Narapati of Prome

Narapati of Prome နရပတိ (ပြည်)
King of Prome
Reign	c. December 1532 – February 1539
Predecessor	Bayin Htwe
Successor	Minkhaung
Died	c. February 1539 Prome (Pyay)
Spouse	Thiri Hpone Htut sister of Takayutpi
House	Mohnyin
Father	Bayin Htwe
Mother	Shwe Zin Gon[1]
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Narapati of Prome (Burmese: နရပတိ (ပြည်), pronounced: [nəɹa̰pətḭ]; died 1539) was king of Prome from 1532 to 1539. He seized the throne after his father Bayin Htwe was taken captive by the Confederation of Shan States in 1532 back to Upper Burma. Bayin Htwe escaped after the Confederation's leader Sawlon was assassinated by his ministers, and returned to Prome (Pyay), c. May 1533. But Narapati shut the gates against his father, who soon died in the adjoining forests.^[2]

Narapati remained a nominal vassal to Confederation controlled Ava. Although his authority did not extend beyond the immediate region around Prome, he became ensnarled in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). Narapati was an ally of King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy, and was married to Takayutpi's sister. Narapati provided shelter to the fleeing Hanthawaddy troops in 1538–39.^[3] When Toungoo troops attacked a heavily fortified Prome, Narapati asked for help from the Confederation in Ava. The Confederation troops broke the siege, but refused to follow up on the retreating Toungoo armies.

Narapati formed an alliance with Mrauk U Kingdom of Arakan by sending his sister and his queen (Takayutpi's sister) to King Min Bin of Mrauk U. (Takayutpi had died soon after the battle.) Narapati too died soon after. He was succeeded by his half-brother Minkhaung.

Ancestry

The following is his ancestry as reported in the Hmannan Yazawin chronicle, which in turn referenced contemporary inscriptions.^{[note 1]} His parents were double cousins.

Ancestry of Narapati of Prome

8. (=12) Narapati of Ava                       4. Thado Minsaw of Prome                             9. (=13) Atula Thiri Maha Yaza Dewi of Ava                       2. Bayin Htwe                                   10. (=14) Minye Kyawswa II of Prome                       5. Myat Hpone Pyo of Prome                             11. (=15) Saw Min Phyu                       1. Narapati                                         12. (=8) Narapati of Ava                       6. Mingyi Swa of Prome                             13. (=9) Atula Thiri Maha Yaza Dewi of Ava                       3. Shwe Zin Gon                                   14. (=10) Minye Kyawswa II of Prome                       7. Saw Myat Lay                             15. (=11) Saw Min Phyu

Notes

1. See (Hmannan Vol. 3 2003: 88) for the names of his maternal grandparents. See (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 82–84) for further ancestors.

References

1. Maha Yazawin Vol. 3 2006: 89
2. Phayre 1967: 88
3. Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 215

Bibliography

• Kala, U (1724). Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). 1–3 (2006, 4th 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). 1–3 (2003 ed.). Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.