sagaing (, ) is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located on the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing, with its numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and ...
–
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 ...
dynasties, from to 1426. He was also Ava's wartime
Viceroy of Arakan for a few months in 1408–1409.
His role was most prominent during the reign of his half-uncle King
Minkhaung I
Minkhaung I of Ava ( ; also spelled Mingaung; 1373–1421) was king of Ava Kingdom, Ava from 1400 to 1421. He is best remembered in History of Myanmar, Burmese history for his epic struggles against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Hantha ...
(r. 1400–1421). The prince twice led the peace negotiations with the southern
Hanthawaddy Kingdom in 1403 and 1408 during the
Forty Years' War
The Forty Years' War (; 1385 – 1423; also Ava–Pegu War or the Mon–Burmese War) was a military war fought between the Burmese-speaking Kingdom of Ava and the Mon-speaking Kingdom of Hanthawaddy. The war was fought during two separat ...
. During the Ava succession crisis of 1425–1426, he supported his cousin King
Min Nyo (r. 1425–1426), and commanded a depleted
royal army against the forces of Governor
Thado of Mohnyin. He suffered two consecutive defeats in battle in 1426, and is not mentioned again in the
chronicles
Chronicles may refer to:
* Books of Chronicles in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''The Chronicles of Prydain'', a novel series by Lloyd Alexander.
* ''Holinshed's Chro ...
.
Early life
Probably born in the early 1370s,
[Inferred from chronicle reporting. Since the future king Swa (born in July 1330 per (Zata 1960: 46, 72)) returned from Arakan to Pinya only in 1343/44 per (RRT Vol. 1 1999: 181), he could have married his first wife Khame Mi in 1343/44 at the earliest. Since he was still just 13 years old in 1343/44, he more likely got married when he was a few years older in the mid-to-late 1340s, and the couple's third child Minkhaung Medaw was probably born in the early 1350s. Since she was apparently married off to a much older Sithu Min Oo after Swa became king in 1367, she could have given birth to her second child Thray Sithu at the earliest. Thray Sithu was born most probably by the early 1370s since he was leading an infantry regiment in the 1390–1391 campaign per (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 202) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 430).] Thray Sithu was the second child of Prince
Sithu Min Oo
Sithu Min Oo (, ; – in or after 1370s) was a longtime pretender to the Pinya throne from the 1320s to the 1360s. After Ava replaced Pinya as the new power in present-day central Myanmar in 1365, Sithu entered into an alliance with King Swa ...
of
Pinya
Pinya (), or Vijayapura, was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989 ...
and Princess
Minkhaung Medaw
Minkhaung Medaw (, ) was a principal queen of King Taka Yut Pi of Hanthawaddy (Ramanya) from 1535 to 1539, and of King Min Bin of Mrauk U (Arakan) from 1540 to 1554. A daughter of King Bayin Htwe of Prome, the queen is also referred to as ...
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 ...
.
[The earliest national chronicle, '']Maha Yazawin
The ''Maha Yazawin'', fully the ''Maha Yazawindawgyi'' (, , Pali : Mahārājavaṃsa) and formerly romanized as the ,. is the first national chronicle of Burma/Myanmar. Completed in 1724 by U Kala, a historian at the Toungoo court, it was the ...
'', does not include any information about Thray Sithu's ancestry. The ''Yazawin Thit
''Maha Yazawin Thit'' (, ; ; also known as ''Myanmar Yazawin Thit'' or ''Yazawin Thit'') is a national chronicle of Burma (Myanmar). Completed in 1798, the chronicle was the first attempt by the Konbaung court to update and check the accuracy o ...
'' chronicle (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 206) says Princess Minkhaung Medaw, the third daughter of King Swa and Queen Khame Mi, was the mother of the Sithu brothers. But the ''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 ...
'' chronicle (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 436) says Princess Saw Salaka Dewi, the second daughter, was the mother of the brothers. However, ''Hmannan's'' reporting is missing the information on the third daughter even though ''Hmannan'' itself says the royal couple had three daughters and two sons. His father was a son of King
Uzana I of Pinya
, image =
, caption =
, reign = February 1325 – 1 September 1340
, coronation =
, succession = King of Pinya
, predecessor = Thihathu
, successor = S ...
(r. 1325–1340) and his mother was a daughter of King
Swa Saw Ke
Mingyi Swa Saw Ke (, ; also spelled Minkyiswasawke or Swasawke; 1330–1400) was king of Ava from 1367 to 1400. He reestablished central authority in Upper Myanmar (Burma) for the first time since the fall of the Pagan Empire in the 1280s. He ...
of Ava (r. 1367–1400).
[Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 206] The prince apparently was held in high regard by King Swa who appointed his grandson to be governor of
Myinsaing
Myinsaing (, ; also transliterated as Myinzaing) is a historical site, located in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was one of the three de facto capitals of Myanmar from 1297 to 1310 during the Myinsaing period. In the present day, ...
, the ancestral home of
Pinya
Pinya (), or Vijayapura, was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989 ...
–
Sagaing
Sagaing (, ) is a town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located on the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing, with its numerous Buddhist monasteries, is an important religious and ...
–
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 ...
dynasties,
[Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 202][Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 430] .
[The first explicit mention in the chronicles of Thray Sithu as governor of Myinsaing was in 1390 per (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 202) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 430). But earlier chronicle reporting (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 196, 198) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 417–418, 422) suggests that he may have received the post as early as 1386. (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 198) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 422) say that an unnamed lord of Myinsaing as a regimental commander went to the front in the second (1386–1387) campaign. It was quite unlikely the lord of Myinsaing in 1386 was Governor ]Shwe Nan Shin of Myinsaing
Shwe Nan Shin (, ) was governor of Myinsaing in the mid-14th century. He was the eldest sibling of King Swa Saw Ke of Ava. He became governor of Myinsaing 1344 during the Pinya period.Chronicles (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 403) say that he was appoi ...
(b. ); he would have been too old to still be a regimental commander then. Indeed, per (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 196) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 417–418), no lord of Myinsaing participated a year earlier, in the first (1385–1386) campaign. He had one older brother
Sithu Thanbawa
Sithu Thanbawa (, or more commonly, as ; also transliterated as Sithu Thambhawa;Aung-Thwin 2017: 61 – 1390s) was a Burmese prince who held in fief the Five Irrigated Districts (centered around present-day Yamethin District) of the Ava Kingdo ...
, who held the "Five Irrigated Districts" (ရေလွှဲ ငါးခရိုင်; present-day
Yamethin District
Yamethin District () is a district of the Mandalay Region in central Myanmar.
Townships
The district contains the following Townships of Myanmar, townships:
*Pyawbwe Township
*Yamethin Township
Yamethin District
Districts of Myanmar
...
and surrounding regions) in fief.
[Per (Thein Hlaing 2011: 151), the "Five Irrigated Districts" were: (1) ]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 ...
, (2) Petpaing, (3) Pyakaung, (4) Taung Nyo and (5) Tamyinhsan.
Career
Forty Years' War
His career was shaped by Ava's Forty Years' War
The Forty Years' War (; 1385 – 1423; also Ava–Pegu War or the Mon–Burmese War) was a military war fought between the Burmese-speaking Kingdom of Ava and the Mon-speaking Kingdom of Hanthawaddy. The war was fought during two separat ...
(1385–1423) against the southern Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Like senior princes of the day, he (and his brother) started out in the royal army, as regimental commanders, and saw action in the third campaign (1390–1391) of the war.[ When the war was renewed in 1401, he had moved into the Ava high command, as a senior adviser to the then new king ]Minkhaung I
Minkhaung I of Ava ( ; also spelled Mingaung; 1373–1421) was king of Ava Kingdom, Ava from 1400 to 1421. He is best remembered in History of Myanmar, Burmese history for his epic struggles against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Hantha ...
. In January 1403, he led the Ava delegation that negotiated the initial ceasefire with the Hanthawaddy delegation led by 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 ...
at the border.[Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 223][Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 465] (The eventual peace treaty was negotiated by Chief Minister Min Yaza five months later.)[Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 469–470]
His second, certainly more famous, ceasefire negotiation came in August 1408. The peace treaty of 1403 had been broken by 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 ...
of Hanthawaddy in March/April 1408 when a Hanthawaddy army overthrew the Ava-installed king Anawrahta
Anawrahta Minsaw (, ; 11 May 1014 – 11 April 1077) was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that ...
from Arakan
Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...
(present-day Rakhine State
Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...
).[Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 334][Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 228][Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 477] Furious, King Minkhaung, despite his advisers' strenuous objections, launched an invasion of the southern country in May 1408 right before the rainy season. When the invasion predictably got bogged down in the Irrawaddy delta
The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Irrawaddy Division, the lowest expanse of land in Myanmar (Burma) that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, to the south at the mout ...
three months into the campaign, the king sent a delegation led by Thray Sithu to negotiate a ceasefire. The first and only meeting of the negotiation was famous in Burmese history
The history of Myanmar ( ) covers the period from the time of first-known human settlements 13,000 years ago to the present day. The earliest inhabitants of recorded history were a Tibeto-Burman-speaking people who established the Pyu city-sta ...
for the Hanthawaddy commander Lagun Ein
Maha Saw Lagun Ein (, ; also spelled Lagunein; d. March 1413) was a key frontline commander of the Hanthawaddy military from the 1380s to 1413. The commander led the military's vanguard land and naval forces as well as notable assassination mi ...
's honest response to a routine question by the Ava commander Thado if Pegu was negotiating in good faith. Lagun Ein is said to have answered with brutal honesty: "Fool, this is war. You'll kill me if you can. I'll kill you if I can. How can you trust anyone?" Thray Sithu promptly broke off the negotiations.[Pan Hla 2005: 254–255] The Ava forces withdrew in total disarray with great loss of life.[Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 484–485]
After the disastrous invasion, Thray Sithu was sent to retake Arakan. According to the Arakanese chronicle ''Rakhine Razawin Thit
''Rakhine Razawin Thit'' (, , Arakanese pronunciation: ) is a Burmese chronicle covering the history of Arakan from time immemorial to the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). The author was Ven. Sandamala Linkara (), the ''Sayadaw'' (Chief A ...
'', the Ava army led by the lord of Myinsaing briefly retook the Arakanese capital Launggyet
Launggyet ( ) is a former capital of the Launggyet Dynasty of Arakan from 1237/1251 to 1430. It is also last capital of Laymro Kingdom. The former capital site is located a few miles northwest of Mrauk U, Mrauk U, Rakhine State, Myanmar. The Araka ...
in 1408. But he could not hold Launggyet when a Hanthawaddy army returned later in the dry season. The Ava forces fell back to a border fort near Nga Khwe-Thin Taung. Thray Sithu did not remain in Arakan; the Ava fort was commanded by Letya of Phaunglin for the next three years.[RRT Vol. 2 1999: 10] It was Thray Sithu's last known campaign in the Forty Years' War, which ended in 1423. He is not mentioned in the subsequent campaigns of the war in any capacity in the chronicles.
Succession crisis (1425–1426)
The prince's last military campaign came during the Ava succession crisis of 1425–1426. He supported his cousin Prince Min Nyo of Kale who seized the throne in November 1425, after his allies had assassinated kings Thihathu
Thihathu (, ; 1265–1325) was a co-founder of the Myinsaing Kingdom, and the founder of the Pinya Kingdom in today's central Burma (Myanmar).Coedès 1968: 209 Thihathu was the youngest and most ambitious of the three brothers that successful ...
and Min Hla within a three-month span. When Governor Thado of Mohnyin formally revolted in February 1426,[(Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 271) and (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 59): Tabaung 787 ME = 6 February 1426 to 7 March 1426] Thray Sithu along with Governor Le Than Bwa of Onbaung agreed to lead the fight for Nyo. Thray Sithu set up camp with 2000 troops on the west bank at Thissein (modern Shwebo Township
Shwebo Township () is a township of Shwebo District in the Myanmar's Sagaing Region. It is located on the plains between the Mu River and the Ayeyarwady River. The ancient palace of King Alaungmintaya is there. Its administrative seat is the cit ...
) about north 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 ...
(Inwa), while Le Than Bwa guarded the east bank with another 2000 men.[Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 271][Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 59]
Despite the preparations, Thissein fell quickly after a daring surprise attack from the river side by Thado's sons. The fort's defenses, which included 50 war boats, had not expected an attack by the Mohnyin navy as the main Mohnyin army had not yet shown up. Indeed, after the capture of Thissein, the sons had to wait for their father's army to arrive for another ten days.[ At Thissein, Thado paused, and recruited more troops from the region. Then the enlarged forces of Mohnyin attacked Wetchet, where Thray Sithu and his deputy ]Sokkate
Sokkate (, ; 29 March 1001 – 11 August 1044) was king of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1038 to 1044. The king lost his life in a single combat with Anawrahta, who succeeded him and went on to found the Pagan Empire.Coedès 1968: 133, ...
were waiting with 3000 troops. Ava troops put up a fight but the town eventually fell.[ Thray Sithu and Sokkate either fell in action or were captured as they are not mentioned in the chronicles afterwards.
]
Ancestry
Prince Thray Sithu was descended from the 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 ...
–Pinya
Pinya (), or Vijayapura, was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989 ...
–Myinsaing
Myinsaing (, ; also transliterated as Myinzaing) is a historical site, located in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was one of the three de facto capitals of Myanmar from 1297 to 1310 during the Myinsaing period. In the present day, ...
royal lines, and ultimately the Pagan
Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
royalty from both sides.[
]
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{s-end
Ava dynasty
1370s births
1426 deaths