Mon kingdoms

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Mon kingdoms ruled large sections of Burma from the 9th to the 11th, the 13th to the 16th, and again in the 18th centuries.

The first recorded kingdom that can undisputedly be attributed to the Mon people was Dvaravati, which prospered until around 1000 AD when their capital was sacked by the Khmer Empire and most of the inhabitants fled west to present-day Burma and eventually founded new kingdoms. These, too, eventually came under pressure from new ethnic groups arriving from the north.

About the same period, southward-migrating Burmans took over lands in central Myanmar once dominated by Pyu city-states and the Tai started trickling into South-East Asia. The Burman ( Bamar ) established the kingdom of Bagan. In 1057, Bagan defeated the Mon kingdom, capturing the Mon capital of Thaton and carrying off 30,000 Mon captives to Bagan.

After the fall of Bagan to the invading Mongols in 1287, the Mon, under Wareru an ethnic Tai, regained their independence and captured Martaban and Bago, thus virtually controlling their previously held territory.

A main body of ethnic Shan / Tai migration came in the 13th century after the fall of the Kingdom of Dali to the Mongol Empire and filled the void left by the fall of the Bagan kingdom in northern Burma forming a loose coalition of city-states . These successive waves of Bamar and Tai groups slowly eroded the Mon kingdoms, and the next 200 years witnessed incessant warfare between the Mon and the Burmese, but the Mon managed to retain their independence until 1539. The last independent Mon kingdom fell to the Burmese when Alaungpaya razed Bago in 1757. Many of the Mon were killed, while others fled to Thailand.

Contents [hide] 1 List of Mon monarchs 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading

[edit] List of Mon monarchs

Mon monarchs ruled lower Burma from 1287 to 1539 with a brief revival during 1550-53.

Mon name	Dates	BE	years	Succession	Death	Burmese	Pali	Other names
Wareru	1287-96	649	19		murdered			Magadu, Wa Roe, Warow, Wariru
Hkun Law	1296-1310	668	4	brother	murdered	Hkun Law		Tha-na-ran-bya-keit
Saw U	1310-24	672	13	nephew	murdered	Saw O		Theng-mhaing
Saw Zein	1324-31	685	7	brother	murdered			Binga-ran-da
Zein Pun	1331			murderer	murdered
Saw E Gan Gaung	1331				murdered
Banya E Law	1331-48	692	18	cousin		Binnya E Law
Binnya U	1348-83	710	37	son	natural death	Binnya U		Tsheng-phyu-sheng
Rajadhirat	1383-1421	747	39	son	accident	Razadarit		Binnya Nwe
Banya Dhamraja	1423-26	785	3	son	murdered	Binnyadammayaza
Binnya Ram I	1426-46	788	20	brother		Binnyaran	Ramarajadhirat	Binnya Rankit
Banyabarow	1446-50	808	4	nephew		Binnyawaru	Jayaddisarajadhirat	Banyabarvor,
Banya Ken Dau	1450-53	812	3	cousin			Dhammatrailokyanatha	Banya Ken, Binya Keng, Banya Kyan
Mawdaw	1453	815		cousin
Baña Thau	1453-1472	815	7		abdicated	Shin Sawbu	Viharadevi
Dhammacedi	1472-92	822	31	son-in-law	natural death	Dammazedi	Ramadhipati	Dhammazedi, Damazedi, Dhammachedi, Dhammaceti
Binnya Ram II	1492-1526	853	35	son		Binnyaran
Takayutpi	1526-39	888	14	son		Takayutpi
Smim Sawhtut	1550			usurper	murdered	Smim Sawhtut
Smim Htaw	1551-53		2	usurper	executed	Smim Htaw

[edit] See also

• Mon State

[edit] References

• Guillon, Emmanuel (tr. ed. James V. Di Crocco) (1999) The Mons: A civilization of Southeast Asia, Bangkok: The Siam Society.
• Harvey, G.E. (1925) History of Burma: From the earliest times to 10 March 1824 the beginning of the English conquest, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co.
• Phayre, Arthur Purves. History of Burma including Burma Proper, Pegu, Taungu,
• Tenasserim, and Arakan: From the Earliest Time to the End of the First War With British India. London: Trübner & Company. 1883; Reprint: Bibliotheca Orientalism, Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1998.

[edit] Further reading

• "The Mon-pa Revisited: In Search of Mon." François Pommaret. In: Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 52-73. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-86470-22-0.