Pagan Kingdom
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| This article is part of the History of Burma series |
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| Early history of Burma |
| Pyu city-states (c. 100 BC–c. 840 AD) |
| Mon kingdoms (9th–11th, 13th–16th, 18th c.) |
| Bagan dynasty (849–1287, 1st Empire) |
| Ava (1364–1555) |
| Pegu (1287–1539, 1747–1757) |
| Mrauk U (1434–1784) |
| Toungoo dynasty (1486–1752, 2nd Empire) |
| Konbaung dynasty (1752–1885, 3rd Empire) |
| Wars with Britain (1824–1826, 1852, 1885) |
| British Arakan (1824–1852) |
| British Tenasserim (1824–1852) |
| British Lower Burma (1852–1886) |
| British Upper Burma (1885–1886) |
| British rule in Burma (1824–1942, 1945–1948) |
| Nationalist movement in Burma (after 1886) |
| Ba Maw |
| Aung San |
| Japanese occupation of Burma (1942–1945) |
| Democratic period (1948–1962) |
| U Nu and U Thant |
| 1st military rule (1962–1989) |
| Ne Win |
| 8888 Uprising (1988) |
| Aung San Suu Kyi |
| 2nd military rule (1989–present) |
| Saffron Revolution (2007) |
| Cyclone Nargis (2008) |
| [edit this box] |
The Pagan Kingdom (849-1287) is considered to be the first Burmese empire. The name is also spelled Bagan.
During the time of the Pyu kingdom, between about 500 and 950, the Bamar, people of the Burmese ethnic group, began infiltrating from the area to the north into the central region of Burma which was occupied by Pyu people that had come under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism from Bihar and Bengal. By 849, the city of Pagan (now spelled Bagan[1]) had emerged as the capital of a powerful kingdom that would unify Burma and filled the void left by the Pyu.
The kingdom grew in relative isolation until the reign of Anawrahta (1044 - 1077) who successfully unified all of Myanmar by defeating the Mon city of Thaton in 1057, inaugurating the Burmese domination of the country that has continued to the present day. Consolidation was accomplished under his successors Kyanzittha (1084-1112) and Alaungsithu (1112-1167), so that by the mid-12th century, most of continental Southeast Asia was under the control of either the Pagan Kingdom or the Khmer Empire.
The Pagan kingdom went into decline as more land and resources fell into the hands of the powerful sangha (monkhood) and the Mongols threatened from the north. The last true ruler of Pagan, Narathihapate (reigned 1254-1287) felt confident in his ability to resist the Mongols and advanced into Yunnan in 1277 to make war upon them. He was thoroughly crushed at the Battle of Ngasaunggyan, and Pagan resistance virtually collapsed. The king was assassinated by his own son in 1287, precipitating a Mongol invasion in the Battle of Pagan during their wide-ranging conquests. The Mongols successfully captured most of the empire, including its capital, and it never recovered its predominant position. The Pagan dynasty ended in 1289 when the Mongols installed a puppet ruler in Myanmar.
| Name | Relationship | Reign (A.D.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thamudarit | 107-152 | founder of Bagan[2] | |
| Pyinbya | Son of Khelu | 846-878 | moved capital from Tampawadi (modern Pwasaw) to Bagan |
| Anawratha | Son of Kunsaw Kyaunghpyu | 1044-1077 | founder of Bagan and the First Burmese Empire[3] |
| Sawlu | Son | 1077-1084 | |
| Kyanzittha | Elected | 1084-1112 | |
| Alaungsithu | Grandson | 1113-1165 | |
| Narathu | Son | 1165 | Period without kings for 3 years 1165-1168 |
| Narapatisithu | Relative of King Anawrahta | 1168-1210 | |
| Nandaungmya (Nātoṅmyā) | Son | 1211-1231 | Nandaungmya (one who frequently asked for the throne ) |
| Naratheinhka (Narasiṅgha) | Son | 1231-1235 | |
| Kyaswa (Klacwās) | Brother | 1235-1249 | |
| Uzana (Uccanās) | Nephew | 1249-1254 | |
| Min Yin | Son | 1254 | |
| Narathihapate (Narasīhapatis) | Brother | 1254-1287 | Lost the kingdom to the Mongols and known as Tayoke Pyay Min (king who fled from the Chinese) to posterity |
| Kyawswa (Klawcwā) | Son | 1287-1298 | |
| Sawhnit (Caw Nac) | Son | 1298-1325 | |
| Sawmunnit | Son | 1325-1369 |
[edit] References
- ^ Pagan is the former English name for what is now spelled Bagan. Many city names or spellings were changed by the Burmese government in 1989. See Names of Burma for more information on the name changes.
- ^ Although Anawratha is accounted for the founding of Bagan, Thamudarit is the listed as the "traditional" founder of Bagan in The Glass Palace Chronicle (Hmannan Yazawin)
- ^ Idem.
Coordinates: 21°10′20″N 94°51′37″E / 21.17222°N 94.86028°E
