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Saw Maha-Rit

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  • Saw Maha-Rit
  • စောမဟာရာဇ်
Bornc. 1380s[a]
Hanthawaddy Kingdom
Diedc. April 1402
Dala-Twante,Hanthawaddy Kingdom
SpouseTala Mi Kyaw
MotherTala Hnin Thiri
This article containsBurmese script.Without properrendering support,you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbolsinstead ofBurmese script.

SawMaha-Rit(Burmese:စောမဟာရာဇ်,[b]Burmese pronunciation:[sɔ́məhàɹɪ̀ʔ];d. 1402) was aHanthawaddyroyal and a military commander. A son-in-law of KingRazadarit,Maha-Rit led the first siege ofProme(Pyay) during theSecond Ava–Hanthawaddy War.He was executed for leaving behind his wife PrincessTala Mi Kyawat the battle scene.

Background[edit]

According to theRazadarit Ayedawbonchronicle, Maha-Rit was the elder son of Princess Tala Hnin Thiri. Through his mother, he was a great-grandson of KingSaw Zein(r. 1323–1330) and a grandson of Binnya Thein, a formerLan Nacourt minister who later served as a senior minister under successive Hanthawaddy kings from Saw Zein toBinnya U.[1]Furthermore, his mother was a first cousin of KingRazadarit(r. 1384–1421).[6]His personal name wasBauk Kan Baru(ဗောက်ကန်ဗရူး), and he had one younger brother Baw Chi (ဘောချီ), who later became governor of Lagunbyi with the titles of Byattaba and Einkama.[1]

Baru's ties to the royal family were further reinforced in 1392 when all three of his maternal aunts (Yaza Dewi,Lawka Dewi,andThiri Maya Dewi) became queens of King Razadarit.[7]By 1401, he himself was married to his second cousin PrincessTala Mi Kyaw,one of Razadarit's daughters, and was now known by the title, Saw Maha-Rit.[8]

Siege of Prome (1401–1402)[edit]

Map of Lower Burma in the early 15th century

Maha-Rit is best remembered inBurmese historyfor his failed siege ofProme(Pyay) during the first dry season of theSecond Ava–Hanthawaddy War.In late 1401, he was given command of an army to take Prome, Ava's main garrison in Ava's south, by King Razadarit himself. While Razadarit continued with his invasion of the upcountry, Maha-Rit laid siege to the heavily fortified city. Meanwhile, his wife came to join him at his main headquarters at a place called Khaunglaunggya, outside Prome.[9][10][11]

The siege lasted until March/April 1402;[c]by then, the tide of war had turned. Razadarit, who had blockaded the royal capital ofAva(Inwa) with his naval armada, had begun an orderly withdrawal down theIrrawaddy river.It was then that coordinated Ava counterattacks attempted to lift the siege. Maha-Rit's army at Khaunglaunggya came under attack from a regiment led by Gov.Nawrahta of Salinfrom the outside and from Gov.Letya Pyanchi of Prome's forces from inside the perimeter. Totally surprised by the attacks, Maha-Rit barely escaped on horseback, leaving behind his wife and his troops.[3][4]Ava forces lifted siege, and sent the captured princess to KingMinkhaung Iin Ava.[3][4][12]

Death[edit]

Maha-Rit awaited the return of Razadarit's forces fromDala(modern Twante–Dala). The news of the fall of Khaunglaunggya, and the loss of the princess reached Razadarit only a few days later when the king was still directing a raid ofSale,some 300 km north of Prome. When he received the news, a furious king ordered an immediate full withdrawal, and sailed down to his country.[3][4]Throughout the journey, according to theRazadarit Ayedawbonchronicle, the king was "burning with anger" for Maha-Rit fleeing the scene, and leaving his daughter behind, and responded little to his staff, as though he had "poison in his mouth".[2]Upon arriving at Dala, Razadarit summarily ordered Maha-Rit's execution[5][12]by cutting him up into pieces.[2]The pleas for clemency by the monks had little effect. The king only slightly changed the order to cut off only the limbs before drowning him.[2]

Maha-Rit's gruesome death did little to placate the king. To avenge for his daughter's abduction, Razadarit launched another invasion later in the year.[12][13]

Ancestry[edit]

The following is Maha-Rit's ancestry as given in theRazadarit Ayedawbonchronicle.[d]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^His grandparents Binnya Thein and Tala Mi Saw were married only in the reign of King Binnya U (r. 1348–1384).[1]
  2. ^TheRazadarit Ayedawboncalls him စော မဟာရာဇ် (Saw Maha-Rit).[2]TheMaha YazawinandHmannan Yazawinchronicles identify him as မဟာရတ် (Maha-Rat).[3][4]TheYazawin Thitcalls him စောမရှက် (Saw Ma-Shet).[5]
  3. ^Razadarit received the news of the fall of Khaunglaunggya soon after the new year had turned [on 30 March 1402].[2]
  4. ^Maha-Rit's maternal grandfather was Binnya Thein, a former official of theLan Na court,who fledChiang Maiafter a disagreement with the king of Lan Na, also titled Saw Maha-Rit, in the 1320s. During King Binnya U's reign, Thein married Zein's daughter (U's half-sister) Tala Saw Lun. The union produced a son (Saw Ye-Bein) and a daughter (Mwei A-Khin-Lei), also known by her title Tala Hnin Thiri.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdPan Hla 2005: 204
  2. ^abcdePan Hla 2005: 224
  3. ^abcdMaha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 318
  4. ^abcdHmannan Vol. 1 2003: 456
  5. ^abYazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 218
  6. ^Pan Hla 2005: 203–204
  7. ^Pan Hla 2005: 203
  8. ^Pan Hla 2005: 204, 206
  9. ^Pan Hla 2005: 205–206
  10. ^Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 213
  11. ^Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 447
  12. ^abcHarvey 1925: 88
  13. ^Fernquest 2006: 11

Bibliography[edit]

  • Fernquest, Jon (Spring 2006)."Rajadhirat's Mask of Command: Military Leadership in Burma (c. 1384–1421)"(PDF).SBBR.4(1). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 February 2009.
  • Harvey, G. E.(1925).History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824.London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
  • Kala, U(2006) [1724].Maha Yazawin(in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
  • Pan Hla, Nai(2005) [1968].Razadarit Ayedawbon(in Burmese) (8th printing ed.). Yangon: Armanthit Sarpay.
  • Royal Historical Commission of Burma(2003) [1832].Hmannan Yazawin(in Burmese). Vol. 1–3. Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
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