Minyekyawswa

For other people named Minyekyawswa, see Minyekyawswa (disambiguation).

Minyekyawswa မင်းရဲကျော်စွာ
Burmese nat (spirit) representation of Minyekyawswa as Maung Minbyu
Heir Apparent of Ava
Reign	c. February 1407 – 13 March 1417 (10 years)
Predecessor	Theiddat
Successor	Thihathu
Consort	Saw Minhla
Issue
Minnge Kyawhtin
Full name
Min Phyu
House	Pinya
Father	Minkhaung I
Mother	Shin Mi-Nauk
Born	c. September 1391 753 ME Ava
Died	13 March 1417 (aged 25) Wednesday, 4th waxing of Tagu 778 ME Dala
Burial	Dala and Twante
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Minyekyawswa (Burmese: မင်းရဲကျော်စွာ, pronounced [mɪ́ɴjɛ́ tɕɔ̀zwà]; c. September 1391 – 13 March 1417) was crown prince of Ava from 1407 to 1417, and commander-in-chief of Ava's military from 1410 to 1417. He is best remembered in Burmese history as the courageous general who waged the most fierce battles of Forty Years' War (1385–1424) against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu.

The prince, who led an army battalion at age 13 and the entire army at 15, was his father King Minkhaung I's best and most trusted general. Between 1406 and 1417, the father and son team waged war on all of Ava's neighbors, and nearly succeeded in reassembling the Pagan Empire under Ava's leadership. By 1416, Ava had defeated two strongest Shan states of Mohnyin (1406) and Theinni (1413) in the north, overrun Arakan (1406, 1412) in the west, and seized the entire Irrawaddy delta (1415) in the south, forcing Razadarit to flee Pegu for Martaban. On the cusp of final victory, Minyekyawswa was wounded in a battle near Dala (Yangon), and captured by the Hanthawaddy army in March 1417. The crown prince of Ava refused treatment, and died shortly after. He was 25.

Minyekyawswa was deeply respected by both sides for his courage. His archenemy Razadarit gave him a burial with full royal honors and rites. Minyekyawswa's campaigns of 1414-1417 were the climax of Forty Years' War. After his death, the war quickly petered out. Only two more campaigns (1417–1418 and 1423–1424) were fought half-heartedly by both sides. Ava's military success was mostly attributable to his inspired leadership; Ava would not see this kind of success again.

Minkhaung and Minyekyawswa's struggles against Razadarit are retold as classic stories of legend in Burmese popular culture. Minyekyawswa's name is still invoked alongside the names of greatest warrior kings of Burmese history.

Early life

Minyekyawswa was the first child of Minkhaung, the Prince of Pyinsi by his chief queen Shin Mi-Nauk, a daughter of the saopha (Chief) of the Shan state of Mohnyin. His birth name was Min Phyu. As Minkhaung himself was one-eighth Shan, Minyekyawswa was 9/16th Shan, and 7/16th Burman. During his youth, he grew up in Pyinsi, located about 30 miles south of Ava where his father was in charge.

According to Burmese and Mon chronicles, the people of Ava and Hanthawaddy kingdoms believed that Minyekyawswa was the reincarnation of Prince Bawlawkyantaw of Hanthawaddy, who was executed on the orders of his father Razadarit for suspicion of treason in 1390. Bawlawkyantaw was said to have sworn an oath before taking the poison that if he were innocent, he was to be reborn in the dynasty of Ava kings, and be the scourge of Mons. Still according to the legend, Shin Mi-Nauk supposedly wanted to eat three types of delicacies from Lower Burma, and ordered them. Shortly after, she became pregnant with Minyekyawswa. In the superstitious world of Burmese politics, Razadarit was said to have been greatly concerned.^[1]

At age 10, Minyekyawswa came to Ava when his father ascended the Ava throne circa September 1401. Minkhaung came to power with the significant help of his brother Theiddat who led the Ava army to put down a major rebellion by the lord of Yamethin.^[2]

Military service

Main article: Forty Years' War

Minyekyawswa was a driven personality from an early age. He led an army battalion at age 13, an army at 15, and the entire military of Ava at 19. In the dozen years between 1406 and 1417, he was called on to fight Ava's enemies wherever they appeared—in Arakan, in Lower Burma, in Shan States. Ava was not doing well until he was put in charge of the army in 1410. Despite fighting multiple adversaries simultaneously, Ava under his inspired leadership soundly defeated Theinni (and its Chinese army), and came very close to conquering all of Lower Burma from Hanthawaddy.

Early years (1404–1410)

Razadarit's invasion of Ava (1404–1406)

Minyekyawswa saw his first military action at 13. In December 1404, King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu broke the truce in place since 1391, and invaded the upcountry with a massive flotilla (4000 boats of every description) that also transported elephants and horses.^[3] The 13-year-old Minyekyawswa was allowed to lead an army battalion.^[4] This phase of the war ended in February 1406 when both sides entered into another truce again.^[3]

Arakan and Hanthawaddy (1406–1407)

In late 1406, Minyekyawswa at 15 was allowed to lead the invasion of Arakan. Minyekyawswa's invasion force defeated the Arakanese at their capital Launggyet, forcing its king Min Saw Mon (Narameikhla) to flee to Bengal. The prince left Anawrahta, the newly appointed king of Arakan backed by a garrison of 3000 troops, and returned to Ava. His 13-year-old sister Saw Pye Chantha was sent by Minkhaung to be the wife of Anawrahta. Soon after Minyekyawswa left with the main Ava army in early 1407, Razadarit, who decided that he could not allow Arakan to be fallen to Ava, broke the truce for the second time, and sent in an invasion force from Bassein (Pathein). The Hanthawaddy army stormed Launggyet and captured both Anawrahta and Saw Pye Chantha.^[3] Razadarit had Minkhaung's son-in-law executed, and took Saw Pye Chantha as queen. Both Minkhaung and Minyekyawswa were incensed. Against everyone's advice, Minkhaung invaded the Hanthawaddy country in May 1407 at the start of the rainy season, and but Ava forces were soundly defeated.^[5]

Theinni (1408)

In 1408, Minkhaung sent Minyekyawswa to defend against Shan raiders from Theinni, which was the most powerful Shan State. Minyekyawswa successfully defended the Shan attacks.

Hanthawaddy (1409)

In early 1409, Minkhaung invaded the south and reached the outskirts of Pegu's fortified walls. Razadarit's forces withstood the assaults and held out until the rainy season came. During the rainy season Minkhaung's communication lines and supply lines were cut. Razadarit came out and attacked Minkhaung. The Ava forces were routed, and driven out. During the chaotic retreat, Minkhaung's chief queen Shin Mi-Nauk (Minyekyawswa's mother) was captured by Hanthawaddy forces. Razadarit made Shin Mi-Nauk his queen. Razadarit now had both the mother and the daughter in his harem. Minyekyawswa became a "fiend".^[1]

Commander-in-chief (1410–1417)

After this disastrous defeat of 1409, a dejected Minkhaung handed over the military leadership to Minyekyawswa.

Irrawaddy delta (1410)

In 1410, Minyekyawswa led his forces by river and land south, attacking Myaungmya, Bassein, and Khebaung in the Irrawaddy delta. But the attacks were unsuccessful.^[6]

Arakan, Theinni, Prome, Mawke/Mawdon (1412–1413)

In early 1412, Minyekyawswa invaded Arakan, and ousted the Hanthawaddy-installed puppet king. Minyekyawswa left a garrison in Arakan but had to rush back as the army of Shan state of Theinni attacked the northernmost garrison of Myedu, and was marching towards Ava.

The Shan state of Theinni (Hsenwi) was probably the strongest Shan state among the various Shan states that existed between Ava and Chinese Yunnan border.Theinni, which paid tribute to the Ming court, was concerned about Ava's annexation of Shan states of Kale and Mohnyin, and did not want Ava to win its war against Hanthawaddy.^[6]

Arriving back from Arakan, Minyekyawswa intercepted the Theinni army led by its saopha. He killed the saopha in single combat on his elephant at Wetwin (near today's Pyinoolwin (Maymyo)).^[1] With his army of 40,000 soldiers, 200 battle elephants and 3000 horses, Minyekyawswa chased the retreating army, and laid siege to Theinni in November 1412. But after five months, he could not take the fortified city whose defenders were waiting for Chinese reinforcements from Yunnan. Around March 1413, a Chinese force of 20,000 and 2000 cavalry from Yunnan were approaching the city to relieve the siege. He ordered a quiet pullout of the city at night, and waited in the Sinkhan forest nearby. The Ava army split the Chinese army into three groups, and attacked them as the Chinese came out of the forest. He captured prisoners of war including five Chinese officials, 2000 troops and 1000 horses. Approximately 500 horses died.^[7]

While Minyekyawswa was laying siege to Theinni, Razadarit's army invaded Arakan and removed the Ava-installed puppet king.

