Prome Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Prome Kingdom was a kingdom
that existed for six decades between 1482 and 1542 in the present-day central Burma (Myanmar). Based out of the city of Prome (Pyay), the minor kingdom was one of the several statelets that broke away from the dominant Ava Kingdom
in the late 15th century. Throughout the 1520s, Prome was an ally of the Confederation of Shan States, and together they raided Avan territory. After Ava fell to the Confederation armies in 1527, Prome itself became a tributary of the Confederation in 1533. In the late 1530s, Prome became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War. Despite military assistance from the Confederation and the Mrauk U Kingdom, the small kingdom fell to the Toungoo
(Taungoo) forces in 1542.
-based kingdoms–Pagan, Pinya
and Ava
. During the Ava period (14th–15th centuries), Prome was the southernmost region abutting the rival Hanthawaddy Kingdom
. The region was a frequent battlefield during the Forty Years' War
(1385–1424) between Ava and Hanthawaddy. Avan kings considered the region the most strategic, and appointed only the most senior princes as viceroys of Prome (Pyay). For example, Crown Prince Minyekyawswa
, King Thihathu of Ava and King Narapati of Ava were once governor of Prome.
The Forty Years' War, which ended in a stalemate, left Ava exhausted, and its vassals restless. From the 1420s to the 1480s, each new king of Ava had to put down rebellions. In 1469, Prome's long-time governor, Mingyi Swa
(r. 1446–1482) rebelled against his brother, when the latter ascended to the Ava throne as Thihathura. But the new king laid siege on Prome, and Mingyi Swa submitted to his brother. Mingyi Swa was forgiven, and reappointed to his former position.
faced a multitude of rebellions–the most serious one by his younger brother, Minyekyawswa, the governor of Yamethin
. Unlike the usual unrest in remote regions, the Yamethin rebellion was so close to Ava itself, and was a grave threat to the new king. Taking advantage of the power struggle between his two nephews, the governor of Tharrawaddy, Thado Minsaw
, seized Prome and declared himself king.
Thado Minsaw raised his brother Mingyi Swa's chief queen as his chief queen. Minkhaung managed to send an army to reclaim Prome. But the Avan army could not take Prome, and retreated. Ava could not send another force again as the much more serious Yamethin rebellion (and rebellions by the Shan States of Mohnyin
and Kale) consumed its resources for the next two decades. Prome became an independent kingdom with territories up to Tharrawaddy and Myede.
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.
, the confederation's leader. In 1524, the combined armies of Confederation and Prome sacked the city of Ava
. The king of Ava, Shwenankyawshin
, 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. Prome remained in a league with the Confederation, which continued its attacks on Ava.
Thado Minsaw died in early 1527, and was succeeded by his son Bayin Htwe
.
on the Ava throne. Sawlon was unsatisfied with the level of support he received from Prome, and held a grudge. In 1533, the Confederation forces came down and attacked Prome. Bayin Htwe was taken prisoner back to Upper Burma. The captive king escaped after Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers. But Bayin Htwe's son Narapati shut the gates against his father. Bayin Htwe died soon after in the adjoining forests.
Narapati remained a nominal vassal to Confederation controlled Ava. Although his authority did not extend beyond the immediate region around Prome, he became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1535–1541). Narapati was an ally of King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy, and was married to Takayutpi's sister. Narapati provided shelter to the fleeing Hanthawaddy troops in 1539. When Toungoo troops attacked a heavily fortified Prome, Narapati asked for help from the Confederation in Ava. The Confederation troops broke the siege, and refused to follow up on the retreating Toungoo armies.
Narapati formed an alliance with Mrauk U Kingdom of Arakan by sending his sister and his queen (Takayutpi's sister) to King Min Bin of Mrauk U. (Takayutpi had died soon after the battle.) Narapati too died soon after and was succeeded by Minkhaung.
In late 1541, Toungoo again laid siege to Prome. Prome's allies the Confederation and Mrauk U sent in help to break the siege. But Toungoo forces under the command of Gen. Bayinnaung defeated both armies. Mrauk U also sent in a naval flotilla that landed in Bassein (Pathein). Upon hearing of the Mrauk U army's defeat, the flotilla turned back. After a five months' siege, starvation set in. The besieged deserted the city in great numbers. On 19 May 1542 (5th waxing of Nayon 904 ME), Minkhaung surrendered. Minkhaung and his queen Thiri Hponhtut
were taken to Toungoo (Taungoo).
King Tabinshwehti
of Toungoo appointed Mingyi Swe, Bayinnaung's father, governor of Prome, restoring the city to its former position of a provincial capital.
