Naungdawgyi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Naungdawgyi
King
Reign	Konbaung Dynasty:1760 - 1763
Titles	Prince of Debayin
Born	August 1734
Birthplace	Shwebo
Died	28 November 1763
Place of death	Sagaing
Predecessor	Alaungpaya
Successor	Hsinbyushin
Consort	Shin Hpo U
Dynasty	Konbaung Dynasty
Father	Alaungpaya
Mother	Me Yun San^[1]

Naungdawgyi (literally Royal Elder Brother, born August 1734, died 28 November 1763) was the second king of the Konbaung Dynasty (1760-1763) in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Born Maung Hlauk and later Prince of Debayin, he was the eldest son of Alaungpaya, founder of the dynasty and the Third Burmese Empire. He became Heir Apparent in April 1752, and succeeded his father upon his death on 11 May 1760. Naungdawgyi was crowned on 26 July 1760 at Sagaing, and ascended the Peacock throne at Moksobo (later renamed Shwebo) on 9 February 1761.^[1]

Several rebellions broke out during the short reign of Naungdawgyi, the most serious being that of Myat Htun, one of the generals of his father's army returning from Ayutthaya upon the king's death. The general seized Ava in 1760 with 12,000 men planning to restore the Toungoo Dynasty, after Naungdawgyi had two other generals that had given him offence during his father's reign called to his presence and executed. Naungdawgyi laid siege to the city with 100,000 men, and in September 1760 after two months into the siege that lasted seven months, he received the British envoy Captain Walter Alves whose mission was to demand reparations for the Negrais massacre of October 1759 and to wind up the affairs of the British East India Company. Although the king refused to consider the demand, he was anxious to resume trade as he was in urgent need of munitions. Some English prisoners were still in Burmese hands, and Alves had to make another journey to Ava in 1761-62 for two men and property he left behind. Naungdawgyi gave Alves a letter to the Governor of Bengal and Madras strongly urging him to reopen trade but the British had decided to sever ties with Burma as trade was deemed unprofitable and the threat from French rivalry had ceased to exist for the time being.^[2]^[3]

Minhkaung Nawrahta, a brother of Alaungpaya and Viceroy of Toungoo whose hospitality and assistance Alves greatly appreciated before travelling to Ava, was the next to rebel. Naungdawgyi marched with an army accompanied by his brother Hsinbyushin and laid siege to Toungoo for three months. Although the ringleaders were put to death, Naugdawgyi spared his uncle and kept him a prisoner at Ava. Next Talabaan, a Mon general of Pegu who had enjoyed clemency at the hands of Alaungpaya and was sent to his native Martaban, rose up in rebellion which was easily subdued. Another rebellion by the Mon was crushed by the Viceroy of Pegu. No foreign expedition was embarked upon by the young king, perhaps a very unlikely project in the circumstances.^[4]

Naungdawgyi was inflexible toward religious infringement of any kind and disrespect to the Buddhist Sangha. A second conviction of drunkenness would incur a death penalty, and killing animals was strictly prohibited. People generally spoke of him favourably, and he did try to improve the state of the kingdom during his short reign.^[4]

Naungdawgyi died at the age of 29 in November 1763 and was succeeded by his brother Hsinbyushin. His son and heir Phaungkaza Maung Maung was only two months old at the time.