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67-403: The pagoda was built in 1816 by Bagyidaw . It is dedicated to the memory of his first consort and cousin, Princess Hsinbyume ( ဆင်ဖြူမယ် , lit. Princess White Elephant, 1789–1812) who had died in childbirth in a site nearby. The pagoda's design is a great departure from Burmese pagoda design norms. It is based on descriptions of the mythical Sulamani pagoda on Mount Meru, and the lower parts of

134-519: A 16,000-strong force led by Gen. Maha Minhla Minkhaung to Assam. Yit was a junior commander. The Burmese forces entered Assam in January 1817 and defeated the Assamese army at the battle of Ghiladhari. A fresh Assamese force was raised to defend the capital. The new Assamese army made a stand at Kathalbari near the Assamese capital Jorhat but was promptly defeated. King Chandrakanta Singha now agreed to become

201-566: A British naval force of over 10,000 men (5000 British soldiers and over 5000 Indian sepoys) entered the harbor of Yangon, taking the Burmese by surprise. The Burmese pursuing a scotched earth policy, left an empty city, and instead chose to fortify positions along an east–west 10-mile arc outside the city. The British forces led by General Archibald Campbell took position inside a fortified Shwedagon Pagoda compound. The British launched attacks on Burmese lines, and by July 1824, had successfully pushed

268-576: A beautiful white stupa in memory of his first wife named Myatheindan Pagoda at Mingun. He took on five more queens as crown prince (of the eventual number of 23 queens). His third and later chief queen Nanmadaw Me Nu built the Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery in 1818, more commonly known as Me Nu Ok Kyaung (Me Nu's Brick Monastery), unusual in that Burmese monasteries traditionally are wooden structures. During his stay as crown prince, his grandfather Bodawpaya renewed his expansionism in

335-515: A counter charge, with foot soldiers, cavalry and 17 fighting elephants. But the elephants were stopped by rocket fire and the cavalry found it impossible to move against the sustained British artillery fire. On 1 April, the British launched a major attack, pounding down on the town with their heavy guns and raining their rockets on every part of the Burmese line. Bandula was killed by a mortar shell hitting his reproductive organs. Bandula had walked around

402-498: A long supply line up the Chindwin river . The Ahom King of Assam , Chandrakanta Singha tried to free himself from Burmese influence. He collected mercenaries from Bengal and started to strengthen his army and constructed fortifications to prevent further invasion of Burmese. King Bagyidaw again turned to Bandula to reclaim Assam. In February 1821, a Burmese army of 20,000 (including 10,000 Hkamti Shan and Kachin levies) crossed

469-604: A rebellion in February 1837, and Bagyidaw was forced to abdicate the throne in April 1837. King Tharrawaddy executed Queen Me Nu and her brother but placed his brother under house arrest. Bagyidaw died in October 1846 at age 62. The future king was born Maung Sein to Crown Prince Thado Minsaw , Prince of Shwedaung and his half-sister Min Kye, Princess of Taungdwin, on 23 July 1784. The infant prince

536-465: A son named Kyan Gyi ( ကျန်းကြီး ). Later in his youth, Yit moved to Amarapura , then the kingdom's capital, to serve as the lowest grade retainer in the royal service of Crown Prince Thado Minsaw , who had his hometown Dababyin in fief. Stockily built and loud—based on his body armor, his height is estimated to be about 173 cm or 5′ 8″ —Yit proved a quick study in martial arts, horseback riding and war elephant riding, and quickly rose through

603-519: A tributary of Burma, and gave many presents and Ahom princess Hemo Aideo in marriage to the Burmese king. A year later, the pro-Burmese prime minister Badan Chandra Borphukan was assassinated, and the Ahom king Chandrakanta Singha was deposed by rival political faction led by Ruchinath Burhagohain. Chandrakanta Singha sought help from Bodawpaya. Yit was again called on to serve in November 1818 and in February 1819,

670-585: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bagyidaw Bagyidaw ( Burmese : ဘကြီးတော် , pronounced [ba̰dʑídɔ̀] ; also known as Sagaing Min , [zəɡáiɰ̃ mɪ́ɰ̃] ; 23 July 1784 – 15 October 1846) was the seventh king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1819 until his abdication in 1837. Prince of Sagaing , as he was commonly known in his day, was selected as crown prince by his grandfather King Bodawpaya in 1808, and became king in 1819 after Bodawpaya's death. Bagyidaw moved

