Pinya kingdom ပင်းယပြည်
1313–1365
Pinya kingdomc. 1350
Status	Kingdom
Capital	Pinya
Common languages	Burmese(official) Mon,Shan
Religion	Theravada Buddhism, Ari Buddhism,Animism
Government	Monarchy
• 1313–1325	Thihathu
• 1325–1340	Uzana I
• 1344–1350	Kyawswa I
• 1359–1364	Narathu
Regent
• 1340–1344	Sithu
Legislature	None (Rule by decree)
Historical era	Warring states
• Myinsaing regency founded	17 December 1297
• Pinya kingdom founded	7 February 1313
• Sagaing secession	1315–1317(de facto) 1325(de jure)
• Uzana I–Kyawswa I rivalry	1325–1344
• Toungoo secession	1358–1359
• Maw raids	1358–1364
• Ava kingdom founded	26 February 1365
Preceded by Succeeded by Myinsaing kingdom Sagaing kingdom Ava kingdom
Today part of	Myanmar

ThePinya kingdom (Burmese:ပင်းယခေတ်,pronounced[pɪ́ɰ̃ja̰kʰɪʔ]), also known as theVijaia state (၀ိဇယတိုင်း) orKingdom of Pinya, was the kingdom that ruled CentralMyanmar (Burma) from 1313 to 1365. It was the successor state ofMyinsaing, the polity that controlled much of Upper Burma between 1297 and 1313. Founded as the de jure successor state of thePagan empire byThihathu, Pinya faced internal divisions from the start. The northern province ofSagaing led by Thihathu's eldest sonSaw Yun successfully fought for autonomy in 1315−17, and formally seceded in 1325 after Thihathu's death.

The rump Pinya kingdom was left embroiled in an intense rivalry between Thihathu's other sonsUzana I andKyawswa I until 1344.Pinya had little control over its vassals; its southernmost vassalsToungoo (Taungoo) andProme (Pyay) were practically independent. Central authority briefly returned during Kyawswa I's reign (1344−50) but broke down right after his death. In the 1350s,Kyawswa II repaired Pinya's long-strained relationship with Sagaing, in order to face off against the northernShan state ofMaw (Möng Mao). Two Maw raids in 1358–59 and 1362–63 thoroughly devastated Pinya's countryside during which Toungoo successfully broke away.Narathu switched sides and aided the Maw attack on Sagaing in 1363–64. But after the Maw troops sacked both Sagaing and Pinya in succession in 1364, Thihathu's great grandsonThado Minbya of Sagaing seized both devastated capitals in 1364, and founded theAva kingdom in 1365.

Pinya was a microcosm of thesmall kingdoms period (1287–1555) ofBurmese history. Weakened by internal divisions, Pinya despite controlling two of the three main granaries never reached its potential. Although its successor Ava would prove more successful in reassembling major parts of the erstwhile empire, it too would be hampered by fierce regional rivalries, and Myanmar would remain divided into the mid-16th century.

TheBurmese name for the kingdom isပင်းယနေပြည်တော် equivalent toPinya kingdom inEnglish language. The kingdom was also known asVijaya state.

Pinya was the successor state ofMyinsaing, the polity that succeeded thePagan Empire in Upper Burma.^{[note 1]} After theMongol invasions (1277–87), the Mongols seized northern Burma toTagaung, and the rest of the empire broke up into several petty states. Pagan was left holding only a small region around the capital. In 1297, the three former Pagan commanders—Athinkhaya,Yazathingyan andThihathu—overthrew KingKyawswa of Pagan (r. 1289–97), who had become a Mongol vassal nine months earlier.^[1][2] The brothers placed a puppet king, and ruled from their base inKyaukse. The Mongolsinvaded once again in 1300–01 but could not break through. They withdrew altogether from northern Burma in 1303.^[3]

The brothers went on to reassemble the core regions of the fallen empire. In the north, they regained up to Tagaung but no further. VariousShan states, nominal Mongol vassals, now dominated the entire northwestern-to-southeastern arc surrounding the Irrawaddy valley. In the south, the brothers established suzerainty down toProme (Pyay), andToungoo (Taungoo).^{[note 2]} They did not try to regainRamanya farther south,^{[note 3]} orArakan in the west.

The regency of the triumvirate was short-lived. Thihathu, the youngest and most ambitious brother, was never satisfied with a mere regent status, and declared himself king in 1309.^[4] The proclamation ended the charade ofSaw Hnit's nominal status as king.^[5] The old power structure at Pagan led by the dowager queenPwa Saw was not happy but there was little she or Saw Hnit could do. It is not clear what the two elder brothers made of their brother's announcement.^{[note 4]} At any rate, the elder brothers died in 1310 and 1312/13,^{[note 5]} and Thihathu became the undisputed ruler.

To commemorate his reign,Thihathu founded a new capital atPinya, also in the Kyaukse valley but closer to theIrrawaddy. He decided to keep his capital in the premier granary instead of returning toPagan (Bagan) because Pinya was closer to theMu valley granary in the north.^[6] On 7 February 1313, Thihathu, of non-royal birth, was crowned king as the rightful heir of the Pagan kings by Queen Pwa Saw herself.^[7]

For the first time since the 1280s, the entire Irrawaddy valley between Prome in the south and Tagaung in the north was under a single ruler. However, Pinya's authority over the frontier regions such as Prome and Toungoo was nominal. The Myinsaing-Pinya rulers had inherited the longstanding problem that had existed since the late Pagan period: between one and two-thirds of Upper Burma's cultivated land had been donated to religion, and the crown had lost resources needed to retain the loyalty of courtiers and military servicemen.^[8] Furthermore, "markedly drier weather during the late 13th and much of the 14th centuries" in Upper Burma forced large migrations from the established granaries (Kyaukse,Minbu, andMu valley)^[9] "to better watered districts farther south".^[10]

To compound the problem, Pinya was hit with a dynastic feud from the start. So eager was Thihathu to be seen as a legitimate king of Pagan, he made his adopted stepson Uzana, biological son of King Kyawswa of Pagan and QueenMi Saw U, his heir-apparent. He also appointedKyawswa I, his biological son by Mi Saw U, governor ofPinle, the second most coveted position.^[11] On the other hand, the king did not appointSaw Yun, his eldest biological son by a commoner queen,Yadanabon, orTarabya his stepson by Yadanabon, to any meaningful positions. He appointed Saw Yun governor ofSagaing in 1314 only after the eldest son's repeated protestations.^[12][13] Saw Yun remained deeply unhappy for he still did not command an army as did Uzana and Kyawswa.^[12]

The simmering resentment led to Saw Yun's insurrection. The young prince upgraded Sagaing's timber walls to brick without his father's permission in 1315–16.^[14] Thihathu seemed conflicted about punishing his teenage son. The king, who had never liked to share power—even with his own brothers—never sent a full force to reclaim Sagaing. He did order two small expeditions, the first led by Crown Prince Uzana and the second led by Prince Kyawswa. But by the end of 1316–17 dry season, both expeditions had failed to dislodge Saw Yun.^[15]

Sagaing got a breather in 1317 when Toungoo andTaungdwin revolted. Thihathu bought peace with Taungdwin but Toungoo required an expedition. In the end, Pinya agreed to a deal that allowed the rebel leaderThawun Nge to remain in office in exchange for his nominal submission to Pinya.^[16][17] The deal with Toungoo proved to be the model for Sagaing as well. The king allowed Saw Yun to remain in office at Sagaing in exchange for his son's nominal submission. He was resigned to the fact that his kingdom would break apart once he died.^[18]

The kingdom formally split into two right after Thihathu's death in 1325. Saw Yun (r. 1315–27) now controlled the northern country to Tagaung while Uzana I (r. 1325–40) became king of the southern country to Prome and Toungoo. But the control of the southern kingdom was further split between Uzana and Kyawswa. The half-brothers continued to maintain their own military units throughout Central Burma.^[19] Kyawswa openly conducted his own policy, for example ordering anattempt on Saw Yun's life.^[20]

The rivalry greatly sapped Pinya's ability to control its own vassals or defend them. Pinya did nothing when Gov.Saw Hnit of Toungoo was assassinated in 1325;^[21] Ramanya attacked Prome in 1330;^[22] Arakan raidedThayet in 1333–34;^[23] or Sagaing raidedMindon in 1339.^[24] The rivalry came to a head in 1340. The brothers came close to war but Uzana ultimately backed down.^[25][26] He abdicated the throne to Gov.Sithu of Myinsaing, who was also Kyawswa's father-in-law. Sithu the regent never wielded any power; chronicles do not mention him at all. Though Sithu made an alliance with KingKyaswa of Sagaing (r. 1339–49), Kyawswa never seemed concerned about his father-in-law. According to a contemporary inscription, he had already declared himself king at least since 1342,^{[note 6]} and became the undisputed ruler in 1344.^[27]

Kyawswa I (r. 1344–50) brought a brief period of unity, at least in the core region. He successfully reunified Pinya's military corps in Central Burma, and formed elite cavalry and shielded infantry units.^[28] However, Pinya's hold on more remote places, Toungoo in particular, remained weak. Two Toungoo governors were assassinated in the first three years of his reign. Kyawswa had to be satisfied with the nominal submission by the usurpers.^[29] Similarly, his attempt to check the power of the Buddhist clergy was not successful, not least because the court did not fully cooperate.^[30] On balance, Kyawswa I brought a much needed period of stability to the country. But he suddenly died in 1350.^[27] He is said to have become anat (spirit) with the nameNga-zi Shin Nat.^[31]

Pinya struggled to remain relevant after Kyawswa I's death. KingKyawswa II (r. 1350–59) never had much control over the vassals. As a result, he like his father before him tried to regain resources in the core region from the clergy. (His 1359 decree to check on tax-free glebe lands was the earliest extant land survey (sittan) in Myanmar.^[27])

