Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
theBengalSultansontheother.ArakansufferedrepeatedattacksbytherulersofAvafollow-
ing the collapse of Bagan, finally repulsing only during the reign of King Narameikhla (aka
Min Saw Mon; ruled 1429-33), who founded the kingdom of
Mrauk U
in 1429 with milit-
ary assistance from the Sultanate of Bengal. Indian influence was strong: in return for their
help,NarameikhlarecognizedBengalisovereigntyoverthekingdomandalsocededterritory
tothesultan.CloselinkswithBengalalsoledtothearrivalofmanyIndianMuslims,perhaps
the ancestors of the modern
Rohingya
.
The first Taungoo empire
In the end, the second great pan-Burmese empire came from an unexpected direction. The
kingdom of Ava was gradually crumbling in the face of repeated Shan attacks, and in 1510
theminorstateletof
Taungoo
(oftenspelt“Toungoo”)inthefarsouthoftheAvakingdomre-
belled against itsAvarulersundertheleadership ofKingMingyinyo(ruled1510-30),inaug-
urating the first Taungoo dynasty. Following the Shan conquest of Ava in 1527, many ethnic
Bamar fled to Taungoo, now the only independent kingdom under Bamar rule, but menaced
by much larger and more powerful states - Shan, Arakanese and Mon - on all sides.
Nothing daunted, Taungoo ruler
King Tabinshwehti
(ruled 1530-50) set out to expand
his territories, taking on and eventually defeating his southern neighbours in the Taun-
goo-Hanthawaddy War (1535-41) and subsequently moving his capital to newly conquered
Bagoin1539.By1544TaungooforceshadtakencontrolofthecountryasfarnorthasBagan
butfailedinlatercampaignsagainstArakanandtheThaicityofAyutthaya,leadingtoTabin-
shwehti's assassination in 1550.
It was left to Tabinshwehti's former military commander and successor, the legendary
King
Bayinnaung
(ruled 1550-81), to restore the fortunes of the struggling kingdom. Born (it's
said) the son of a lowly toddy-tapper, Bayinnaung succeeded by force of character and mil-
itary prowess in rising through the ranks. Following the assassination of the former king, he
succeeded in beating off a series of rivals, laying siege to Taungoo and ultimately claiming
the throne.
Having quelled dissension at home, Bayinnaung set out on a series of ambitious campaigns
which brought a swathe of far-flung regions under the rule of Taungoo. Ava and the Shan
States were conquered, along with further-flung territories including Ayutthaya, Manipur (in
what is now northeastern India) and the Lao state of Lan Xang -establishing the largest and
most powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia of its time.
Not surprisingly, the kingdom struggled to outlast the death of Bayinnaung, and by 1597 all
the Taungoo dynasty's former possessions (including, ironically, their former home city of
Taungoo itself) had rebelled, while in 1599 Arakanese soldiers sacked Bago.
