Tabinshwehti

Representation of Nat Tabinshwehti (RC Temple, 1906)

Tabinshwehti (Tabin-shwe-hti, Burmese တ ပင် ‌ ရွှေ ထီး | MLCTS = ta. Bang hrwe hti :, pronunciation : [ təbìnʃwètʰí ]; * 1516 ; †  1550 ) was a Burmese king between 1530 and 1550 and founder of the 2nd Burmese Empire.

After Ava fell to the Shan invaders in 1527 , Crown Prince Tabinshwehti was initially occupied with rebuilding the Burmese state of the Taungu dynasty . Tabinshwehti succeeded his father Mingyinyo as ruler of the Taungu dynasty in 1530. At that time Burma was divided into many rulers. With a broad-based warlike campaign, Tabinshwehti united most of these areas under one roof (until 1539 Taungu) and moved the capital to the economic center of Pegu , which was fought back between 1539 and 1550. The long period of armed conflict was by no means ended after his death by his brother-in-law Kyaw Htin Nawrata, who later became King Bayinnaung , but rather continued.

Pegu (1534-1539)

Conquests of Tabinshwehti between 1534 and 1547

Between 1534 and 1538 Tabinshwehti marched south of Taungu in a series of four consecutive armed expeditions against the Mon kingdom in Pegu on the Bay of Bengal , who had ruled lower Burma since the time of King Rajathirat (1384-1421). In 1538 Tabinshwehti succeeded in first taking the western delta around Pathein and then reinforcing his forces again so that he could take the defenses of Pegu and occupy the capital of the Mon.

Various factors explain why Taungu launched the attack on Pegu so soon after Tabinshwehti ascended the throne. The city had already become rich from the intensive maritime trade between India and China, but could also be sure of the merchants who were sent here by the British East India Company to do good business. Taungu also largely depended on Pegu for the supply of raw materials and goods. B. with fabrics and salt. These trade contacts also brought information about the true wealth of Pegu to Taungu.

Another factor was the threat posed by the Shan Federation, which ruled Ava north of Taungu after it was conquered in 1527. In 1532 the Shan occupied the Prome to the west of Taungu . As the last Burmese territory, Taungu would have been the Shan's next target according to all military logic. So if Taungu defeated Pegu first, it could strengthen its armed forces with the people of Pegus and secure further material that was needed for the coming dispute with the Shan.

Prome (1538-1539)

Tabinshwehti sent his chief general and brother-in-law, later King Bayinnaung, north to Prome to pursue the ruler of the Mon of Pegu, Takayutpi (1526–1539). He had fled to Prome and sought protection there. At the Battle of Naung Yo , Bayinnaung was faced with a large force on the other side of the river. After crossing the river on a makeshift pontoon bridge, he ordered its demolition in order to incite his soldiers in the coming battle and send a clear signal that there would be no retreat. Before the battle, Bayinnaung also ignored a message from Tabinshwehti, in which he ordered Bayinnaung to await the arrival of the main force. Bayinnaung replied that he was already engaged in combat and was defeating the enemy. He informed his generals that if the battle were lost, they would be dead either way.

Tabinshwehti could not take Prome, however, it was too strongly fortified and also received massive military support from the Shan. When Takayutpi died, many of his loyal followers took the side of Tabinshwehti, who expanded his force with the help of Portuguese and Muslim mercenaries. The number of Portuguese alone is said to have been around 700 men.

Martaban (1540-1541)

The emerging port of Martaban proved difficult to subdue as it was guarded by Portuguese who were on site with soldiers and weapons. There were strong fortifications on the land side of the city, which were reinforced by a large earth wall. On the seaside, seven Portuguese ships under the command of Paulo Seixas provided a strong defense. Tabinshwehti nevertheless besieged the city. When supplies ran out, attempts were made to negotiate a ceasefire , but Tabinshwehti only accepted unconditional surrender . An attempt was made to lure away the Portuguese leader on Tabinshwehti's side, Joao Cayeyro, and offered him money and influence, but it was in vain. The Burmese eventually used burning rafts to deter the Portuguese guard ships and placed a tall fortified raft with cannons and rifles opposite the fortress. The defenders abandoned the walls and an attempt could be made to take Martaban. After seven months of siege, Martaban was finally captured. The Portuguese writer Fernão Mendes Pinto recorded the events in great detail, followed by executions and looting.

Prome and Upper Burma (1541–1544)

After the coronation ceremony and religiously motivated foundations at Shwedagon Pagoda in 1541, Tabinshwehti led an expedition north to subjugate Prome. The first attacks against Prome missed their target, but nevertheless the city asked for help from Ava and Arakan . Troops from Ayutthaya also came to the rescue, but were held back by Bayinnaung before they could reach Prome.

The siege of Prome continued, and when the rainy season set in, Tabinshwehti ordered his troops to cultivate rice, raise new troops and provision from lower Burma. The Arakan land forces were also intercepted by Bayinnaung en route to Prome and had to return to Arakan without having achieved anything. After five months of siege, famine broke out and soldiers defected to Taungu. The weakened defense of Prome could then be overcome relatively easily. Fernao Mendes Pinto describes the purges and punishments that followed in great detail.

In 1544 Shan forces counterattacked but were defeated by Tabinshwehti's forces. In 1544 he marched north and took Bagan and Salin, where he had a garrison built. Instead of going further north and reestablishing the Burmese state at Ava, Tabinshwehti turned his attention back to the coastal regions in the west (Arakan) and east (Ayutthaya).

Arakan (1545-1547)

The ruler of Sandwe in southern Arakan had sworn an oath of allegiance to Tabinshwehti in order to receive the throne of Sandwe. The fortifications of Mrauk U, the capital of Arakan, were built with the help of the Portuguese. The usual tactics of frontal attack or siege were inadequate against these fortifications. With the intercession of the monks, Arakan was finally able to convince Tabinshwehti to break off the siege and return to Pegu.

Ayutthaya (1547-1549)

While Tabinshwehti was fighting in Arakan, Ayutthaya sent shock troops to Tavoy on the Tenasserim Peninsula. Tabinshwehti ordered the ruler of Martaban to retake Tenasserim. In 1548 he himself appeared with a force to go west over the Three Pagoda Pass and directly attack Ayutthaya in the Siamese-Burmese War . Queen Suriyothai quarreled at her husband's side and lost her life. After Tabinshwehti realized that Ayutthaya's defenses would be too strong for his armed forces, he took action against the more easily conquered fortresses in the north, i.e. Kamphaeng Phet , Sukhothai and Phitsanulok .

While Tabinshwehti fought in the east, the Mon forces were reborn in lower Burma. After his return in 1550, Tabinshwehti was murdered by members of the Mon at his own court. This was followed by a shorter period of Mon rule before Bayinnaung fought for the re-establishment of the Burmese kingdom that Tabinshwehti had built.

effect

Tabinshwehti in belief in spirits

To this day, the Tabinshwehti Nat is revered as one of the 37 nats in Burma that emerged in addition to Buddhism .

Literature and film

One of the first modern Burmese works of the 20th century was the fictional story of Tabisnhweti's rise, Tabinshwehti Wuttu Daw Gyi .

In the film The Legend of Suriyothai , the Tanbinshweti invasion of Ayutthaya is a central part of the plot, which comes from the Thai historian Sunait Chutintaranond .

Military operations

The 1962 operation against communist guerrillas led by the Burmese military was carried out under the name Operation Tabinshweti .