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
that existed for six decades between 1482 and 1542 in the present-day central Burma (Myanmar). Based out of the city of Prome (Pyay), the minor kingdom was one of the several statelets that broke away from the dominant Ava Kingdom
Ava Kingdom
The Ava Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma from 1364 to 1555. Founded in 1364, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms that had ruled central Burma since the collapse of Pagan Empire in the late 13th century...
in the late 15th century. Throughout the 1520s, Prome was an ally of the Confederation of Shan States, and together they raided Avan territory. After Ava fell to the Confederation armies in 1527, Prome itself became a tributary of the Confederation in 1533. In the late 1530s, Prome became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War. Despite military assistance from the Confederation and the Mrauk U Kingdom, the small kingdom fell to the Toungoo
Toungoo Dynasty
The Toungoo Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Burma from the mid-16th century to 1752. Its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung succeeded in reunifying the Pagan Empire for the first time since 1287, and in incorporating the Shan States for the first time...
(Taungoo) forces in 1542.
Origins
For much of the first half of the second millennium, Prome was a vassal state of Upper BurmaUpper Burma
Upper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....
-based kingdoms–Pagan, Pinya
Pinya Kingdom
The Pinya Kingdom was a kingdom that ruled part of central Burma from 1313 to 1364. It was the successor state to the Myinsaing Kingdom, one of many petty kingdoms that emerged after the fall of the Pagan Empire in 1287...
and Ava
Ava Kingdom
The Ava Kingdom was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma from 1364 to 1555. Founded in 1364, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms that had ruled central Burma since the collapse of Pagan Empire in the late 13th century...
. During the Ava period (14th–15th centuries), Prome was the southernmost region abutting the rival Hanthawaddy Kingdom
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...
. The region was a frequent battlefield during the Forty Years' War
Forty Years' War
The Forty Years' War was a military conflict fought between the Burmese-speaking Kingdom of Ava and the Mon-speaking Kingdom of Hanthawaddy Pegu. The war was fought during two separate periods: 1385 to 1391 and 1404 to 1424, interrupted by two truces of 1391–1404 and 1406–1407...
(1385–1424) between Ava and Hanthawaddy. Avan kings considered the region the most strategic, and appointed only the most senior princes as viceroys of Prome (Pyay). For example, Crown Prince Minyekyawswa
Minyekyawswa
Minyekyawswa 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 against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu.The prince, who...
, King Thihathu of Ava and King Narapati of Ava were once governor of Prome.
The Forty Years' War, which ended in a stalemate, left Ava exhausted, and its vassals restless. From the 1420s to the 1480s, each new king of Ava had to put down rebellions. In 1469, Prome's long-time governor, Mingyi Swa
Mingyi Swa of Prome
Mingyi Swa of Prome was viceroy of Prome of Ava Kingdom from 1446 to 1482. He was made governor of Prome in 1446 by his father Narapati of Ava. He raised a rebellion when his eldest brother Thihathura I succeeded the Ava throne in 1469. But Thihathura laid siege on Prome, and Mingyi Swa submitted...
(r. 1446–1482) rebelled against his brother, when the latter ascended to the Ava throne as Thihathura. But the new king laid siege on Prome, and Mingyi Swa submitted to his brother. Mingyi Swa was forgiven, and reappointed to his former position.
Independence from Ava (1482)
Thihathura died in 1481, and Mingyi Swa died a year later in 1482. The new king Minkhaung IIMinkhaung II
Minkhaung II was the twelfth king of Ava who reigned from 1481 to 1502. 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 ascension to the Ava throne and stayed independent throughout Minkhaung's reign...
faced a multitude of rebellions–the most serious one by his younger brother, Minyekyawswa, the governor of Yamethin
Yamethin
Yamethin is a town in central Burma in Yamethin District, Mandalay Region. Yamethin provides a market and processing for local agriculture production of rice and beans, as well having a small textile industry, and serving as a railroad shipping point on the Rangoon – Mandalay...
. Unlike the usual unrest in remote regions, the Yamethin rebellion was so close to Ava itself, and was a grave threat to the new king. Taking advantage of the power struggle between his two nephews, the governor of Tharrawaddy, Thado Minsaw
Thado Minsaw of Prome
Thado Minsaw of Prome was the founder of Prome Kingdom, who reigned the minor kingdom from 1482 to 1527. He was governor of Tharrawaddy during the reigns of his father King Narapati of Ava and his elder brother King Thihathura. After Thihathura died in 1481, the new king Minkhaung II was greeted...
, seized Prome and declared himself king.