737-412: Is also possible that he is well remembered as there are a number of British accounts who mentioned Bandula admiringly despite his failures. In particular, the British have praised Danubyu's defenses and had expected a long taxing siege. Indeed, some would say the ignominious setbacks continue up to this day. For whatever reason, Maha Bandula remains the most famous general in Burmese history. Team Bandula

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804-445: The Ahom king of Assam , Chandrakanta Singha tried to shake off Burmese influence. He hired mercenaries from Bengal and began to strengthen the army. He also began to construct fortification to prevent further Burmese invasion. Bagyidaw again turned to Bandula. It took Bandula's 20,000-strong army about a year a half, until July 1822, to finish off the Assamese army. Bagyidaw now scrapped

871-533: The Battle of Ramu , inside British territory, causing a great panic in Calcutta. But Bandula, not wanting to overstretch, stopped Myawaddy from proceeding to Chittagong . Had Bandula marched on to Chittagong, which unbeknown to him was lightly held, he could have taken it and the way to Calcutta would have been open. Instead of fighting in hard terrain, the British took the fight to the Burmese mainland. On 11 May 1824,

938-505: The Prince of Sagaing . Yit dutifully served for the next four years in the background but still was not noticed. Deeply frustrated, Yit made a bold move to be noticed one day in late 1812, (soon after the second son of the crown prince was born on 27 October 1812): he punched a fellow palace guardsman Nanda Bala for no apparent reason. Duly arrested and brought before the crown prince, Yit explained that he just wanted to be called "Nga Yit" by

1005-459: The 3,000 ft (910 m) high Arakan hills or 10,000 ft (3,000 m) high Assamese ranges, heavily forested and with only narrow footpaths, open to attack by tigers and leopards, would be difficult. To do this at the height of the drenching monsoon season was no easy task. Yet Bandula (from Arakan) and Uzana (from Assam) in a testament to their generalship and logistical skill, managed to do just that. The king granted both Bandula and Uzana

1072-721: The British India's finances had been almost ruinous, amounting to approximately 13 million pounds sterling. The cost of war contributed to a severe economic crisis in India, which by 1833 had bankrupted the Bengal agency houses and cost the British East India Company its remaining privileges, including the monopoly of trade to China. For the Burmese, the treaty was a total humiliation and a long-lasting financial burden. A whole generation of men had been wiped out in battlefield. The world

1139-549: The British army only 50 miles away from Ava, Bagyidaw agreed to British terms. As per the Treaty of Yandabo , the British demanded and the Burmese agreed to: The treaty imposed highly severe financial burden to the Burmese kingdom, and effectively left it crippled. The British terms in the negotiations were strongly influenced by the heavy cost in lives and money which the war had entailed. Some 40,000 British and Indians troops had been involved of whom 15,000 had been killed. The cost to

1206-408: The British cannons fired exploding shells. Unbeknown to him, the British had just received the first shipment of the newest weapon in war that the Burmese had never seen– Congreve rockets . On 30 November, in what turned out be the biggest mistake of his career, Bandula ordered a frontal attack on British positions. The British with far superior weaponry, withstood several Burmese gallant charges at

1273-450: The British forces because the Burmese, who had been fighting in the jungles of Manipur and Assam for nearly a decade, were more familiar with the terrain which represented "a formidable obstacle to the march of a European force". Uzana had already defeated the British units in Cachar and Jaintia in January 1824. In May, Burmese forces led by Lord Myawaddy defeated units of British India Army in

1340-464: The British inside Bengal, causing a great panic in Calcutta. Instead of fighting in harsh terrain, the British took the fight to the Burmese mainland. On 11 May, a British naval force of over 10,000 men, led by Archibald Campbell entered the port city of Yangon , taking the Burmese by surprise. Bagyidaw ordered Bandula and most of the troops back home to meet the enemy at Yangon. In December 1824, Bandula's 30,000 strong force tried to retake Yangon but