After defeating the Chinese reinforcements, the Ava prince returned to besiege Theinni city as before. But he was called back to Ava when Hanthawaddy forces attacked Prome (Pyay) in the south. Minyekyawswa's army relieved Prome. The Hanthawaddy general Lagun Ein was killed in battle, and the Hanthawaddy forces retreated.^[6] Still in 1413, two Shan brothers, chiefs of Mawke and Mawdon in today's Shwebo District, attacked the frontier town of Myedu until Minyekyawswa drove them away.^[1]

Hanthawaddy (1414–1417)

Having quelled the Shan raiders, Minyekyawswa invaded the delta in full force in February 1414 (Tabodwe 775 ME). By 1415, the fiery prince of Ava had conquered the entire delta in the west, and controlled up to the outskirts of Pegu in the east. In the wake of this onslaught, Razadarit fled to Martaban. Fortunately for Razadarit, Minyekyawswa was wounded in battle at Dala, and was captured by Hanthawaddy troops in March 1417.^[1][6] The crown prince of Ava refused treatment, and died shortly after on 13 March 1417. He was 25. (The Mon chronicles say Minyekyawswa died of his wounds but the Burmese chronicles say he was executed.^[4])

His archenemy Razadarit gave him a burial with full royal honors and rites.^[3] Minkhaung renewed the campaign, marching to Dala to exhume his sons' bones from where Razadarit had given them honorable burial. The remains were solemnly dropped into the waters near Twante.^[1] Hanthawaddy marched north to Toungoo in 1417 and Ava marched south to Pegu in 1418, but the war machine had run out of steam.

Legacy

Minyekyawswa was deeply respected by both sides for his courage. Minyekyawswa's campaigns of 1414-1417 were the culmination of Forty Years' War. After his death, the war quickly petered out. Only two more campaigns (1417–1418 and 1423–1424) were fought half-heartedly by both sides. Heart-broken by his son's death, Minkhaung spent his remaining years in piety. Minhkaung died in early 1422 (783 ME), followed by Razadarit later that year. Their successors carried on the war for a few years but gradually a long period of peace descended over the south.

Ava's military success was mostly attributable to his inspired leadership; Ava would not see this kind of success again.

Minkhaung and Minyekyawswa's struggles against Razadarit are retold as classic stories of legend in Burmese popular culture. Minyekyawswa's name is still invoked alongside the names of greatest warrior kings of Burmese history. He then entered the pantheon of Burmese nats (spirits) as Maung Minbyu (his birth name).

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} GE Harvey (1925). "Shan Migration (Pegu)". History of Burma (2000 ed.). Asian Educational Services. pp. 86–95. ISBN 8120613651, 9788120613652. 
2. ^ Jon Fernquest (Spring 2006). "Rajadhirat’s Mask of Command: Military Leadership in Burma (c. 1348-1421)". SBBR 4 (1): 1–10. http://web.soas.ac.uk/burma/4.1files/4.1fernquest.pdf. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Major Gen. Sir Arthur Purves Phayre (1873). "The History of Pegu". Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal (Oxford University) 42: 47–55. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Maung Htin Aung (1967). "Ava against Pegu; Shan against Mon". A History of Burma. New York and London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 90–93. 
5. ^ Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. Phayre (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta. pp. 58–60. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d} Jon Fernquest (Autumn 2006). "Crucible of War: Burma and the Ming in the Tai Frontier Zone (1382–1454)". SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research 4 (2): 51–54. http://web.soas.ac.uk/burma/SBBR4.2/4.2Fernquest.pdf. 
7. ^ Goh Geok Yian (2009). Connecting and Distancing: Southeast Asia and China. Institute of Southeast Asian. p. 24. ISBN 9812308563, 9789812308566. 

Minyekyawswa Ava Kingdom Born: c. September 1391 Died: 13 March 1417
Royal titles
Preceded by Theiddat	Heir to the Burmese Throne 1407–1417	Succeeded by Thihathu
Preceded by Sokkate	Governor of Prome 1416–1417	Succeeded by Thihathu

Persondata
Name
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1391
Place of birth	Ava
Date of death	13 March 1417
Place of death	Dala