Thado Minsaw raised his brother Mingyi Swa's chief queen as his chief queen. Minkhaung managed to send an army to reclaim Prome. But the Avan army could not take Prome, and retreated. Ava could not send another force again as the much more serious Yamethin rebellion (and rebellions by the Shan States of Mohnyin
Mohnyin
Mohnyin is a town in Kachin State, Myanmar. It is the administrative center for both Mohnyin Township and Mohnyin District.Shells of different sizes were found in mass on 19 September. Those were found in apple-pie order while rooting up a tree between MohnyinDistrict Court and the Township...
and Kale) consumed its resources for the next two decades. Prome became an independent kingdom with territories up to Tharrawaddy and Myede.
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.
Meddling into Upper Burma (1520s)
Thado Minsaw changed his policy in the 1520s when Ava was on its last legs suffering from the sustained assaults by Confederation of Shan States. He entered into a league with SawlonSawlon
Sawlon of Mohnyin was saopha of the Shan state of Mohnyin from 1482? to 1533. He is best remembered in Burmese history as the conqueror of Ava Kingdom....
, the confederation's leader. In 1524, the combined armies of Confederation and Prome sacked the city of Ava
Ava
Innwa is a city in the Mandalay Division of Burma , situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. Its formal title is Ratanapura , which means City of Gems in Pali. The name Innwa means mouth of the lake, which comes from in , meaning lake, and wa , which means mouth...
. The king of Ava, Shwenankyawshin
Shwenankyawshin
Shwenankyawshin Narapati was the last sovereign king of Ava who reigned 25 tumultuous years between 1502 and 1527. A confederation of Shan states led by Mohnyin continued their relentless attacks, and gradually absorbed Avan territory from the north, while their ally Prome took Avan territory in...
, 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. Prome remained in a league with the Confederation, which continued its attacks on Ava.
Thado Minsaw died in early 1527, and was succeeded by his son Bayin Htwe
Bayin Htwe
Bayin Htwe was the second ruler of Prome, who reigned from 1527 to 1533. The eldest son of Thado Minsaw who proclaimed independence of his minor kingdom from Ava in 1482, ascended to the throne in 1527 after his father's death. The new king soon incurred the wrath of Sawlon, the leader of...
.
The end (1527–1542)
In April 1527, the Confederation forces captured Ava, and placed Sawlon's eldest son ThohanbwaThohanbwa
Thohanbwa was a king of Ava who reigned from 1527 to 1543. The eldest son of Sawlon of Mohnyin was a commander who actively participated in Monhyin's numerous raids of Ava's territories in the first quarter of 16th century. In 1527, the ethnically Shan king was appointed king of Ava by Sawlon...
on the Ava throne. Sawlon was unsatisfied with the level of support he received from Prome, and held a grudge. In 1533, the Confederation forces came down and attacked Prome. Bayin Htwe was taken prisoner back to Upper Burma. The captive king escaped after Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers. But Bayin Htwe's son Narapati shut the gates against his father. Bayin Htwe died soon after in the adjoining forests.
Narapati remained a nominal vassal to Confederation controlled Ava. Although his authority did not extend beyond the immediate region around Prome, he became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1535–1541). Narapati was an ally of King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy, and was married to Takayutpi's sister. Narapati provided shelter to the fleeing Hanthawaddy troops in 1539. When Toungoo troops attacked a heavily fortified Prome, Narapati asked for help from the Confederation in Ava. The Confederation troops broke the siege, and refused to follow up on the retreating Toungoo armies.
Narapati formed an alliance with Mrauk U Kingdom of Arakan by sending his sister and his queen (Takayutpi's sister) to King Min Bin of Mrauk U. (Takayutpi had died soon after the battle.) Narapati too died soon after and was succeeded by Minkhaung.
In late 1541, Toungoo again laid siege to Prome. Prome's allies the Confederation and Mrauk U sent in help to break the siege. But Toungoo forces under the command of Gen. Bayinnaung defeated both armies. Mrauk U also sent in a naval flotilla that landed in Bassein (Pathein). Upon hearing of the Mrauk U army's defeat, the flotilla turned back. After a five months' siege, starvation set in. The besieged deserted the city in great numbers. On 19 May 1542 (5th waxing of Nayon 904 ME), Minkhaung surrendered. Minkhaung and his queen Thiri Hponhtut
Sanda Dewi
Sanda Dewi was one of the three principal queens of King Bayinnaung of Burma from 1553 to 1581. She was also a queen of the last two kings of Prome Kingdom from 1533 to 1542. She was also the maternal grandmother of Natshinnaung, king of Toungoo....
were taken to Toungoo (Taungoo).
King Tabinshwehti
Tabinshwehti
Tabinshwehti was a king who unified Burma in 1539 and known as the founder of the Second Burmese Empire.Tabinshwehti succeeded his father Mingyinyo as ruler of the Toungoo dynasty in 1530...
of Toungoo appointed Mingyi Swe, Bayinnaung's father, governor of Prome, restoring the city to its former position of a provincial capital.