Thohanbwa
Encyclopedia
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 after Mohnyin-led confederation of Shan States
defeated Ava in 1527. After Sawlon was assassinated in 1533, Thohanbwa became the undisputed king of Ava as well as chief of Mohnyin. However, he was not immediately accepted by other chiefs as the leader of the confederation.
He is remembered in Burmese history as a "full-blooded savage" who killed learned monks, looted treasures from Buddhist pagodas
and burned books. He was hated by his Burman
and Shan subjects alike. Yet it was his inaction and inability to mobilize the various Shan states to the threat posed by Toungoo
, former vassal state of Ava, that proved most crucial, allowing the upstart kingdom to gain strength and buy time. Toungoo went on to defeat Hanthawaddy Kingdom
after a five-year war (1535–1539) during which Ava did nothing. Only when Toungoo turned on Prome, Ava's vassal, in 1541 did Thohanbwa and his bickering Shan allies send in help. It was too late. The Shan confederation troops were driven back by Gen. Bayinnaung
of Toungoo in 1542.
After the defeat, the Ava court plotted a putsch. In April 1543, Thohanbwa was assassinated by his chief minister Yan Naung.
and his main ally Hkonmaing
, the saopha of Thibaw
escaped and continued resistance. In 1527, the confederation laid siege to Ava again. In April, Shwenankyawshin was killed in battle and Ava fell. Sawlon appointed Thohanbwa as the "king" of Ava– essentially a viceroy
ruling on behalf of his father and the confederation.
(Pyay) because they perceived that Prome did not give sufficient help during the siege of Ava six years earlier. They succeeded and brought Bayin Htwe
, the ruler of Prome, as captive. During the march back to Mohnyin, Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers.
The death of Sawlon created a leadership vacuum in the Shan confederation. It appears that other saophas did not acknowledge Thohanbwa, as the eldest son of Sawlon, as the first among equals. The confederation did not take any concerted action in the second half of 1530s when Tabinshwehti
of Toungoo
was waging war on the southern kingdom of Hanthawaddy Pegu
. With Toungoo in an all-out war with Hanthawaddy, the upstart kingdom's northern border with Ava must have been lightly defended. Yet it was not until 1539 after Pegu had fallen to Toungoo that Thohanbwa and his allies took notice.
In 1542, Thohanbwa got his confederation (Mohnyin, Mogaung, Bhamo, Momeik, Hsipaw and Yawnghwe) to march down to defend Prome against Toungoo's attacks. But they were decisively defeated outside Prome by Gen. Bayinnaung
of Toungoo, and were forced to retreat, leaving the city to its fate.
and Shans alike for his indiscriminate looting, killing and book burning. Thohanbwa said pagodas have nothing to do with religion. They are simply treasure chambers, and proceeded to pillage such as were in reach. When the monks resisted, "they ought to be killed". In 1540, he had 360 monks, including 30 eminent for their learning, from the capital region of Ava, Sagaing
and Pinya
killed. He proceeded to seize the manuscripts in the monasteries, and made bonfires of them.
Yan Naung was offered the throne but he declined. The ministers then gave the throne to Hkonmaing
, the ruler of Hsipaw
(Thibaw), who was a steadfast ally of Shwenankyawshin.
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...
who reigned from 1527 to 1543. The eldest son of Sawlon
Sawlon
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....
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...
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 after Mohnyin-led confederation of Shan States
Shan States
The Shan States were the princely states that ruled large areas of today's Burma , Yunnan Province in China, Laos and Thailand from the late 13th century until mid-20th century...
defeated Ava in 1527. After Sawlon was assassinated in 1533, Thohanbwa became the undisputed king of Ava as well as chief of Mohnyin. However, he was not immediately accepted by other chiefs as the leader of the confederation.
He is remembered in Burmese history as a "full-blooded savage" who killed learned monks, looted treasures from Buddhist pagodas
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
and burned books. He was hated by his Burman
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
and Shan subjects alike. Yet it was his inaction and inability to mobilize the various Shan states to the threat posed by 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...
, former vassal state of Ava, that proved most crucial, allowing the upstart kingdom to gain strength and buy time. Toungoo went on to defeat 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...
after a five-year war (1535–1539) during which Ava did nothing. Only when Toungoo turned on Prome, Ava's vassal, in 1541 did Thohanbwa and his bickering Shan allies send in help. It was too late. The Shan confederation troops were driven back by Gen. Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
of Toungoo in 1542.
After the defeat, the Ava court plotted a putsch. In April 1543, Thohanbwa was assassinated by his chief minister Yan Naung.
