Min Hti of Arakan
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| Min Hti of Launggyet မင်းထီး | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Arakan | |||||||||
| Reign | c. 1279–1374[1] (or c. 1283/84–1389/90) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Sithabin I | ||||||||
| Successor | Saw Mon II (or Uzana II) | ||||||||
| Born | c. 1270s Launggyet, Arakan | ||||||||
| Died | 1373/74 Launggyet | ||||||||
| Spouse | Saw Sit I (chief queen)
Saw Pyo, Saw Nyo, Saw Thanda Phyu | ||||||||
| Issue | Thiwarit of Arakan, Uzana II of Arakan and Thinhse of Arakan | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Alawmaphyu | ||||||||
| Father | Min Bilu | ||||||||
| Mother | Saw Thamar | ||||||||
| Religion | Therevada Buddhism | ||||||||
Min Hti (Arakanese: မင်းထီး; c. 1270s[note 1] – c. 1373/74;[note 2] Minhti or Mindi) was king of Launggyet Arakan from c. 1279 to 1373/74. He is best known for being the longest reigning monarch in history.
He became the king at a young age after his father Min Bilu was assassinated by Sithabin I. According to the Arakanese chronicles, he reigned for 106 years while one British colonial era scholar estimated it to be about 95 years. At any rate, the 95-year-reign is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest "reputed" reign.[2]
Popular Tales
Legend of King Min Hti, known for his stern justice, had a new palace erected. As his betel-chewing subjects are in the habit of cleaning, after removing lime from the box and laying it on the betel-leaf, their soiled forefingers on the door posts of his new palace were not to be soiled in this manner; any one infringing the rule was to have the offending finger cut off. After some time the king, forgetful of his own order, cleaned his finger on one of the palace door posts. One of the ministers made a careful note of it, writing down the date and hour when it occurred but did not remove the lime from the post. A few days later the king observed the spot on the palace door and angrily ordered his ministers to ascertain the offender and see the punishment for such an offense inflicted upon him. When the ministers produced the proof of his own guilt, the king, with his own sword, cut off his forefinger, saying 'that even a king should not issue orders for himself to break with impunity'. To commemorate the event he had the image house erected, and instructed the sculptors to allow only four fingers to the rights hand of the images of Buddha.[3]
Early life
Young King was born to King Min Bilu and Queen Saw and while seeing the high proposed destinies of his son, he ordered him to be cast into the Lemro River and luckily was saved by the fishermen, was sent to remote part of the Kingdom, hidden in the Yoe Chaung village on the Urittaung Mountains which is modern day Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State where he grew up until he ascended the throne.[4]
Reign
Min Hti ascended to the throne by acclemation of his father's legacy in 641 ME (1279 AD), after usurper Sithabin I was deposed and executed by the ministers. Young King was sitting on his uncle's lap as his royal advisor.[5][page needed]
In the year 656 ME (1294 AD), Shans invaded the Kingdom but were repulsed. Thuratan of Bengal send presents of elephants and horses. After this his dominions again being attacked by various quarters by the Shans, the Talaing, the Burmese, and the Thet tribe in the north, the king went to Mahamuni Temple, and, depositing his rosary before the idol, vowed to rid of the country of its enemies. In pursuance of this vow, he marched in person to repel the Talaings who had possessed themselves of the country south town of Sandoway. His uncle, Uza-na-gyi was sent with the army to attack Pagan. Salingathu, his brother in-law advanced into Pegu, and the general, Raza-thin-gyan was sent against the Thet tribe. The City of Pagan was taken, the Talaings were overawed and the expedition against the Thet, after being once repulsed, was eventually crowned with success. After this the general, Razathingyan subdued the country along the sea coast as far as the Brahmaputra River. [6]
In the year 689 ME (1327 AD), the Pinya Kingdom made an attack upon the Ramree Island, and carried away number of inhabitants who were planted upon the Manipur frontier, followed by the Shans, who appeared on the Lemro River in 1334. In retaliation, King ordered his Army to cross the Arakan Mountain to raid and annexed Thayet, and captured Governor Min Shin Saw of Thayet and carried off his entire family to Launggyet.
On his way back from the campaign, he founded the small town of Ann lying below the Rakhine Yoma in 1334/1335. The location served as passage cross the Arakan Mountains reaching Minbu.
After in his final years, Viceroy of Thandwe having gained possession of relic of Gotama brought from Ceylon, by virtue of which expected to obtain sovereignty, rose in rebellion, but was finally reduced to obedience. Soon After this, King Min Hti died after reign of 106 years and having died without legitimate heir to the throne falls into hands of Launggyet Court. The kingdom fell into interregnum. After while, his eldest son succeeded him.[7]
Administration
Min Hti's administration is remembered as being particularly philosophical. During the early years of his reign, as he was too young to make important political decisions, most were made by his mother, uncle, and a court of minor regents. An example of Min Hti's beliefs can be seen in his decrees. In one he is quoted as writing "If a son is to act out, his father should be investigated, if the daughter is to act out, her mother should be, if a wife is acting out, her husband, and if a student is acting out, their teacher should be judged." This type of philosophy was the defining characteristic of Min Hti's rule: he believed environmental factors contributed to the actions of others, and should not be disregarded when considering culpability.[8]
Family tree
The King had four consorts and three sons who later succeeded him. Origin of Mrauk U Royal Family can traced its bloodline from King Min Hti. The King's son Thinhse had two sons whose names were Razathu II, who was the father of the founder of Mrauk U, Min Saw Mon.