1407-612: The British. Today, some of the most prominent places in the country are named after him. Maha Bandula was born Maung Yit ( မောင်ရစ် [màʊɰ̃ jɪʔ] ) on 6 November 1782 (Wednesday, 2nd waxing of Tazaungmon 1144 ME) in Dabayin , the firstborn son of a minor gentry family of Pauk Taw ( ပေါက်တော ) and his wife, Nyein ( ငြိမ် , as in "calm"; not the more common ငြိမ်း as in "finality/completed"). He had three siblings: brother Aye ( အေး ), sister Dok ( ဒုတ် ), and brother Myat Ne ( မြတ်နေ ). As customary with Burmese boys of

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1474-483: The Burmese army to pursue the rebels along the vaguely defined borders led to the war. The longest and most expensive war in British Indian history ended decisively in British favor, and the Burmese had to accept British terms without discussion. Bagyidaw was forced to cede all of his grandfather's western acquisitions, and Tenasserim to the British, and pay a large indemnity of one million pounds sterling , leaving

1541-537: The Burmese forces invaded Assam and reinstalled Chandrakanta Singha on the throne of Assam. In both Assamese campaigns, Yit was a regimental commander, two ranks below the overall commander-in-chief. Though a junior commander, Yit proved his worth on the battlefield, and his input was valued by the senior commanders. After a successful campaign in Assam, he was promoted to governor of Ahlon-Monywa in June 1819 (Nayon 1181 ME) by his lord

1608-426: The Burmese forces invaded Assam for second time and reinstalled Chandrakanta Singha on the throne of Assam. Bodawpaya died on 5 June 1819, and Bagyidaw ascended to the throne without opposition. On 7 June 1819, he was crowned at Amarapura with the reign name of Sri Pawara Suriya Dharmaraja Maharajadhiraja . It was later expanded to Siri Tribhawanaditya Dhipati Pawara Pandita Mahadhammarajadhiraja. Bagyidaw inherited

1675-468: The Burmese forces invaded Manipur, under the overall command of Thado Minye Kyawhtin , the king's brother. Maha Bandula was one of two deputy commander-in-chiefs ( Sitke ). He commanded an infantry force of 5000 men and 500 cavalry, followed by Gen. Ne Myo Thura Minhla Nawrahta 's 20,000 infantrymen and 2500 cavalry. The Manipuris made their stand near their capital. The fort, surrounded by high hills on two sides and heavily fortified by stout timber gates on

1742-445: The Burmese forces now numbered about 10,000, of mixed quality, including some of the king's best soldiers but also many untrained and barely armed conscripts. The stockade itself stretched a mile along the riverbank, and was made up of solid teak beams no less than 15 feet high. In March 1825, a four thousand strong British force supported by a flotilla of gun boats attacked Danubyu. The first British attack failed, and Bandula attempted

1809-616: The Burmese knew of conquest and martial pride, built on the back of impressive military success of prior 75 years, had come crashing down. An uninvited British Resident in Ava was a daily reminder of humiliation of defeat. The burden of indemnity would leave the royal treasury bankrupt for years. The indemnity of one million pounds sterling would have been considered a colossal sum even in Europe of that time, and it became frightening when translated to Burmese kyat equivalent of 10 million. The cost of living of

1876-597: The Burmese towards Kamayut , five miles from Shwedagon. Burmese efforts to retake Shwedagon in September failed. King Bagyidaw ordered a near complete withdrawal from the western front—Bandula from Arakan and Bengal, and Uzana from Assam, Cachar and Jaintia—and meet the enemy in Yangon. In August, in the midst of monsoon season, Bandula and his army crossed the Arakan Yoma . Even in good weather, moving tens of thousands of men over

1943-560: The Burmese were able to put up a fight. The Burmese remember Bandula's last words in this way: Ironically, this very courage to take on the enemy head on and use the daring tactics that led to the improbable victories in Manipur and Assam would prove to be his undoing against the much better armed and world conquering British, who had defeated Napoleon 's armies only a decade earlier. For all of his fame, Bandula failed to change tactics in face of far superior British weaponry. He failed to imagine

