Battle of Pagan
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pagan was fought in 1287 between Kublai Khan
's Mongol
, and their neighbors to the south, the Pagan Empire
. The invasion ended the Pagan Empire, which disintegrated to several small kingdoms.
. After Bhamo, the Mongol army penetrated the Irrawaddy River valley and established garrison
s there. The political turmoil of these events tempted Kublai Khan's grandson Esen-Temür who was stationed in Yunnan
, to action. Temür led a large army down the Irrawaddy river valley and captured the capital city Pagan, also sending military parties across the country to ensure submission.
The Burmese king Narathihapate
, who fled Pagan to Lower Burma, prior to the battle, and the Burmese defense collapsed. The king is remembered in Burmese history as Tayokpyemin (lit. the king who ran away from the Chinese). In Lower Burma, the king was promptly assassinated by one of his sons Thihathu of Prome
.
(present-day northern Mandalay Region).
In central Burma, another son of Narathihapate, Kyawswa
, was installed as king by dowager queen Saw. But Kyawswa controlled only the immediate surrounding area of Pagan. Even in central Burma, the real power rested with three Pagan military commanders who through their small but well-disciplined army controlled the Kyaukse district, the most important granary of Pagan. Kyawswa had no choice but to recognize them as lords of Kyaukse. The brothers increasingly acted like sovereigns. Nearly ten years after the fall of Pagan, Kyawswa decided to became a Mongol vassal in January 1297. He received official Mongol recognition as the ruler of Burma in March 1298. Unsatisfied with their reduced status, the brothers dethroned Kyawswa in December 1298, and founded the Myinsaing Kingdom
, officially ending the Pagan Kingdom. The Mongol army's effort to install their new nominee, one of Kyawswa's sons, to the Pagan throne in 1301 was unsuccessful. Two years later, in 1303, the Yuan court decided to withdraw completely from Upper Burma, and the Mongol army left Tagaung.
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
's Mongol
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, and their neighbors to the south, the Pagan Empire
Pagan Kingdom
The Pagan Kingdom or Pagan Dynasty was the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute the modern-day Burma...
. The invasion ended the Pagan Empire, which disintegrated to several small kingdoms.
Overview
The battle was initiated by the Mongols, who sensed opportunity in the political turmoil caused by their successful 1283 invasion of the Pagan Empire in the Battle of BhamoBattle of Bhamo
Battle of Bhamo is one of the major battles took between the Yuan Mongols and the Pagan Kingdom in 1283. After Nasir al-Din's victory over the Pagans, the Mongols attempted to try again their success....
. After Bhamo, the Mongol army penetrated the Irrawaddy River valley and established garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
s there. The political turmoil of these events tempted Kublai Khan's grandson Esen-Temür who was stationed in Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, to action. Temür led a large army down the Irrawaddy river valley and captured the capital city Pagan, also sending military parties across the country to ensure submission.
The Burmese king Narathihapate
Narathihapate
Narathihapate was the last king of Pagan dynasty of Burma from 1254 to 1287. The king is unkindly remembered for two things: his gluttonous appetite which supposedly required all his dinners to have 300 varieties of dishes; and his panic flight from Mongol invasions. He is forever remembered as ...
, who fled Pagan to Lower Burma, prior to the battle, and the Burmese defense collapsed. The king is remembered in Burmese history as Tayokpyemin (lit. the king who ran away from the Chinese). In Lower Burma, the king was promptly assassinated by one of his sons Thihathu of Prome
Thihathu of Prome
Thihathu of Prome was a Pagan prince who killed his father Narathihapate, the last sovereign king of the Pagan Empire.In 1287, Narathihapate fled Pagan to Lower Burma in panic just before Mongols sacked the capital. Thihathu, who was governor of Prome , arrested his father and forced the king to...
.
Aftermath
The 250-year-old Pagan Empire now disintegrated. The kingdom was fractured into several small power centers as the Mongols did not fill the power vacuum in the searing Irrawaddy valley. The Mongol army instead stayed farther north in TagaungTagaung, Mandalay
Tagaung is a town in Mandalay Division of Myanmar . It is situated on the east bank of the Ayeyarwady River, 127 miles north of Mandalay.-Transport:The Ayeyarwady remains the principal means to reach Tagaung...
(present-day northern Mandalay Region).
In central Burma, another son of Narathihapate, Kyawswa
Kyawswa of Pagan
Kyawswa was a king of Pagan dynasty of Burma from 1287 to 1298. Son of the last sovereign king of Pagan Narathihapate, Kyawswa was one of many "kings" that proliferated after the collapse of the Pagan Empire. Though still styled as King of Pagan, Kyawswa's effective rule amounted to just the area...
, was installed as king by dowager queen Saw. But Kyawswa controlled only the immediate surrounding area of Pagan. Even in central Burma, the real power rested with three Pagan military commanders who through their small but well-disciplined army controlled the Kyaukse district, the most important granary of Pagan. Kyawswa had no choice but to recognize them as lords of Kyaukse. The brothers increasingly acted like sovereigns. Nearly ten years after the fall of Pagan, Kyawswa decided to became a Mongol vassal in January 1297. He received official Mongol recognition as the ruler of Burma in March 1298. Unsatisfied with their reduced status, the brothers dethroned Kyawswa in December 1298, and founded the Myinsaing Kingdom
Myinsaing Kingdom
The Myinsaing Kingdom was a kingdom that ruled central Burma from 1298 to 1313. Founded by three brothers of Shan and Burman descent, it was one of many petty kingdoms that emerged following the collapse of Pagan Empire in 1287....
, officially ending the Pagan Kingdom. The Mongol army's effort to install their new nominee, one of Kyawswa's sons, to the Pagan throne in 1301 was unsuccessful. Two years later, in 1303, the Yuan court decided to withdraw completely from Upper Burma, and the Mongol army left Tagaung.