Historiography
The Arakanese chronicles, Rakhine Razawin Haung, Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon and Rakhine Razawin Thit, all say that he reigned for 106 years although the Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon contains inconsistent reporting. The British colonial period scholars adapted the reign to 1279 to 1385 and 1279 to 1374.
| Source | Birth–Death | Age at Accession | Reign | Length of reign | Age at Death | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakhine Razawin Haung | c. 1277/78 – 1389/90 | 6 (7th year) |
1283/84 – 1389/90 | 106 | 112 (113th year) |
[note 3] |
| Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon | c. 1277/78 – 1389/90 | 8 (9th year) [sic] 6 (7th year) |
1285/86 – 1389/90 (and 1283/84 – 1389/90) |
106 | 112 (113th year) |
[note 4] |
| Rakhine Razawin Thit | c. 1277/78 – 1389/90 | 6 (7th year) |
1283/84 – 1389/90 | 106 | 112 (113th year) |
[note 5] |
| Maha Yazawin, Yazawin Thit, Hmannan Yazawin | not reported | not reported | ? – 1373/74 | not reported | not reported | [note 6] |
| Arthur Purves Phayre | not reported | not reported | 1279 – 1385 | 106 | not reported | [note 7] |
| G.E. Harvey | not reported | not reported | 1279 – 1374 | 95 | not reported | [note 8] |
Notes
- ^ Various sources imply different dates of birth. Per (Sandamala Linkara 1997: 176–178, 178–182), the Arakanese chronicles Razawin Haung and Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon suggest that he was born c. 1278/79. A non-academic source (Burma Gazeteer 1917: 22–23) implies that he was born c. 1272.
- ^ Various sources give different dates of death. Per (Sandamala Linkara 1997: 176–178, 178–182), the Arakanese chronicles Razawin Haung and Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon say he died in 751 ME (1389/90) while the main Burmese chronicles (Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 285–286), (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 190), (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 410–411) say the king of Arakan died in 735 ME (1373/74), 15 years earlier. (Phayre 1967: 301) and (Burma Gazeteer 1917: 72) give 1385 as the date of death while (Harvey 1925: 369) gives 1374.
- ^ (Sandmala Linkara Vol. 1 1997: 176–178): According to the Razawin Haung chronicle, Min Hti ascended the throne in 645 ME (29 March 1283 to 27 March 1284) in his 7th year (at the age of 6), reigned for 106 years, and died in his 113th year (at age 112) in 751 ME (29 March 1389 to 29 March 1390).
- ^ The Dhanyawaddy is inconsistent. (Sandmala Linkara Vol. 1 1997: 178) says Min Hti became king in his 9th year (at age 8). But (Sandmala Linkara Vol. 1 1997: 182) says he became king in his 7th year (at age 6), reigned for 106 years, and died in his 113th year (at age 112) in 751 ME (29 March 1389 to 29 March 1390).
- ^ (Sandmala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 206): The author Sandamala Linkara seemed to have chosen the more internally consistent dates of Razawin Haung.
- ^ The main Burmese chronicles all agree that the king of Arakan died in 735 ME (29 March 1373 to 28 March 1374) but do not necessarily agree on who the king was. (Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 285–286) and (Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 410–411): King Min Bilu of Arakan died in 735 ME, and King Swa Saw Ke placed his nominee Saw Mon on the Arakanese throne in the same year. (Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 190) gives the same story except but does not mention the name of the deceased Arakanese king.
- ^ (Phayre 1967: 301) says Min Hti began his reign in 641 ME (29 March 1279 to 27 March 1280), ruled for 106 years, and died in 747 ME (29 March 1385 to 29 March 1386), abbreviating the common era years as 1279–1385. It is unclear where he got the 641 ME. His 641 ME and the 645 ME of the chronicles Razawin Haung and Dhanyawaddy Ayedawbon may have been a result of a copying error. The Burmese numerals ၁ (1) and ၅ (5) can easily be misconstrued or miscopied.
- ^ Per (Harvey 1925: 369), Harvey used Phayre's list of Arakanese monarchs as the base. Hence (Harvey 1925: 371) gives 1279 as the start of Min Hti reign but adds that the reign ended in 1374, and Burmese nominees ruled from 1374 to 1385.
Harvey's 1374 seems to be based on the main Burmese chronicles' date of 735 ME (29 March 1373 to 28 March 1374). Over 75% of the 735 ME fell in the year 1373 (29 March to 31 December 1373) while less than a quarter of the year fell in 1374 CE (1 January to 28 March 1374).
References
- ^ Harvey 1925: 374
- ^ "Longest ever reigns". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
- ^ Burma Gazetteer:Legend of Min Hti.
- ^ "Burma Gezatteer: Akyab Distrct Vol A". p. 22.
- ^ Rakhine Razawin Thit Vol 7 (in Burmese). Ven. Sandamala Likara.
- ^ "Burma Gazetteer: Akyab District Vol A". p. 23.
- ^ "Burma Gazetteer: Akyab District Vol A". p. 23.
- ^ History of Myanmar (in Burmese). National Academy of Sciences. p. 57.
Bibliography
- Harvey, G. E. (1925). History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
- Htin Aung, Maung (1967). A History of Burma. New York and London: Cambridge University Press.
- Kala, U (1724). Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2006, 4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
- Maha Sithu (1798). Myint Swe; Kyaw Win; Thein Hlaing (eds.). Yazawin Thit (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2012, 2nd printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
- Phayre, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta.
- Royal Historical Commission of Burma (1832). Hmannan Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2003 ed.). Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
- Sandamala Linkara, Ashin (1931). Rakhine Razawin Thit (in Burmese). Vol. 1–2 (1997 ed.). Yangon: Tetlan Sarpay.
- Smart, R.B., ed. (1917). Burma Gazetteer: Akyab District. Vol. A. Rangoon: Government Printing and Stationery.