2010-613: The Burmese. Convinced that war was inevitable, Bandula became a main proponent of offensive policy against the British. Bandula was part of the war party at Bagyidaw's court, which also included Queen Me Nu and her brother, the lord of Salin. Bandula believed that a decisive victory could allow Ava to consolidate its gains in its new western empire in Arakan, Manipur, Assam, Cachar and Jaintia, as well as take over eastern Bengal. In January 1824, Bandula sent in one of his top lieutenants Thado Thiri Maha Uzana into Cachar and Jaintia to chase away

2077-626: The Burmese. Raja Marjit Singh failed to attend Bagyidaw's coronation ceremony, or send an embassy bearing tributes, as all vassal kings had an obligation to do. In October 1819, Bagyidaw sent an expeditionary force of 25,000 soldiers and 3,000 cavalry led by his favorite general Maha Bandula to reclaim Manipur. Bandula reconquered Manipur but the raja escaped to neighboring Cachar, which was ruled by his brother Chourjit Singh . The Singh brothers continued to raid Manipur using their bases from Cachar and Jaintia, which had been declared as British protectorates . The instabilities spread to Assam in 1821, when

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2144-457: The Prince of Sagaing who had just ascended to the Burmese throne as King Bagyidaw . On 3 November 1819 (2nd waning of Tazaungmon 1181), Yit was given the title of Maha Bandula ( Pali : 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀩𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀼𑀮 , Mahābandhula ) by the king. It is a title by which he would be remembered. Maha Bandula's first major military action as a senior commander came soon after in Manipur. The small kingdom in

2211-563: The Shwedagon fort, cutting down men by thousands. By 7 December, the British troops, supported by rocket fire, had begun to gain the upper hand. On 15 December, the Burmese were driven out of their last remaining stronghold at Kokine. In the end, only 7000 of the 30,000 Burmese soldiers returned. Bandula fell back to his rear base at Danubyu , a small town not far from Yangon, in the Irrawaddy delta . Having lost experienced men in Yangon,

2278-550: The average villager in Upper Burma in 1826 was one kyat per month. Bagyidaw could not come to terms with the loss of the territories, and the British used Tenasserim as bait for the Burmese to pay the installments of indemnity. In 1830, the British agreed to redraw the Manipuri border with Burma, giving back Kabaw Valley to the Burmese. Bagyidaw delivered the balance of the indemnity at great sacrifice in November 1832. But by 1833, it

2345-737: The capital from Amarapura back to Ava in 1823. Bagyidaw's reign saw the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826), which marked the beginning of the decline of the Konbaung dynasty. He inherited the largest Burmese empire, second only to King Bayinnaung 's, but also one that shared ill-defined borders with British India . In the years leading to the war, the king had been forced to suppress British supported rebellions in his grandfather's western acquisitions ( Arakan , Manipur and Assam ), but unable to stem cross border raids from British territories and protectorates. His ill-advised decision to allow

2412-518: The capture of the Manipuri capital. Yit was noticed for his leadership skills. Bodawpaya's next target was Assam , another kingdom to the west but larger one than Manipur. In 1816, the Assamese governor of Guwahati , Badan Chandra Borphukan sought help from the Burmese king in order to oust his political rival Purnananda Burhagohain , the Prime Minister. Bodawpaya agreed, and in December 1816, sent

2479-531: The command of Gen. Maha Minhla Minkhaung was sent with Badan Chandra Borphukan . The Burmese force entered Assam in January 1817 and defeated the Assamese force in the battle of Ghiladhari. Meanwhile, Purnananda Burhagohain died and Ruchinath Burhagohain , the son of Purnananda Burahgohain fled to Guwahati . The reigning Ahom king Chandrakanta Singha came in terms with Badan Chandra Borphukan and his Burmese allies. He appointed Badan Chandra Borphukan as Mantri Phukan (Prime Minister). An Ahom princess Hemo Aideo

2546-504: The conquests of Manipur and Assam had brought a long border between British India and the kingdom of Ava. The British, based in Calcutta , had their own designs on the region, and actively supported rebellions in Manipur, Assam and Arakan . Calcutta unilaterally declared Cachar and Jaintia British protectorates, and sent in troops. Cross border raids into these newly acquired territories from British territories and spheres of influence vexed