One notable change was his Sagaing policy. He agreed to a truce with the northern rival in 1351. Prior to the truce, the relations between them had been worsening with Sagaing having accepted high-level Pinya defections in 1349–51.^{[note 7]} A key driver for the truce may have been the emergence of theShan state ofMaw (Mong Mao), which had fought a successful war against its Mongol overlords (1342–48).^[32] After Maw reached a deal with the Mongols in 1355,^[32] they turned their attention to their south, launching their first raid into Sagaing territory in 1356. Recognizing the eventual threat to his own realm farther south, Kyawswa II in 1357/58 agreed to an alliance with Sagaing.^[33]

However, the Pinya king could not fulfill his commitment. His vassals by and large ignored his decree to provide conscripts. Gov.Theingaba of Toungoo outright revolted during the Maw Shan raid of 1358–59, and raided up toYamethin, 200 km north of Toungoo.^[34] Kyawswa II had no response as the Maw forces broke through the Sagaing lines and breached Pinya territory in early 1359. The king died during the raid which ransacked much of his country.^[27]

Pinya was now on its last legs. Most of its vassals were practically independent. KingNarathu (r. 1359–64) reversed his brother's policy, and broke the alliance with Sagaing.^[35] It won no reprieve: Maw forces raided deep into Pinya territory in 1362–63.^[27] In desperation, Narathu sought an alliance with the Maw rulerTho Kho Bwa (r. 1340–71). In 1363, the two rulers agreed to a joint attack on Sagaing, with Pinya as the junior partner.^[35] In 1364, they laid siege to the city of Sagaing, with Pinya responsible for a naval blockade. The Maw forces sacked Sagaing in April 1364. But the Maw ruler was unhappy with Pinya's porous blockade, and ordered his forces to attack Pinya across the river. The Maw forces sacked the city in May. The raiders brought the loot and Narathu back to their country.^[36]

The latest Maw invasion left Upper Burma in tatters. Narathu's eldest brother,Uzana II (r. 1364) succeeded the Pinya throne.^[37] At Sagaing, a young prince namedThado Minbya (r. 1364–67), a great grandson of Thihathu, seized the throne. Unlike Uzana II, Thado Minbya proved an able and ambitious ruler. He quickly consolidated his hold on the Sagaing vassals, and looked to reunify all of Upper Burma. He took Pinya in September 1364.^[38] Over the next six months, he feverishly built a new citadel at a more strategic location at the confluence of the Irrawaddy and theMyitnge in order to defend against the Maw raids. On 26 February 1365, the king proclaimed the foundation of the city ofAva (Inwa), as the capital of the successor state of Pinya and Sagaing kingdoms.^[39]

Pinya kings continued to employ Pagan'sadministrative model of solar polities^[6] in which the high king ruled the core while semi-independent tributaries, autonomous viceroys, and governors actually controlled day-to-day administration and manpower.^[40][41]

The court,Hluttaw, was the center of administration, representing at once executive, legislative and judiciary branches of the government.^[42] The court administered the kingdom at three general levels:taing (တိုင်း, province),myo (မြို့, town), andywa (ရွာ, village).^[43] Unlike the Pagan government, the Pinya court's reach was limited mainly to the Kyaukse region and its vicinity. The majority of the vassal states reported in the chronicles lay within a 250 km radius from Pinya. Indeed, during the rivalry between Uzana I and Kyawswa I, Pinya did not even control all of the core region.^[19] Judging by where Uzana I's battalions were stationed, Pinya's effective power extended no more than 150 km from Pinya.^{[note 8]}

The following table is a list of key vassal states mentioned in the chronicles. Other vassal states listed in the chronicles werePindale,Pyinzi,Yindaw,Hlaingdet,Kyaukpadaung,Pahtanago,Mindon,Taingda,Mindat, Kanyin,Myaung,Myede,Salin,Paunglaung,Legaing,Salay, Kugan Gyi, Kugan Nge,Ywatha,Talok,Ten tracts of Bangyi,Yaw,Htilin,Laungshay, andTharrawaddy.^[44][45]

At its founding, Pinya under Thihathu controlled much of Upper Burma from Tagaung to Tharrawaddy. The approximate area would be at least 140,000 km².^{[note 9]} The kingdom's nominal claim became about 100,000 km² after the Sagaing secession in 1325, and about 80,000 km² after the Toungoo secession in 1358.

Pinya was a military weakling. Thihathu claimed to have controlled at least 20,000 troops.^[50] But after Thihathu, the Pinya military was divided between Uzana I and Kyawswa I, who maintained their own militias. Uzana I's special military units totaled just 640 shielded knights, 1040 cavalry, and 300 archers.^[19] Kyawswa I reunified the army but later Pinya kings never controlled a large enough force to make a difference. Local militias thrived especially after the collapse of Pinya such as in Sagu, Taungdwin and Toungoo.^{[note 10]}

Mostroyal chronicles treat Myinsaing-Pinya as a single period, and Sagaing as a junior branch of the Myinsaing dynasty.

• List of Pinya kings
• Kings family tree

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