Nyaungyan Min

He was born Shin Thissa (, ) to Lady Khin Pyezon and King Bayinnaung on 8 November 1555. He had an elder brother, Shin Ubote. He was one of the 91 children born to minor queens, who were ranked below the six children by the three senior queens. Indeed, Thissa had to wait until he was 25 to get a governorship. On 8 February 1581, the king appointed Thissa to succeed Ubote, who died in January 1581, as governor of Nyaungyan, a small town in present-day Meiktila District, south of Ava (Inwa). The small town governor was married to his half sister Khin Hpone Myint, who like him was a child of a junior queen. (Khin Hpone Myint's name is sometimes reported as "Khin Hpone Myat".)The couple had been married since 25 February 1577, and had a 3-year-old child, one Thakin Lat. ==Governor of Nyaungyan (1581–97)==

It was at Nyaungyan that Thissa slowly made his name, and came to be known as Nyaungyan Min (Lord of Nyaungyan). He indirectly benefited from Pegu's troubles in the next decade and a half that saw Pegu's power gradually retrench from its vassal states. Early years For his first dozen years at Nyaungyan, Thissa was a loyal, if unremarkable, governor. He quietly ruled a small region which fell within the jurisdiction of his half-uncle Thado Minsaw, Viceroy of Ava (Upper Burma). One key decision he made came in 1584 when he sided with King Nanda after Thado Minsaw revolted. He remained a loyal vassal during the Siamese rebellion (1584–93) although it is unclear how much he, a second-tier governor, could have contributed to the war effort. It was only in 1594 after Nanda decided to withdraw central administration from Upper Burma and the Shan states that Nyaungyan emerged as a power in Upper Burma. In December 1593, Nanda recalled Viceroy of Ava Minye Kyawswa II to Pegu to take over as Crown Prince, and more importantly, the king decided not to appoint a replacement viceroy or governor of Upper Burma. Given that Pegu possessed no institutional capacity to directly administer the upcountry, Nanda had essentially chosen to devolve power to myriad minor vassals rather than appoint an effective viceroy or governor who could turn against him. Nanda's paranoia had a basis. His own son Thado Dhamma Yaza III, Viceroy of Prome (Pyay), revolted in April 1595. Break from Pegu Nanda's policy of devolution created a power vacuum in the upcountry which ambitious governors like Nyaungyan now maneuvered to fill. The opportunity for Nyaungyan to come to the forefront came in 1596 when Thado Dhamma Yaza III, the self-proclaimed king of Prome, invaded central Burma. Nanda ordered Nyaungyan to organize a defense. Nyaungyan agreed to follow the order as he could not let anyone else take over central Burma. His forces successfully stopped the Prome advance at Pakhan, a key town on the Irrawaddy about 120 km south of Ava, but could not retake more southerly towns. After the fighting was done, Prome forces had occupied central Burma up to Salin, about 240 km south of Ava. Prome planned to resume the war in the following dry season of 1597–98. But surviving royal orders from Nyaungyan's court show that he essentially did in 1597. First, he declared without the king's permission on that he would take over Ava, and that he would officially move into the new palace there on . According to Than Tun, Nyaungyan "virtually declared" himself King of Ava on in the order announcing the appointment of Maha Okka Dhamma and Maha Okka Thena as chief ministers of his court. ==Ruler of Ava==

Consolidation of Upper Burma Despite his de facto, if not de jure, independence, Nyaungyan was more concerned about Prome than Pegu. He rushed to consolidate his base before the next dry season. He and his army marched to towns around the Ava region, receiving the allegiance of local governors. Rival governors at Yamethin and Pagan (Bagan) initially resisted but eventually submitted to the rising power on and on , respectively. His consolidation drive was watched with alarm not only by Prome but also by Toungoo. The two powers of central Burma decided not to wait until the dry season. In September 1597, Minye Thihathu II of Toungoo sent in a small army to contest Nyaungyan's acquisitions of Yamethin, the traditional border between Toungoo and Ava. At Prome, Thado Dhamma Yaza III was about to start the campaign to Ava when he was assassinated on by Yan Naing. The assassination was a fortuitous event for Nyaungyan. Upon hearing the news, Minye Thihahtu II opportunistically redirected the Toungoo army to invade Prome instead. Yan Naing repulsed the Toungoo attack. After the dust settled, Toungoo decided to focus its energies on capturing Pegu; Yan Naing ruled a smaller region as the lord of Salin switched sides to Nyaungyan; and Nyaungyan was spared from further attacks by more established powers. (Nyaungyan was forever grateful to Yan Naing for breaking up what would be a two-pronged attack by Prome and Toungoo. In 1605, as he lay dying, he asked his eldest son and heir-apparent Anaukpetlun to spare the life of Yan Naing when Prome was captured. When asked why, the king replied that if Yan Naing had not broken up Prome's invasion, his then small army would likely have been defeated in a two-front war.) Nyaungyan spent the next year further consolidating northern regions of Upper Burma. By November 1598, he felt strong enough to declare his ambitions. On , as Toungoo and its ally Mrauk-U (Arakan) invaded Lower Burma, he proclaimed himself king, not just of Ava but also of all of the lands that once belonged to his father Bayinnaung. Toungoo and Mrauk-U forces went on to capture Pegu in December 1599, and divide up the city's enormous riches as the capital of the Toungoo Empire for the last 60 years. But from a strategic standpoint, it was Nyaungyan whose control of Upper Burma, "the 'heartland' where most of the food of the country was produced and its population lived", would ultimately come out ahead. He quietly planned extending his rule to the Shan states surrounding Upper Burma. Nyaungyan crowned himself as king with the reign name of Thiha Thura Maha Dhamma Yaza (သီဟသူရ မဟာဓမ္မရာဇာ). His chief queen's title was Thiri Maha Dhamma Yaza Dipadi Dewi. He appointed his three sons by the chief queen appanages: The eldest son Thakin Lat (later known as King Anaukpetlun) was given Dabayin in fief with the title Thado Minkhaung Kyaw; his middle son Thakin Gyi (later, King Thalun) was given Talote in fief with the title of Minye Theinkhathu; the youngest son Thakin Phyu was granted Sagu with the title of Minye Uzana. Brief war with Toungoo His ascendance would not go unchallenged. Fresh off the conquest of Lower Burma, Toungoo forces seized Yamethin, the border town, in September 1600. In response, Nyaungyan himself led his army, and marched to Yamethin on . Toungoo forces fiercely defended the town but Nyaungyan's army prevailed in the end. It was the last time Toungoo breached the border. ==Acquisition of cis-Salween Shan states==

Nyaungyan spent the rest of his reign reacquiring the cis-Salween Shan States. By his death in 1605, he had conquered all of the cis-Salween Shan states. His eldest son Anaukpetlun emerged as an able military leader, and won several key decisive victories for his father. Mohnyin and Mogaung (1599–1600) Nyaungyan's first target was the northernmost Shan states of Mohnyin and Mogaung in present-day Kachin State. On , Anaukpetlun and his 2,000-strong invasion army left Ava for the front. The saopha (chief) of Mohnyin submitted without a fight but the saopha of Mogaung resisted from a fortified garrison atop of a nearby hill near Mogaung. About a month later, an agreement that allowed him to keep his office as a vassal of Ava was reached. The vassalage was likely nominal. The chief would revolt again in 1604. Nyaungshwe (1601) Nyaungyan's drive into the Shan states was briefly interrupted by the short war with Toungoo over Yamethin in October 1600. After Yamethin was retaken, Nyaungyan decided to attack Nyaungshwe, a sizable and strategically located state next door to Yamethin. The Shan state controlled 39 vassal towns, and was located next the powerful state of Mone in the south and Hsipaw in the north. On , Nyaungyan and his small army (seven regiments consisted of 3500 men, 400 horses, 30 elephants) invaded. The invasion is an example in which Ava's musket corps proved their worth. Nyaungshwe forces drove back three vanguard regiments trying to take an outer garrison located about 3 km from the town. The rout was such that only one third of the troops reportedly returned. Nyaungshwe forces came out of the garrison, pinning a fourth Ava regiment. But the Ava command brought out their musketeers, and counterattacked, causing heavy casualties on the enemy. Nyaungshwe forces rushed back for the safety of the walls of Nyaungshwe but were cut off by Anaukpetlun's regiment. Totally surrounded, the saopha surrendered and submitted. But Nyaungyan reappointed him to his office. The 39 towns of Nyaungshwe now came under Ava. The extradition "shows the final abandonment of the Chinese claim to overlordship in Upper Burma". Over the next year, Nawrahta Minsaw went on to drive out Lan Xang and its allies from eastern Lan Na. By June 1603, Lan Na was again united, albeit under Siamese suzerainty. Concerned that Mone, located immediately north of Lan Na, could be next, Nyaungyan prepared to get there first. Nyaungyan did not expect Mone, a major state with a sizable force, to be a pushover. On , after a relic chamber dedication ceremony at the Sanda Muni Pagoda in Ava, the king left for the front with a 6000-strong army. Anaukpetlun came with him. His second son Thalun stayed behind at Ava with a garrison. Afterwards, scores of Ava battalions fanned out to receive the allegiance from 37 vassals of Mone, which included Mobye (present-day northern Kayah State) to those along the Lan Na border. The king arrived back at Ava on the New Year's Day of 966 ME, . Instabilities and Siamese threat (1604–05) Despite the success, Nyaungyan's hold over the cis-Salween states was still extremely weak. As soon as he got back to Ava, the king was greeted with reports of unrest along the Chinese border. With a Siamese attack on Mone still highly probable, he initially decided to live with the unrest for the time being. On , he ordered a campaign to quell unrest in the northern states that would begin on . He was greatly relieved when Anaukpetlun was able to score a quick decisive victory, and captured the rebel saopha and his family.) Ava was in a bind. The court initially announced on that his majesty himself would lead the campaign to Bhamo and Hsenwi. But the campaign was indefinitely postponed due to reports of 20 Siamese army regiments led by Naresuan himself marching toward the border. The Ava command believed that the Siamese army may not only invade Mone but also attack Ava itself. Momeik, Hsipaw and Hsenwi (1605) The Siamese threat dissipated with the death of Naresuan. At least the Ava command apparently believed so. They decided on to acquire the remaining Near Shan states of Momeik, Onbaung (Hsipaw/Thibaw), and Hsenwi, as well as the Hsenwi-backed Bhamo, in the upcoming dry season. The Ava command was most concerned about Hsenwi, the farthest state from Ava, and fronted by Momeik in the west and Hsipaw in the southwest. They expected Bhamo to fall in line once Hsenwi fell. If required, a separate campaign to Bhamo would begin on . The plan was announced on . It shows they expected the Momeik–Hsipaw–Hsenwi campaign to be over by mid-December at the latest. The actual campaign was even shorter. The two-pronged invasion was over in less than a month. The First Army (3000 men, 200 horses, 20 elephants) led by Anaukpetlun marched to Momeik via Singu while the Second Army (4000 men, 300 horses, 20 elephants) led by Nyaungyan marched to Hsipaw. ==Death==