2613-466: The country crippled for years. Devastated, Bagyidaw held out hope for some years that Tenasserim would be returned to him, and paid the balance of indemnity in 1832 at great sacrifice. The British redrew the border with Manipur in 1830, but by 1833, it was clear the British would not return any of the former territories. The king became a recluse, and power devolved to his queen Nanmadaw Me Nu and her brother. His brother Crown Prince Tharrawaddy raised

2680-461: The country has known more successful generals like Gen. Maha Thiha Thura who defeated the Qing dynasty's invasions in 1766, 1767 and 1769, Gen. Maha Nawrahta and Gen. Ne Myo Thihapate , who dismembered Siam in 1767, or King Bayinnaung , the soldier king, who captured much of western mainland South East Asia in the 16th century. Then again, they never fought against the British, the world superpower of

2747-447: The country's most decorated soldiers, men like the lord of Salay and the governors of Danyawaddy, Wuntho and Taungoo. Bandula's plan was to attack the British on two fronts: Chittagong from Arakan in the southeast, and Sylhet from Cachar and Jaintia in the north. Bandula personally commanded the Arakan theater while Uzana commanded the Cachar and Jaintia theaters. Early in the war, battle hardened Burmese forces were able to push back

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2814-415: The crown prince just once, and that he would gladly go to prison for his behavior. Impressed by Yit's bold behavior, the crown prince pardoned Yit and made him a messenger in his Privy Council ( ဗြဲတိုက် သံဆင့် ). Yit did not disappoint. In about six months, in June 1813 (Nayon 1175 ME), he was appointed governor of his hometown Dabayin with the title of Ne Myo Thura Yegaung ( နေမျိုး သူရ ရဲခေါင် ). In

2881-479: The day. Rather, Bandula's continued popularity is because of his courage to fight on against an overwhelmingly superior enemy. Perhaps, it is also because the Burmese view Bandula as the proxy for the last glory days of the Third Burmese Empire. The Burmese remember that Bandula's death was followed by a series of one ignominious setback after another that eventually led to the loss of sovereignty in 1885. It

2948-455: The era, Yit from age of 6 received education at the local Buddhist monastery. He had to quit his studies before he turned 13 after his father died of illness. He had to take on early responsibilities in his youth after the death of his father. He worked the sesame fields with his mother and looked after his younger siblings. He got married a few years later to Shin Min Bu ( ရှင်မင်းဘူး ). They had

3015-486: The first clashes between the two. The war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, following border clashes in Arakan. In the beginning of the war, battle-hardened Burmese forces, who were more familiar with the terrain which represented "a formidable obstacle to the march of a European force", were able to push back better armed British forces made up of European and Indian soldiers. By May, Uzana's forces had overrun Cachar and Jaintia, and Lord of Myawaddy 's forces had defeated

3082-480: The fort to boost the morale of his men, in his full insignia under a glittering golden umbrella, discarding the warnings of his generals that he would prove an easy target for the enemy's guns. Maha Bandula looms large in Burmese history for his courage to take on the British. Due in large measure to Bandula's leadership , the First Anglo-Burmese War was the only one of the three Anglo-Burmese wars in which

3149-405: The fugitive king, and instead sent reinforcement units to frontier forts. Despite their success in the open battlefield, the Burmese continued to have trouble with cross border raids by rebels from British protectorates of Cachar and Jaintia into Manipur and Assam, and those from British Bengal into Arakan. At Bagyidaw's court, the war party which included Gen. Bandula, Queen Me Nu and her brother,

3216-425: The lord of Salin, made the case to Bagyidaw that a decisive victory could allow Ava to consolidate its gains in its new western empire in Arakan, Manipur, Assam, Cachar and Jaintia, as well as take over eastern Bengal. In January 1824, Bandula allowed one of his top lieutenants, Maha Uzana , into Cachar and Jaintia to chase away the rebels. The British sent in their own force to meet the Burmese in Cachar, resulting in

3283-438: The new Ahom king of Assam and a military governor-general was appointed to look after the administration. The defeated Assamese king Chandrakanta Singha fled to British territory of Bengal . The British ignored Bandula's demands to surrender the fugitive king, and instead sent reinforcement units to frontier forts. Maha Bandula left a military garrison of 2000 men commanded by Gen. Maha Thilawa , and returned to Ava. By 1822,

