Kyawswa of Pagan

For other uses, see Kyawswa (disambiguation).

Kyawswa ကျော်စွာ
King of Pagan
Reign	1287 – December 1298
Coronation	1289
Predecessor	Narathihapate
Successor	Sawhnit
Issue	Sawhnit Kumara Kassapa Min Shin Saw Uzana I of Pinya
House	Pagan
Father	Narathihapate
Mother	Shin Hpa
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Kyawswa (Template:Lang-my, pronounced [tɕɔ̀zwà]; 1259 – 1301) was a king of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1287 to 1298. Son of the last sovereign king of Pagan Narathihapate, Kyawswa was one of many "kings" that proliferated after the collapse of the Pagan Empire. Though still styled as King of Pagan, Kyawswa's effective rule amounted to just the area around Pagan city. Felt threatened by the Three Shan Brothers, who were nominally his viceroys, Kyawswa decided to become a Mongol vassal in January 1297, and received such recognition from the Mongols in March 1298. He was ousted by the brothers in December 1298.

Reign

Kyawswa was the governor of Dala (part of today's Yangon) in 1287 when the Mongols sacked Pagan, forcing his father King Narathihapate to flee to Lower Burma. But the king was assassinated by his second son Thihathu, Governor of Prome. Thihathu also killed his eldest brother before he himself was accidentally killed. This opened way for Kyawswa as the main claimant to the throne. In 1289, two years later, Kyawswa was elected king by Narathihapati's widow, Queen Saw, and the ministers who survived the Mongol invasions.

Ruler of Pagan (1289–1297)

Although Kyawswa was styled as king, he had little power beyond a few miles outside Pagan. The Pagan Empire ceased to exist and every region of the former kingdom had its own king or pretenders. The Mongols could not hold the searing Irrawaddy valley but stayed up north in Tagaung. In central Burma, Pagan's natural power base, the real power rested with the Shan Brothers who held the main granary of Kyaukse district from their fortified base of Myinsaing. Kyawswa had no choice but to recognize the brothers as lords of Kyaukse district. The nominal king appointed the eldest brother Athinhkaya as viceroy of Myinsaing, the second brother Yazathingyan as viceroy of Mekkara, and the youngest brother Thihathu as viceroy of Pinle. Although the territories were very small, it was the title viceroy that attracted the brothers.

Mongol vassal (1297–1298)

With the Three Shan Brothers increasingly acting as sovereign kings, Kyawswa sent his son to the Mongols in Tagaung and asked for recognition as their vassal king in January 1297. He received the official recognition and a Chinese title in March 1298. In December, the brothers invited the now puppet king to Myinsaing, their stronghold, to take part in the dedication ceremony of a monastery built by them. The king, with the backing of the Mongols, felt secure and went to Myinsaing. But as soon as the ceremony was over, he was arrested, dethroned, and forced to become a monk in the very monastery he had just dedicated. It was December 1298 (Friday, 3rd waxing of Tabodwe 660 ME).

Aftermath

After deposing Kyawswa, the Three Shan Brothers went on found the Kingdom of Myinsaing which covered central Burma along the upper Irrawaddy valley. Sawhnit, a younger son of Kyawswa, was elected king by the dowager Queen Saw but soon became a governor under the authority of Myinsaing. Another of Kyawswa's sons, Kumara Kassapa, escaped to China, and came back with the Mongol army in early 1301 to restore Kyawswa. With the Mongol army returning, the brothers executed Kyawswa.

The Mongols declared Kumara Kassapa as the new king of Burma, and laid siege to Myinsaing in January 1301 but were unsuccessful. Kumara Kassapa retreated back to Tagaung with the Mongols. In 1303, the Mongols abolished the province of Chiang-Mien based in Tagaung, and withdrew entirely from Upper Burma.