Binnya E Law
Encyclopedia
Binnya E Law was the seventh king of Hanthawaddy Pegu
, who reigned from 1331 to 1348. Placed on the throne by his half-sister Queen Sanda Min Hla
, this son of King Hkun Law
defeated Sukhothai Kingdom
's invasion in 1331, and freed Hanthawaddy from its tributary status to Sukhothai. He moved the capital to Pegu, and reigned the kingdom for 17 years.
, and a nephew of King Wareru
, the kingdom's founder. Like his predecessors, he was of Shan and Mon
descent. (He was at least a quarter Shan as his father Hkun Law
, was half-Shan.) He became the governor of Pegu in 1331, following the death of King Saw Zein
.
and Saw E
within a few months following Saw Zein's death. Sanda Min Hla, who was also queen consort of Saw Zein and Saw E, was Binnya E Law's half-sister. (Their father was Hkun Law.)
His immediate task as king was to stave off an attack from Sukhothai
. The king of Sukhothai sent in an army to avenge for Sanda Min Hla's assassination of Saw E, his grandson. Binnya E Law defeated the invasion force near Martaban. From then on, Hanthawaddy formally threw off its nominal vassal status to Sukhothai, and was free from further foreign attacks.
Binnya E Law moved the capital back to Pegu (as Saw Zein had done), and reigned from there until his death in 1348. He made his half-sister Sanda Min Hla his chief queen. (He probably did not have a choice. According to the Burmese and Mon Chronicles, when summoned by Sanda Min Hla to take over the throne, Binnya E Law went to Martaban without any of his concubines. Sanda Min Hla had killed the previous king Saw E supposedly because he spent too much time with his concubines.)
He died in 1348, and was succeeded by his nephew Binnya U
.
Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Hanthawaddy Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled lower Burma from 1287 to 1539. The Mon-speaking kingdom was founded as Ramannadesa by King Wareru following the collapse of the Pagan Empire in 1287 as a nominal vassal state of Sukhothai Kingdom, and of the Mongol Yuan dynasty...
, who reigned from 1331 to 1348. Placed on the throne by his half-sister Queen Sanda Min Hla
Sanda Min Hla
Sanda Min Hla was the queen consort of three kings of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, and the real palace power behind the throne. Her murder of her second husband King Saw E, grandson of king of Sukhothai provoked an invasion from Sukhothai...
, this son of King Hkun Law
Hkun Law
Hkun Law was the second king of Hanthawaddy from 1307 to 1311. He ascended to the throne after his elder brother King Wareru was assassinated. Hkun Law was of Shan and Mon descent....
defeated Sukhothai Kingdom
Sukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
's invasion in 1331, and freed Hanthawaddy from its tributary status to Sukhothai. He moved the capital to Pegu, and reigned the kingdom for 17 years.
Background
Binnya E Law was a son of King Hkun LawHkun Law
Hkun Law was the second king of Hanthawaddy from 1307 to 1311. He ascended to the throne after his elder brother King Wareru was assassinated. Hkun Law was of Shan and Mon descent....
, and a nephew of King Wareru
Wareru
Wareru was the founder of the Ramanya Kingdom located in today's Lower Burma . The kingdom is more commonly known as Kingdom of Hanthawady Pegu , or simply Pegu although the kingdom's first capital was Martaban...
, the kingdom's founder. Like his predecessors, he was of Shan and Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
descent. (He was at least a quarter Shan as his father Hkun Law
Hkun Law
Hkun Law was the second king of Hanthawaddy from 1307 to 1311. He ascended to the throne after his elder brother King Wareru was assassinated. Hkun Law was of Shan and Mon descent....
, was half-Shan.) He became the governor of Pegu in 1331, following the death of King Saw Zein
Saw Zein
Saw Zein was the fourth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1324 to 1331. A nephew of the kingdom's founder King Wareru, Saw Zein succeeded his brother King Saw O in 1324. He lost the southern territories of Tenasserim coast back to his nominal overlord Sukhothai, and looked to expand his territory...
.
Reign
Binnya E Law was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla, who had engineered the death of two previous kings, Zein PunZein Pun
Zein Pun was a court official at the Martaban Palace of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, who seized the throne for seven days in 1331, following the death of King Saw Zein in the battlefield of Prome. Zein Pun's reign was short...
and Saw E
Saw E
Saw E or Saw E Kankaung was the sixth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who ruled for a few months in 1331. He was a son of King Saw O and Princess May Hnin Htapi of Sukhothai. After the death of his uncle King Saw Zein in 1331, the young price was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla...
within a few months following Saw Zein's death. Sanda Min Hla, who was also queen consort of Saw Zein and Saw E, was Binnya E Law's half-sister. (Their father was Hkun Law.)
His immediate task as king was to stave off an attack from Sukhothai
Sukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
. The king of Sukhothai sent in an army to avenge for Sanda Min Hla's assassination of Saw E, his grandson. Binnya E Law defeated the invasion force near Martaban. From then on, Hanthawaddy formally threw off its nominal vassal status to Sukhothai, and was free from further foreign attacks.
Binnya E Law moved the capital back to Pegu (as Saw Zein had done), and reigned from there until his death in 1348. He made his half-sister Sanda Min Hla his chief queen. (He probably did not have a choice. According to the Burmese and Mon Chronicles, when summoned by Sanda Min Hla to take over the throne, Binnya E Law went to Martaban without any of his concubines. Sanda Min Hla had killed the previous king Saw E supposedly because he spent too much time with his concubines.)
He died in 1348, and was succeeded by his nephew Binnya U
Binnya U
Binnya U was the eighth king of Hanthawaddy Pegu, who ruled from 1348 to 1383. Over his 35-year reign, the king faced several internal rebellions and external invasions...
.