3350-676: The next decade, Yit would participate in the expansionist wars of King Bodawpaya and his successor King Bagyidaw. Yit's first battlefield experience came in Manipur . On 15 February 1814 (11th waning of Tabodwe 1175 ME), a 20,000-strong Burmese army left their forward bases along the Chindwin to invade Manipur in order to place their nominee on the Manipuri throne. Yit served under the command of co-commander-in-chief, Ne Myo Yazathu , and commanded three regiments (3000 men). The Burmese forces easily overran Manipuri defenses; Yit's regiments participated in

3417-528: The pagoda represent the mountain. Seven concentric terraces represent the seven mountain ranges going up to the Mount Meru according to Buddhist mythology. The pagoda was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1838 and was restored by King Mindon in 1874. This article about a Buddhist place of worship is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a building or structure in Myanmar

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3484-470: The ranks, becoming one of the crown prince's personal bodyguards in 1806. It was here as a royal bodyguard that Yit became exposed to military arts, receiving a further education in military strategy and tactics. However Yit's rising career ran into a stall when Thado Minsaw died in April 1808. While he continued to be part of the Palace Guards, Yit was no longer in the inner circle of the new crown prince,

3551-454: The rebels. The British sent in their own force to meet the Burmese in Cachar, resulting in the first clashes between the two. The war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, following border clashes in Arakan. As the commander-in-chief of the Burmese army, Maha Bandula was supported by twelve of the country's best battalions, including one under his personal command, totaling ten thousand men and five hundred horses. His general staff included some of

3618-419: The remaining side, was said to be nearly impregnable. Bandula sent in commandos who scaled the hills at night and broke open the stout gates, allowing the Burmese to take the fort and the capital. Raja Marjit Singh fled to the neighboring state of Cachar , which was ruled by his brother Chourjit Singh . The daring operation made him famous. After the conquest, the Burmese left a garrison in Manipur, backed by

3685-462: The second largest Burmese empire but also one that shared a long vaguely defined borders with British India . The British, disturbed by the Burmese control of Manipur and Assam which threatened their own influence on the eastern borders of British India, supported rebellions in the region. The first to test Bagyidaw's rule was the Raja of Manipur, who was put on the Manipuri throne only six years earlier by

3752-514: The six- century-old Assamese monarchy and made Assam a province under a military governor-general. This differs with the Assamese versions of history where it is written that Bagyidaw installed Jogeswar Singha , a brother of Hemo Aideo, the Ahom princess who was married to Bodawpaya as the new Ahom king of Assam and a military governor-general was appointed to look after the administration. The defeated Assamese king fled to British territory of Bengal . The British ignored Burmese demands to surrender

3819-503: The snow-clad mountains to Assam from their northernmost forts along the Hukawng valley . After nearly a year and a half of hard-fought battles in some of the most difficult terrains in the world, the Burmese forces finally defeated Chandra Kanta Singha and the Assamese army in July 1822. Bagyidaw installed Jogeshwar Singha, a brother of Hemo Aideo, the Ahom princess who was married to Bodawpaya as

3886-441: The title Agga Maha Thenapati ( Pali : Aggamahāsenāpati ), the highest possible military rank. Bandula was also made the governor of Sittaung . By November, Bandula commanded a force of 30,000 massed outside Yangon. Bandula believed that he could take on a well-armed British force of 10,000 head-on. Although the Burmese were numerically superior, only 15,000 of the 30,000 had muskets. The Burmese cannons fired only balls whereas

3953-665: The use of guerrilla tactics or any innovative strategy. Had he pursued guerrilla style tactics, the ultimate outcome of the war might not still have changed but the terms might have been less severe. Bandula remains extremely popular in Burmese imagination, and is often the only general ranked alongside famous Burmese kings. His popularity is perhaps not just due to his skills as a military commander. After all, Bandula's victories came with able, experienced lieutenants like Gen. Ne Myo Thura Min Hla Nawrahta in Manipur, Gen. Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa in Arakan and Gen. Maha Thilawa in Assam. Besides,

