Bayin Htwe

Bayin Htwe ဘုရင်ထွေး
King of Prome
Reign	1526–1532
Predecessor	Thado Minsaw
Successor	Narapati
Died	c. June 1533[1] Prome (Pyay)
Consort	Shwe Zin Gon[2] Chit Mi[3]
Issue	8 children (4 sons and 4 daughters) by chief queens, including:[2][3] Narapati (son) Minkhaung (son) Salin Mibaya (daughter) Laygyun Mibaya (daughter)[4]
House	Mohnyin
Father	Thado Minsaw
Mother	Myat Hpone Pyo
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Bayin Htwe (Burmese: ဘုရင်ထွေး, pronounced: [bəjɪ̀ɴ tʰwé]; died 1533) was king of Prome from 1526 to 1532. His small kingdom, founded by his father Thado Minsaw in 1482, was conquered by the Confederation of Shan States in 1532, and he was taken prisoner to Upper Burma. He was later released, and returned to Prome only to be refused entry by his son Narapati. Bayin Htwe died at the outskirts of Prome in mid 1533.

Brief

Bayin Htwe was the eldest son of Thado Minsaw who proclaimed independence of his minor kingdom from Ava in 1482. Htwe ascended to the throne in 1526 after his father's death. The new king soon incurred the wrath of Sawlon, the leader of Confederation of Shan States because he did not send help in the Confederation's war against Ava in 1526–1527. His father had been an ally of Sawlon, and sent troops in their 1524–1525 assault on Ava. In 1532, Sawlon and his Confederation armies (12,000 troops, 800 horses and 30 elephants) laid siege to Prome (Pyay). Bayin Htwe surrendered in late 1532, and was sent to Dabayin in Upper Burma in exile. Htwe's son Narapati was appointed vassal king.^[5]

Htwe's life in captivity was cut short after Sawlon was assassinated by his own ministers near Myedu, enabling his return to Prome. He arrived back at the outskirts of Prome, five months after he lost his throne. But his son did not allow him back in the city. He died about a month later in the adjoining forests.^[5][6]

His legacy lived on through his offspring. Two of his sons, Narapati and Minkhaung, became rulers of Prome, albeit as vassals of Ava. Two of his daughters, Salin Mibaya and Laygyun Mibaya, were married to Thado Dhamma Yaza II of Prome and Minkhaung II of Toungoo, who respectively were viceroys of Prome and Toungoo.^[2][3] He was the maternal grandfather of Queen Hsinbyushin Medaw of Lan Na and Queen Min Taya Medaw, a principal queen of King Nanda of Toungoo Dynasty.^[2]

Ancestry

The following is his ancestry as reported in the Hmannan Yazawin chronicle, which in turn referenced contemporary inscriptions.^{[note 1]} His parents were first cousins.

Ancestry of King Bayin Htwe

8. Mohnyin Thado                       4. Narapati of Ava                             9. Shin Myat Hla of Ava                       2. Thado Minsaw of Prome                                   10. Thinkhaya of Pagan                       5. Atula Thiri Maha Yaza Dewi of Ava                             11. Pagan Mibaya                       1. Bayin Htwe                                         12. Thinkhaya of Pagan                       6. Minye Kyawswa II of Prome                             13. Pagan Mibaya                       3. Myat Hpone Pyo of Prome                                   14. Thihathu of Ava                       7. Saw Min Phyu                             15. Saw Min Hla

Notes

1. See (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 82–84) and (Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 80, 88) for his ancestors.

References

1. Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 117
2. Maha Yazawin Vol. 3 2006: 89
3. Maha Yazawin Vol. 3 2006: 83
4. Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 172
5. Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 116–117
6. Phayre 1967: 88

Bibliography

• Kala, U (1724). Maha Yazawin (in Burmese) 1–3 (2006, 4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
• Phayre, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta.