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Prome kingdom ဒုတိယ သရေခေတ္တရာနေပြည်တော် | |||||||||
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| 1482–1542 | |||||||||
| Status | Kingdom, vassal of Shan states (1532–1542) | ||||||||
| Capital | Prome (Pyay) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Burmese | ||||||||
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
• 1482–1526 | Thado Minsaw | ||||||||
• 1526–1532 | Bayin Htwe | ||||||||
• 1532–1539 | Narapati | ||||||||
• 1539–1542 | Minkhaung | ||||||||
| Legislature | None | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Founding of kingdom | 1482 | ||||||||
• War withAva | 1524–1525 | ||||||||
• War withConfederation of Shan States | 1532 | ||||||||
• War withToungoo | 1539–1542 | ||||||||
• Fall of kingdom | 19 May 1542 | ||||||||
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| History of Myanmar |
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| Timeline |
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 Myanmar portal |
TheProme kingdom (Burmese:ဒုတိယ သရေခေတ္တရာ နေပြည်တော်, lit. "SecondSri Ksetra kingdom") also known asPyay kingdom was akingdom that existed for six decades between 1482 and 1542 in present-day centralBurma (Myanmar). Based out of the city ofProme (Pyay), the minor kingdom was one of the severalstatelets that broke away from the dominantAva kingdom in the late 15th century. Throughout the 1520s, Prome was an ally of theConfederation of Shan States, and together they raided Avan territory. After Ava fell to the Confederation armies in 1527, Prome itself became atributary of the Confederation in 1532. In the late 1530s, Prome became ensnarled in theToungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–1541). Despite military assistance from the Confederation and theMrauk U kingdom, the small kingdom fell to theToungoo (Taungoo) forces in 1542.[1]
TheBurmese name for the kingdom isဒုတိယသရေခေတ္တရာနေပြည်တော် which is equivalent toProme kingdom inEnglish language.
For much of the first half of the second millennium, Prome was a vassal state ofUpper Burma-based kingdoms–Pagan,Pinya andAva. During the Ava period (14th–15th centuries), Prome was the southernmost region abutting the rivalHanthawaddy kingdom. The region was a frequent battlefield during theForty Years' War (1385–1424) between Ava and Hanthawaddy. Avan kings considered the region the most strategic, and appointed only the most senior princes as viceroys ofProme (Pyay). For example, Crown PrinceMinye Kyawswa, KingThihathu of Ava and KingNarapati of Ava were once governor of Prome.[2]
The Forty Years' War, which ended in a stalemate, left Ava exhausted, and its vassals restless. From the 1420s to the 1480s, each new king of Ava had to put down rebellions. In 1469, Prome's long-time governor,Mingyi Swa (r. 1446–1482) rebelled against his brother, when the latter ascended to the Ava throne asThihathura. But the new king laid siege on Prome, and Mingyi Swa submitted to his brother. Mingyi Swa was forgiven, and reappointed to his former position.
Thihathura died in 1480, and Mingyi Swa died in 1482. The new kingMinkhaung II faced a multitude of rebellions–the most serious one by his younger brother, Gov.Minye Kyawswa of Yamethin. Unlike the usual unrest in remote regions, the Yamethin rebellion was so close to Ava itself, and was a grave threat to the new king. Taking advantage of the power struggle between his two nephews, the governor ofTharrawaddy,Thado Minsaw, seized Prome and declared himself king.
Thado Minsaw raised his brother Mingyi Swa's chief queen as his chief queen. Minkhaung managed to send an army to reclaim Prome. But the Avan army could not take Prome, and retreated. Ava could not send another force again as the much more serious Yamethin rebellion (and rebellions by the Shan States ofMohnyin andKale) consumed its resources for the next two decades. Prome became an independent kingdom with territories up to Tharrawaddy and Myede.
Thado Minsaw largely stayed out of the fighting in Upper Burma. He forged a peaceful relationship with Hanthawaddy, the most powerful kingdom in the region.
Thado Minsaw changed his policy in the 1520s when Ava was on its last legs suffering from the sustained assaults byConfederation of Shan States. He entered into a league withSawlon, the confederation's leader. In March 1525, the combined armies of Confederation and Prome sacked the city ofAva. The king of Ava,Shwenankyawshin, who was Thado Minsaw's grandnephew, escaped. Prome and Confederation forces looted the city. The Prome armies brought back the famed poet monkShin Maha Rattathara.[3] Prome remained in a league with the Confederation, which continued its attacks on Ava.
Thado Minsaw died in 1526, and was succeeded by his sonBayin Htwe.
On 25 March 1527, the Confederation forces captured Ava, and placed Sawlon's eldest sonThohanbwa on the Ava throne. Sawlon was unsatisfied with the level of support he received from Prome, and held a grudge. In 1532, the Confederation forces came down and attacked Prome. Bayin Htwe was taken prisoner back to Upper Burma. The captive king escaped after Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers. But Bayin Htwe's sonNarapati shut the gates against his father. Bayin Htwe died soon after in the adjoining forests.[4]
Narapati remained a nominal vassal to Confederation controlled Ava. Although his authority did not extend beyond the immediate region around Prome, he became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). Narapati was an ally of King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy, and was married to Takayutpi's sister. Narapati provided shelter to the fleeing Hanthawaddy troops in 1539. When Toungoo troops attacked a heavily fortified Prome, Narapati asked for help from the Confederation in Ava. The Confederation troops broke the siege, and refused to follow up on the retreating Toungoo armies.
Narapati formed an alliance with the Mrauk U kingdom of Arakan by sending his sister and his queen (Takayutpi's sister) to King Min Bin of Mrauk U. (Takayutpi had died soon after the battle.) Narapati too died soon after and was succeeded byMinkhaung.
In late 1541, Toungoo again laid siege to Prome. Prome's allies the Confederation and Mrauk U sent in help to break the siege. But Toungoo forces under the command of Gen. Bayinnaung defeated both armies. Mrauk U also sent in a naval flotilla that landed in Bassein (Pathein). Upon hearing of the Mrauk U army's defeat, the flotilla turned back. After a five months' siege, starvation set in. The besieged deserted the city in great numbers. On 19 May 1542 (5th waxing of Nayon 904ME), Minkhaung surrendered. Minkhaung and his queenThiri Hponhtut were taken toToungoo (Taungoo).[1]
KingTabinshwehti of Toungoo appointedThado Dhamma Yaza I, restoring the city to its former position of a provincial capital. Thado Dhamma Yaza I revolted in May 1550 after Tabinshwehti's death but the revolt was put down in August 1551 by Bayinnaung.[5] The principality was again in revolt between 1594 and 1608, during the collapse of First Toungoo Empire before being re-annexed by KingAnaukpetlun in July 1608.[6]
18°49′N95°14′E / 18.817°N 95.233°E /18.817; 95.233
