Hsinbyushin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hsinbyushin (Burmese: ဆင္‌ဖ္ရူရ္ဟင္‌,Thai: มังระ; 1736 - 10 July 1776; literally "Lord of the White Elephant") was the third king of the Konbaung Dynasty (in what is now Myanmar). He was a son of Alaungpaya (1752-1760) and succeeded his brother Naungdawgyi (1760-1763). Hsinbyushin fathered 18 sons and 23 daughters.

Hsinbyushin is best known for his invasion of the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya. In 1764, he went eastward, claiming the cities of Chiang Mai and Vientiane. The Ayutthaya capital fell again into Burmese hands on April 1767, when he sent thousands of prisoners back to Burma. The wanton destruction wrought by the invading Burmese army this time moved one Thai chronicler to comment that "the king of Hanthawaddy (Bayinnaung) waged war like a monarch, but the king of Ava (Hsinbyushin) like a robber".^[1]This conquest began the tradition of absorbing Thai elements into Burmese culture, which is most pronounced in music and literature. However, Burmese reign of Ayutthaya was brief; Taksin, an Ayutthaya general, drove out the Burmeses who had another frontier in North with the invading Chinese army of the Qing Dynasty. The Burmese army was struggling with two wars; one invasive and another defensive, and couldn't control Ayutthaya for long.

However, the Burmese army's defensive campaign successfully penetrated southern China only to be stopped by negotiation of Chinese counterparts. After waging four unsuccessful wars against the Konbaung Dynasty (1765 - 1769) and losing three of his Viceroys including his son-in-law Ming Jui during the process, the Qianlong Emperor eventually established diplomatic relations with the Burmese. In 1770, a treaty was negotiated between generals of two countries, establishing formal trade and diplomatic missions. The negotiations were conducted by the Burmese commanders but the terms of the treaty were not referred to the Hsinbyushin for sanction. King Hsinbyushin was furious at his generals who signed the treaty. To please his anger, the generals of Burmese army invaded the Indian kingdom of Manipur, an action seen as a threat by the British. ^[2]

Hsibyushin died after a long illness in Ava on 10 July 1776 and was succeeded by his son Singu Min. The Kingdom of Ava, as it was known at the time, continued to politically dominate the Shan States, Laos, and the Lanna Kingdom.