Early history of the Shan states is clouded in myth. Most states claimed having been founded upon a predecessor state with a Sanskrit name
Shen/Sen.
Tai Yai chronicles usually begin with the story of two brothers, Khun Lung and Khun Lai, who descended from heaven in the 6th century and landed in Hsenwi, where the local population hailed them as kings. The Shan people have inhabited the
Shan Hills and other parts of northern modern-day Burma as far back as the 10th century AD. According to local accounts, the Shan kingdom of
Möng Mao may have existed in Yunnan in the 10th century CE but became a Burmese
vassal state during the reign of King
Anawrahta of
Pagan (1044–1077).
Pagan dynasty period The historical relevance of the Shan states inside the present-day boundaries of Burma increased during the period of the
Pagan Kingdom in the
Shan Hills and
Kachin Hills and accelerated after the fall of the Pagan Kingdom to the
Yuan dynasty in 1287. The Shans, including a new migration that came down with the Mongols, quickly came to dominate an area from northern
Chin State and northwestern
Sagaing Region to the present-day Shan Hills. The newly founded Shan States were multi-ethnic states that included a substantial number of other ethnic minorities like the
Chin,
Palaung,
Pa-O,
Kachin,
Akha,
Lahu,
Wa and
Burmans. The most powerful Shan states were Möng Yang and Möng Kawng in present-day
Kachin State, followed by Hsenwi, Hsipaw, Möng Mit and Kengtung in present-day Shan State.
Möng Mao Möng Mao arose in the power vacuum left after the
Kingdom of Dali in along the modern Myanmar-China border fell to the Mongol
Yuan Dynasty around 1254. The Yuan ruled the region indirectly in what was known as the
Native Chieftain System. This kingdom had asserted some unity over the diversity of ethnic groups residing along the southwest frontier of Yunnan. Beginning in the 1380s, Möng Mao came into conflict with the
Ming dynasty of China, multiple clashes occurred until Möng Mao was finally defeated in 1444. Its territory was split among multiple Shan states, and the royal family moved west of the Irrawaddy to continue their rule in
Möng Yang, which would eventually lead the Confederation of Shan States.
Confederation of Shan States The Confederation of Shan States were a group of Shan States that conquered the
Ava Kingdom in 1527 and ruled Upper Burma until 1555. The Confederation originally consisted of Möng Yang, Möng Kawng, Bhamo, Möng Mit, and Kale. It was led by
Sawlon, the chief of Möng Yang, and a descendant of the
Möng Mao royal family. Under the
British colonial administration, the Shan States became nominally sovereign
princely states. Although states were ruled by local monarchs, they were subject to a
subsidiary alliance under the
paramountcy of the
British Crown. Towards the last phase of British rule the Shan and Karenni states were labeled as "Frontier Areas", a broad designation for mountainous areas bordering India, China and Laos where the British government allowed local rule. in 1922 the Shan states were joined together into a Federation, the Federated Shan States. They were administered separately by the
Burma Frontier Service by British Assistance Superintendents, later renamed as Assistant Residents. ==Chinese Shan States==