1879 massacre at Mandalay Palace

By claiming for King Mindon's making Prince Kanaung the King Brother a crown prince rather than his senior sons, Myingun Prince and Myinkhondaing Prince attempted a palace coup on 2 August 1866, and Prince Kanaung was murdered during the revolt. Since rebellion caused the king a great reluctance in naming a successor to Crown Prince Kanaung for fear of civil war, he made no one his heir apparent until his death in 1878 which led to the succession crisis. ==Prelude==

When King Mindon became in ill health and could not manage state affairs since August 1878, all the high-level ministers took an oath to the king and the one to whom he pointed. Queen Hsinbyumashin essentially controlled the nation at the time under her husband's name. As all three of her children were female, she conspired with the prime minister, Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung, to secure the succession for Prince Thibaw, who was in love with her middle daughter, Supayalat. U Kaung also hoped to introduce a constitutional monarchy if Thibaw succeeded to the throne. Under the guise that King Mindon wanted to bid his children farewell, Hsinbyumashin had all royals of close age who could potentially be heirs to the throne seized and thrown into prison by edict on 11 September 1878. Hsinbyumashin summoned every member of the imperial family to the Mandalay Palace without weapons to meet Mindon Min. While they were waiting to see the king, an armed group led by Maung Maung Toke arrested them. Hsinbyumashin's secret mission was leaked to the second Queen of the Northern Gilded Chamber who made her two sons, and Nyaungoak Prince, escaped and slipped away to India via British ambassador Colonel Duncan. On 19 September 1878, Hsinbyumashin and her accomplices discussed, and a proclamation making Prince Thibaw the crown prince was announced, without informing the king. When the king knew the circumstances within a week because of Limban Mibaya, Thetpan Mibaya, Khonnaywa Mibaya and the second Queen of the Northern Gilded Chamber who informed him the situation, they all were released and the king appointed Thonze Prince, Mekkhaya Prince and Nyaungyan Prince as the governors of Chindwin Province, Taungdwingyi Province and Lower Myitsin Province respectively. But, together with some relatives, they were arrested again the following day. This time, Hsinbyumashin made no one entered the king's chamber, and the Queen of the Southern Apartment, Seindon Mibaya, Lepanzin Mibaya, Tharazein Mibaya, Lècha Mibaya, Ngazon Mibaya, Thanazarit Mibaya and Palepa Mibaya looked after the king. King Mindon died on 1 October 1878, and King Thibaw ascended the throne after two days. ==Events==

On 13 February 1879, five royal relatives were killed. The bodies of the princes and princesses, enclosed in red velvet bags, were interred in a pit. To compact the burial ground, elephants were used to trample the earth. During the time of the massacre, the king and queen were watching a traditional court troupe perform a drama in the palace, and they did not notice what was happening because of the noise from the performance. King Thibaw learned of the case from a report by his mother, Laungshe Mibaya, at the royal parliament on 18 February 1879, and ordered the release of the remaining five princes. ==Victims==

There are differing accounts regarding the number of royals who were executed. The Konbaung Set Yazawin records only about thirty. However, later chronicles differ: the Yadanar Theinkha Maha Yazawin mentions over sixty, while the book From Rantapo to Ratnagiri records more than forty, and both Europe and Burma sources record over eighty. 15/17 February 1879 • Prince Mekkhaya • Prince Thonze • Thagara Prince • Pinle Prince • Pinya Prince • Yanaung Prince • Taungnyo Prince • Moe Hlaing Prince • Shweku Prince • Katha Prince • Wuntho Prince • Mongton Prince • Mongyai Prince • Ngayane Prince • Htantabin Prince, son of Kanaung Mintha • Queen of the Northern Gilded Chamber II • Kanni Princess • Kyannyat Princess • Mabe Princess • Hsinshin Princess • A daughter of Prince Nyaungok • Two daughters and two sons of Nyaungoak Prince • Three daughters and one son of Shwegu Prince • 17 unnamed relatives of Prince Mekkhaya ==Response==

King Thibaw was deeply upset by the massacre and ordered the execution of the Latthonedaws (trusted royal bodyguards), and executioners responsible for the killings. However, Laungshe Mibaya and Queen Supayalat pleaded for their lives, saying that no more blood should be shed within the palace. The king later issued a strict order to the Latthonedaws, stating that in matters concerning the affairs of the state, nothing should be done without his knowledge and authority. In mourning for the loss of his royal relatives, he sponsored extensive religious donations and ceremonies, dedicating the merit to those who had been executed. In response to the palace massacre, the British government sent a formal letter of protest. The letter described the killings as shocking and horrible, urged that the surviving members of the royal family be spared, and warned that if the executions continued, the British flag would be taken down and the embassy in Mandalay withdrawn. Kinwun Mingyi responded to the British that this was solely an internal affair, that there was no need to pay attention to outside criticism and that it was simply a matter of one sovereign resolving his own domestic affairs. ==Accusation==

Historical evidence indicates that the main figures who gave the orders or bore responsibility for the massacre were Queen Hsinbyumashin and senior ministers such as Kinwun Mingyi, Taingda Mingyi and Hlethin Atwinwun, along with Yanaung Maung Maung Toke. Sudha Shah, the author of The King in Exile, stated that the main person responsible for the massacre was Hsinbyumashin. Many historians and media outlets have accused Supayalat of orchestrating the merciless massacre, but she denied the allegation in an interview with the Bandoola Journal in September 1924. According to the respected Burmese historian Than Swe, Supayalat was aware of the massacre but was not directly responsible for it. Some accused King Thibaw of being involved in ordering the massacre. King Thibaw denied having ordered or even known about the killings when questioned in an interview by London Times correspondent Moilin during his exile. Supayalat also denied this accusation on her husband while in Burma after being interviewed by journalists, as recorded in the book Discourse on Supayalat: Around 1936, some Burmese scholars were quite dissatisfied with certain accounts of Burmese history written by foreigners. Among the accusations made by these foreigners was the charge that King Thibaw was a 'bloodthirsty king'. In addition, some even alleged that King Thibaw was an 'opium addict'. Harold Fielding Hall, a British author and government official, wrote about the massacre in his 1899 book ''Thibaw's Queen'': ==Legacy==

grounds, where the massacre took place Kyedaik (Bronze Hall) is now designated as a restricted area, and no one is allowed to enter except for educational purposes. Kinwun Mingyi's plan to transform the government from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy did not succeed, but it nearly materialized through the introduction of a fourteen-department administrative system. Under this system, ministers were made responsible for governing by dividing duties among themselves. However, the system was abolished after only half a year. == In popular culture ==

• The White Elephant (ဆင်ဖြူတော်), a short thesis film by Burmese CalArts student Thet Chal, was inspired by the events of the massacre. == References ==