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The Ava Dynasty in Myanmar History

Which dynasty did the Shan people establish in Myanmar history?

The Ava Dynasty (1364-1555) was an ancient dynasty established by the ancestors of the Shan nationality in the middle and lower reaches of the Irrawaddy River. Awa City (in today’s De Dawu County, Myanmar) was established and was replaced by the Luchuan royal family, who were also Shan people, in 1527. In 1555, it was destroyed by the Burmese Dongyu Dynasty.

To the north of Awa is the famous Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, to the east is the Mitanga River, a tributary of the Ayeyarwady, and to the south and west are the canals that connect the two rivers. Its entire urban layout is different from other square capitals in Myanmar, but like a squatting lion.

The Ava Dynasty has a total of 19 kings, ruling the northern part of Myanmar (Upper Myanmar), and confronting the Baigu Dynasty in the north and south. Some people think that the Ava Dynasty was built by the Burmese. When the Awa Dynasty was in power (1368-1400) by King Mingji Swaxiuzhi, it consolidated the unification of Upper Burma, prompting the Shan and Bamar people to build water conservancy projects such as the Kyaukxi Qidao Dam and Meitila Lake together, and the agricultural With some development and increasing national strength, even Arakan once became its vassal.

In 1371, he formed an alliance with King Pinyeyu of the Baigu Dynasty, but this alliance only lasted for 15 years. Due to the contradiction between the Mon ruling groups, Lao Pyu, the feudal lord of the Mon ethnic group in Miao, asked the Ava King to attack the Baigu King Luo Sudali, and a war broke out (historically known as the Forty Years War). The war ended in 1425 when the two sides united by marriage. During the war, a large number of Shan people migrated south to the sparsely populated and fertile Lower Burma.

The Awa Dynasty had close relations with China. The Yuan Dynasty established various official titles such as the Appointment of Xuanwei Division, built the Qiqi Water Conservancy Project for Myanmar (south of today’s Mandalay), and dug the Dundui Canal. These two water conservancy projects, which have played a major role in the development of Myanmar’s agricultural production, are still being used by the people of Myanmar today.

According to the research of British Scott and Brown, the jade mine in northern Myanmar was discovered in the 13th century by a small trader in Yunnan, and the technology of mining jade was also passed down to Myanmar from China. In the sixteenth year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (1383), King Ava sent Bannan Sule to pay tribute to China. In the following year, another envoy was sent to pay tribute, and the Ming court awarded King Awa the “Myanmar-China Confession Envoy”. In 1396, the Ming court sent Qian Guxun and Li Sicong to Luchuan, Yunnan, to mediate the dispute between Ava and Luchuan, so that the two sides could reconcile.

In 1406, Zhang Hong was sent to Burma to mediate the dispute between Ava and Meng Yang. Books such as “Bai Yi Zhuan” written by Qian Guxun and “Shi-Myanmar Records” written by Zhang Hong are precious historical materials and are of great value to the study of Sino-Myanmar relations in the Ming Dynasty. In 1414 and 1433, the Ming court sent envoys to Ava to mediate the conflict between Ava and Mubang.

Due to the long-term war, the national power of the Ava Dynasty was exhausted, the farmland was desolate, and the people were forced to flee and take refuge in the east due to famine and war. The chieftains such as Mu Bang and Meng Yang in the north took the opportunity to develop their own power. In 1527, Mengyang Tusi Silun (Selongfa) joined Mubang and Mengmi to capture the city of Ava, killed King Mang Jisui of Ava (ie Ruinan Qiaoxin), and established his son Sihongfa as King of Ava.

After that, they killed Burmese monks, destroyed pagodas, and burned Buddhist scriptures. These atrocities aroused strong indignation among the Burmese people. In 1542 the Toungoo Dynasty marched into Pyay. After Si Hongfa’s defeat in Pyay, he was in a state of failure, and the Burmese people all over the country revolted one after another. In 1543, Si Hongfa was killed by Mingji Yexiang, a minister of Myanmar. In 1555, the Ava Dynasty was destroyed by the Toungoo Dynasty.