Everything about Tabinshwehti totally explained
Tabinshwehti (; ;
1512 –
1550; also spelt
Tabinshweti) was a king who unified
Burma (now
Myanmar) in
1539 and known as the founder of the Second Burmese Empire.
Tabinshwehti succeeded his father
Mingyinyo as ruler of the
Toungoo dynasty in
1531. He moved the capital from Toungoo to the important trading centre of
Pegu (
1539).
To rebuild a Burmese state, he engaged in a long series of military campaigns that ended only with his assassination in 1550. His brother-in-law Kyaw Htin Nawrata re-established his kingdom after his death and ruled as King
Bayinnaung expanding the Burmese kingdom through expansionary warfare.
Pegu (1535-38)
Between
1535 and
1538 Tabinshwehti marched south from Toungoo in a series of four military expeditions against the
Mon kingdom of Pegu on the
Bay of Bengal. A succession of
Mon kings had ruled over a united
Lower Burma at least since the time of King
Rajadhirat (r. 1385-1421). In
1538 after first taking the western delta region around Bassein and augmenting his forces with military manpower and armaments, Tabinshwehti overcame the defences of Pegu and occupied the capital of the
Mon kingdom.
Several factors explain why Toungoo started attacking Pegu shortly after Tabinshwehti became king of Toungoo in
1531. Trade wealth and maritime markets made coastal Pegu an attractive military target . Toungoo relied on Pegu for important commodities such as cloth and salt . This trade contact brought knowledge of Pegu's wealth.
Another factor was the threat posed by the
Shan confederation that had ruled over Ava to the north after conquering it in
1527. The
Shans conquered
Prome to the west of Toungoo in 1532, the year after Tabinshwehti became king of Toungoo. This left Toungoo, the only remaining Burmese stronghold, as the next logical target for
Shan-controlled Ava to attack and subjugate. Conquering Pegu first would also augment Toungoo's supply of military man and animal power and weapons, strengthening Toungoo to better face the
Shan threat from the north .
Prome (1540)
Tabinshwehti sent his top general and brother-in-law, the future King
Bayinnaung, north to Prome in pursuit of
Takayutpi the
Mon king of Pegu (r. 1526-1538) who had fled north to seek refuge at Prome.
In the famous
Battle of Naung Yo,
Bayinnaung faced a superior force on the other side of a river. After crossing the river on a pontoon bridge (rafts in another version) Bayinnaung ordered the bridge to be destroyed. This action was taken to spur his troops forward in battle and provide a clear signal that there would be no retreat. Before the battle began Bayinnaung also disregarded a message from Tabinshwehti ordering him to wait for the main body of troops to arrive. Bayinnaung replied that he'd already met the enemy and defeated them. To those who criticized this action, Bayinnaung replied that if they lost, they'd all be dead anyway and it wouldn't matter whether they were alive or not .
Tabinshwehti couldn't take Prome because it was well-defended with strong walls and supported militarily by
Shan Ava. When
Takayupti died, many of his loyal followers came over to Tabinshwehti's side. Tabinshwehti increased his military strength by employing
mercenaries of many nationalities including
Portuguese and
Muslims. The number of Portuguese in his employ is said to have numbered as many as 700 men .
Martaban (1541-42)
The thriving port of
Martaban proved difficult to subdue because it was supported by Portuguese soldiers and arms. On the land side of the town strong fortifications backed by earthwork and on the water side seven Portuguese ships commanded by Paulo Seixas provided a strong defence. When under siege supplies ran out, Martaban tried to negotiate terms, but Tabinshwehti would only accept a complete surrender. Martaban tried to lure away the Portuguese mercenary Joano Cayeyro who was helping Tabinshwehti, but these efforts failed. Finally, Tabinshwehti used fire rafts to burn and drive away the ships guarding the water side of the fortifications. A high fortress raft armed with guns and cannons was manoeuvred to a position in front of the river side fortifications. The walls were cleared of defenders and a final assault was made on the town . The Portuguese writer
Fernão Mendes Pinto records in great detail the pillaging and executions that supposedly took place in the wake of the defeat after seven months of siege .
Prome and Upper Burma (1542-45)
After a coronation ceremony and religious donations at the
Shwedagon Pagoda in 1541, Tabinshwehti led an expedition to the north to subjugate Prome. The first assaults against the walls of Prome failed . Prome requested aid from
Shan Ava and
Arakan.
Tai forces arrived first, but Bayinnaung met them in advance before they could reach Prome and defeated them.
The siege of Prome dragged on and when the rainy season arrived Tabinshwehti ordered his troops to plant rice and gather manpower and provisions from Lower Burma . The overland contingent of forces sent by Arakan was ambushed by Bayinnaung. This defeat caused both the land and river forces of Arakan to return to Arakan. After five months of siege, starvation led to defections and the weakened defences of Prome were easily overcome. The sack of Prome and the punishments that were supposedly meted out to the inhabitants are described in great detail by
Fernão Mendes Pinto .
In 1544,
Shan forces led a counter-attack but were again defeated by Tabinshwehti's forces. In 1545 Tabinshwehti marched north and took
Pagan and Salin, leaving a garrison in Salin .Instead of driving northwards and re-establishing a Burmese state at Ava, Tabinshwehti turned his attention to the coastal polities to his west and east,
Arakan and
Ayutthaya.
Arakan (1546-7)
The ruler of
Sandoway in southern Arakan had pledged loyalty to Tabinshwehti in exchange for the throne of
Arakan. The fortifications at
Mrauk U, the capital of Arakan had been built with the assistance of the Portuguese. The normal strategies of frontal assault or siege were ineffective against these fortifications. Arakan with the intercession of monks finally convinced Tabinshwehti to abandon the siege and return to Pegu .
Ayutthaya (1548)
While Tabinshwehti was campaigning in Arakan,
Ayutthaya had sent raiding parties against
Tavoy in
Tenasserim. Tabinshwehti ordered the lord of Martaban to regain Tenasserim and in 1548 Tabinshwehti himself led a large invasion force westwards over the
Three Pagodas Pass Route to attack Ayutthaya.
The famous
Queen Sri Suriyothai participated in the battle between Ayutthaya and Tabinshwehti's forces. Facing strong fortifications and Portuguese mercenaries at Ayutthaya, Tabinshwehti decided to move north and attack the weaker towns to the north, Kamphaengphet,
Sukhothai, and Phitsanulok .
While Tabinshwehti had been campaigning in the east, a
Mon revival had been gathering momentum in Lower Burma. Upon his return Tabinshwehti was assassinated by Mon members of his own court in 1550. A short period of Mon rule ensued while Bayinnnaung fought to restore the kingdom that Tabinshwehti had built .
Tabinshwehti Nat
The Tabinshwehti Nat is one of the 37
nats (spirits) worshipped in Myanmar in addition to Buddhism.
Historical Fiction
One of the first modern novels published in the Burmese language in the early 20th century was a fictional recreation of Tabinshweihti's reign named
Tabinshwehti Wuttu Daw Gyi.
The Legend of Suriyothai (Thai epic film)
Tabinshwehti's invasion of Ayutthaya was an important part of the plot in the 2001 Thai- produced epic film
The Legend of Suriyothai. Thai historian
Sunait Chutintaranond wrote the story for the film.
Modern Military Operations
The campaign against communist insurgents in 1962 was named Operation Tabinshwehti.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Tabinshwehti'.
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