Early life
Sao Hung Pha or Thohanbwa in Burmese was a son of Sawlon of Mohnyin, who had successfully rebelled against Ava's rule in the 1480s. By the early 16th century, the father-son team of Sawlon and Thohanbwa regularly raided Ava's territories from the north. In the early 1520s, their raids were joined by a confederation of Shan States under the leadership of Mohnyin. The confederation gradually took away Ava's northernmost territories, and sacked Ava in 1524 though the king of Ava, ShwenankyawshinShwenankyawshin
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...
and his main ally Hkonmaing
Hkonmaing
Hkonmaing was king of Ava from 1543 to 1546. The long-ruling saopha of the Shan state of Onbaung Hsipaw was the main ally of King Shwenankyawshin of Ava in their 20 years' war against the Confederation of Shan States led by Mohnyin...
, the saopha of Thibaw
Hsipaw
Hsipaw , is a town in Shan State, Myanmar on the riverbank of Myitnge River. It is 200 km northeast of Mandalay.-Shan Saopha:Hsipaw is perhaps one of the most well known and powerful saopha states of Shan State...
escaped and continued resistance. In 1527, the confederation laid siege to Ava again. In April, Shwenankyawshin was killed in battle and Ava fell. Sawlon appointed Thohanbwa as the "king" of Ava– essentially a viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
ruling on behalf of his father and the confederation.
Administration
Unaccustomed to administer a kingdom as large as Ava, Sawlon and Thohanbwa, lifelong raiders and rulers of petty Shan States, had to retain some of the ministers from the old Ava court. (Many of Ava's ministers, their families, and people in general had fled south to Toungoo to escape persecution by the Shans.) Thohanbwa made Mingyi Yan Naung his chief minister to handle the administration of the kingdom. Instead, the father-son team focused on continuing attacks on its neighbors. In 1533, Sawlon and Thohanbwa attacked their erstwhile ally Prome KingdomProme Kingdom
The Prome Kingdom was a kingdom that existed for six decades between 1482 and 1542 in the present-day central Burma . Based out of the city of Prome , the minor kingdom was one of the several statelets that broke away from the dominant Ava Kingdom in the late 15th century...
(Pyay) because they perceived that Prome did not give sufficient help during the siege of Ava six years earlier. They succeeded and brought 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 ruler of Prome, as captive. During the march back to Mohnyin, Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers.
The death of Sawlon created a leadership vacuum in the Shan confederation. It appears that other saophas did not acknowledge Thohanbwa, as the eldest son of Sawlon, as the first among equals. The confederation did not take any concerted action in the second half of 1530s when 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
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...
was waging war on the southern kingdom of Hanthawaddy Pegu
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...
. With Toungoo in an all-out war with Hanthawaddy, the upstart kingdom's northern border with Ava must have been lightly defended. Yet it was not until 1539 after Pegu had fallen to Toungoo that Thohanbwa and his allies took notice.
In 1542, Thohanbwa got his confederation (Mohnyin, Mogaung, Bhamo, Momeik, Hsipaw and Yawnghwe) to march down to defend Prome against Toungoo's attacks. But they were decisively defeated outside Prome by Gen. Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
of Toungoo, and were forced to retreat, leaving the city to its fate.
Religious persecution
Thohanbwa is termed "a full blooded savage" by historian GE Harvey. He was hated by the BurmansBamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
and Shans alike for his indiscriminate looting, killing and book burning. Thohanbwa said pagodas have nothing to do with religion. They are simply treasure chambers, and proceeded to pillage such as were in reach. When the monks resisted, "they ought to be killed". In 1540, he had 360 monks, including 30 eminent for their learning, from the capital region of Ava, Sagaing
Sagaing
Sagaing is the capital of Sagaing Region in Myanmar. Located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 km to the southwest of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river, Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and monastic center. The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous...
and Pinya
Pinya
Pinya was the capital of the Kingdom of Pinya, located near Ava, Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was the residence of a dynasty of six kings who ruled this part of central Myanmar from 1313 to 1364.-History:...
killed. He proceeded to seize the manuscripts in the monasteries, and made bonfires of them.
Assassination
By 1543, one year after the failed invasion of the south, Thohanbwa had lost all his allies in the Ava court. His chief minister Yan Naung finally decided to organize a putsch at the summer palace outside Ava. When Thohanbwa asked to see his predecessor Shwenankyawshin's famous sword called "Yeinnwepa Da" , Yan Naung picked out the sword, and bending low as if to present it, went close to the king and smote him so that the sword went through him and out again, severing five bamboos of the dais floor.Yan Naung was offered the throne but he declined. The ministers then gave the throne to Hkonmaing
Hkonmaing
Hkonmaing was king of Ava from 1543 to 1546. The long-ruling saopha of the Shan state of Onbaung Hsipaw was the main ally of King Shwenankyawshin of Ava in their 20 years' war against the Confederation of Shan States led by Mohnyin...
, the ruler of Hsipaw
Hsipaw
Hsipaw , is a town in Shan State, Myanmar on the riverbank of Myitnge River. It is 200 km northeast of Mandalay.-Shan Saopha:Hsipaw is perhaps one of the most well known and powerful saopha states of Shan State...
(Thibaw), who was a steadfast ally of Shwenankyawshin.