4020-434: The west was a rebellion-prone protectorate between 1758 and 1782, and had been retaken by Bodawpaya since 1814. When the raja of Manipur, Marjit Singh , who was placed on the throne by the Burmese only five years earlier, did not attend the new king's coronation ceremony or send an embassy bearing tribute, as all vassal kings had an obligation to do, Bagyidaw sent an expeditionary force to reclaim Manipur. In December 1819,

4087-402: The west. In February 1814, a Burmese expeditionary force invaded Manipur, placing Marjit Singh , who grew up in Ava, as vassal king. In 1816, the Ahom governor of Guwahati in Assam, Badan Chandra Borphukan visited the court of Bodawpaya to seek help in order to defeat his political rival Purnananda Burhagohain , the Prime Minister of Ahom Kingdom in Assam. A strong force of 16,000 under

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4154-925: The young prince at 23 was suddenly elevated to the position of Crown Prince by his grandfather King Bodawpaya. The prince was also allowed to inherit his father's fiefs of Dabayin and Shwedaung. The Crown Prince was Master-General of the Ordnance in the Burmese-Siamese War of 1808, which ended in a stalemate. His elevation to crown prince also brought his royal servants, including Maung Yit (later Gen. Maha Bandula ) of Dabayin and Maung Sa (later Lord of Myawaddy ) of Sagaing to prominence. Myawaddy became his longtime adviser and personal secretary ( atwinwn ) until his abdication in 1837. He promoted Maung Yit to governor of Ahlon-Monywa. In 1812, his first queen Princess Hsinbyume died of childbirth in Mingun near Ava . The crown prince built

4221-499: Was commander-in-chief of the Royal Burmese Armed Forces from 1821 until his death in 1825 in the First Anglo-Burmese War . Bandula was a key figure in the Konbaung dynasty 's policy of expansionism in Manipur and Assam that ultimately resulted in the war and the beginning of the downfall of the dynasty. Nonetheless, the general, who died in action, is celebrated as a national hero by the Burmese for his resistance to

4288-752: Was clear that the British had no intention of returning any of the territories. The king, who used to love theater and boat racing, grew increasingly reclusive, afflicted by bouts of depression. The palace power devolved to his chief queen Me Nu and her brother Maung O . In February 1837, Bagyidaw's crown prince and brother Tharrawaddy rebelled, and two months later in April, Bagyidaw was forced to abdicate. Tharrawaddy executed Me Nu and her brother, and kept his brother under house arrest. Bagyidaw died on 15 October 1846, at age 62. The former king had 23 queens, five sons and five daughters. Maha Bandula General Maha Bandula ( Burmese : မဟာဗန္ဓုလ [məhà bàɰ̃dṵla̰] ; 6 November 1782 – 1 April 1825)

4355-477: Was given for marriage to Burmese King Bodawpaya along with many gifts to strengthen the ties with the Burmese monarch. The Burmese force returned to Burma soon after. A year later, Badan Chandra Borphukan was assassinated and the Ahom king Chandrakanta Singha was deposed by rival political faction led by Ruchinath Burhagohain, the son of Purnananda Burhagohain. Chandrakanta Singha and the friends of Badan Chandra Borphukan appeal for help to Bodawpaya. In February 1819,

4422-549: Was granted Sagaing as his fief by his grandfather King Bodawpaya, hence known as Prince of Sagaing . On 23 June 1793, the young prince, not yet 9, was made a general of the Northern and Southern Corps of Royal Cavalry. On 9 February 1803, the 18-year-old prince married 14-year-old Princess Hsinbyume , a granddaughter of Bodawpaya. The young prince was fond of shows, theater, elephant catching and boat racing. His father Crown Prince Thado Minsaw died on 9 April 1808. Nine days later,

4489-481: Was soundly defeated by the much better armed British forces. The British immediately went on an offensive on all fronts. By April 1825, the British had driven out the Burmese forces from Arakan, Assam, Manipur, Tenasserim, and the Irrawaddy delta where Gen. Bandula died in action. After Bandula's death, the Burmese fought on but their last-ditch effort to retake the delta was repulsed in November 1825. In February 1826, with

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