Minhlange

Minhlange မင်းလှငယ်
King of Ava
Reign	August – November 1425
Predecessor	Thihathu
Successor	Kale Kyetaungnyo
Born	18 April 1418 Monday, 4th waxing of Kason 780 ME Ava (Inwa)
Died	November 1425 (aged 7) Tazaungmon 787 ME Ava
Consort	Shin Bo-Me
House	Pinya
Father	Thihathu
Mother	Saw Min Hla
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Minhlange (Burmese: မင်းလှငယ်, pronounced: [mɪ́ɴ l̥a̰ ŋɛ̀]; 1418–1425) was king of Ava for about three months in 1425. Minhlange ascended to the throne in August 1425 after his father King Thihathu had been killed in an ambush by raiders from the Shan State of Hsipaw (Thibaw). He was only about seven years old. The ambush was arranged by Thihathu's powerful queen Shin Bo-Me who wanted to place her lover, Kale Kyetaungnyo, the Saopha of Kale, on the throne. About three months later, Shin Bo-Me poisoned the young king in early November 1425^[1] and made Kyetaungnyo king a few days later.^[2]

Early life

Minhlange was born to King Thihathu and Saw Min Hla,^[3] in 1418.^{[note 1]} His mother was the chief queen of Crown Prince Minyekyawswa. After Minyekyawswa fell in action in March 1417, Thihathu succeeded the position of Crown Prince, and according to the tradition of Burmese royalty, had to marry his elder brother's chief queen (and then sister-in-law). Thihathu and Saw Monhla had three children: Minhlange was the eldest child, and had two younger sisters, Saw Pyei Chantha and Shwe Pyi-Shin.^[4] When Thihathu became king, Saw Minhla became his chief queen. (According to the chronicles Thihathu was a womanizer, and spent much of his time with other queens. Saw Minhla, though officially the chief queen, later moved out of the palace.)^[5] As the eldest son by the chief queen, Minhlange was the first in line of succession.

Notes

1. (Zata 1960: 74): Zatadawbon Yazawin says he was born on Monday, 2nd waxing of Kason 778 ME, which translates to Monday, 6 April 1416. However his birth year may be 1418, inferred from the reporting of Hmannan Yazawin, the standard chronicle of Konbaung Dynasty. Maha Yazawin (Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 49), the standard chronicle of Toungoo Dynasty and the main chronicle on which Hmannan is based, says Minhlange was born in 1416, after Minyekyawswa had fallen on 13 March 1415 (Wednesday, 4th waxing of Old Tagu 776 ME). However Hmannan (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 43) corrects Maha Yazawin's and Zatadawbon Yazawin's reporting, and says that Minyekyawswa died two years later in March 1417. The authors of Hmannan did not adjust Minhlange's birth year, and left it as it was reported in Maha Yazawin. If Minyekyawswa did die in 1417 as reported in Hmannan, Minhlange's birth year also needs to be adjusted two years later to 1418. But 2nd waxing of Kason 780 ME gives Saturday, 16 April 1418. The birth date should probably be 4th waxing of Kason 780 ME.

Citations

1. (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 58): Tazaungmon 787 ME = 12 October 1425 to 10 November 1425
2. (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 59): Natdaw 787 ME = 11 November 1425 to 9 December 1425
3. Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 58
4. Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 53–54
5. Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 55–58

References

• Kala, U (1724). Maha Yazawin Gyi (in Burmese). 1–3 (2006, 4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
• Royal Historians of Burma (c. 1680). U Hla Tin (Hla Thamein), ed. Zatadawbon Yazawin (1960 ed.). Historical Research Directorate of the Union of Burma.
• Royal Historical Commission of Burma (1832). Hmannan Yazawin (in Burmese). 1–3 (2003 ed.). Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.