The king now controlled all of the cis-Salween Shan states that ringed Upper Burma. He had already planned to attack Prome and Toungoo next, as part of his grand plan to restore his father's empire. But it was not to be. The troops rushed the ailing king back home but he died en route south of Hsipaw on . His death was announced two days later at Ava. During the cremation ceremony, when his body was half-consumed in the fire, Anaukpetlun administered the oath of allegiance to everyone around. The king's ashes were buried beside the Sandamuni Pagoda. ==Administration==

Nyaungyan was deeply interested in administration. Several of the surviving royal orders of his court dealt with (re)-establishing norms and standards on social, economy, and military fronts. He reaffirmed the people into their traditional units of attachment and non-attachment: ahmudan (Crown-service groups, called kyundaw in the Pagan period); paya kyun (Sangha subjects); ordinary kyun (private, usually household retainers); and those not attached to anyone (athi). He repaired and rebuilt irrigation works to rebuild the war-torn economy, and standardized taxation levels. Moreover, he introduced several standards to his military. He commissioned/reestablished several military units. Some of which were hereditary cavalry and elephant corps while many units were newly formed with men from Shan states. Furthermore, the royal order dated is the earliest document specifying Burmese military unit formation. It states that 1000 foot soldiers be placed under 100 leaders called akyat ( ), 10 chiefs called ahsaw ( ) and 1 commander called ake ( ); and that all must be adequately equipped with weapons including guns and cannons. ==Legacy==

In contrast to over 250 years of poly-centrism following Pagan Empire's collapse, the interregnum following the Toungoo Empire's fall was brief. While he died before the restoration was complete, Nyaungyan is credited with launching the process. His success in reuniting the most populous and traditional base of power in the country paved the way for the eventual reunification of the country by his successor Anaukpetlun (who went on to restore the Toungoo Empire less Siam, Lan Xang and Manipur by 1622.) Nyaungyan's decision to reacquire the Near Shan states before venturing south is seen as a key factor: "If one wanted the whole country, that region [Shan states] had to be secured first before the coasts could be taken." Equally important were his administrative reforms, many of which were continued to be carried out by his successors. Some of the orders from his court were reissued in toto by his successors all the way to the last king of the Toungoo dynasty. In all, Nyaungyan Min is remembered as the founder of the Nyaungyan dynasty, also referred to as "Later Toungoo dynasty" or "Restored Toungoo dynasty" by Western historians. ==Family==

Nyaungyan Min and his chief queen Khin Hpone Myint had three sons and one daughter. He also had 11 sons and 8 daughters by minor queens/concubines. He had a total of 14 sons and 9 daughters. His children by the chief queen were: Nyaungyan Min had 9 junior queens who bore him children: ==See also==