Tho Kyaung Bwa ( my, သိုကြောင်ဘွား, , also known as Sao Kem Hpa
[Fernquest 2006: 54]) was ''
sawbwa'' (ruler) of
Onbaung from 1400s to 1420s. He was a vassal and/or ally of King
Minkhaung I of
Ava.
Standard chronicle narrative
According to the standard
royal chronicles, he became a vassal of
Ava in 1404/05. In a marriage of state, he married a niece of King
Minkhaung I of Ava.
[Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 446] In 1412/13, he reported to the Ava court that his
Shan-speaking state had come under attack from the neighboring Shan state of
Hsenwi
Theinni or Hsenwi ( shn, ; my, သိန္နီ, ; th, แสนหวี, , ) is a town in northern Shan State of Burma, situated near the north bank of the Nam Tu River and now the centre of Hsenwi Township in Lashio District. It is nort ...
(Theinni), backed by
Ming China
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
.
[Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 8] Minkhaung sent his son Crown Prince
Minye Kyawswa
Minye Kyawswa ( my, မင်းရဲကျော်စွာ, ; also Minyekyawswa and Minrekyawswa; January 1391 – 13 March 1415) was crown prince of Ava from 1406 to 1415, and commander-in-chief of Ava's military from 1410 to 1415. H ...
to drive out the Hsenwi and Chinese forces.
[Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 8–10][Harvey 1925: 87]
The next ruler of Onbaung mentioned in the standard royal chronicles is
Le Than Bwa
Le Than Bwa ( my, လယ်သံဘွား, ; also known as Hsan Hpa, died 1459/60) was '' sawbwa'' (ruler) of Onbaung from the 1420s to 1459/60. Initially a vassal of Ava, the ''sawbwa'' kept his small Shan-speaking state independent fro ...
(Hsan Hpa) in 1425.
[Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 269][Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 57] The main chronicles do not say when exactly Tho Kyaung Bwa ceased to be the ''sawbwa'' or if and how
Le Than Bwa
Le Than Bwa ( my, လယ်သံဘွား, ; also known as Hsan Hpa, died 1459/60) was '' sawbwa'' (ruler) of Onbaung from the 1420s to 1459/60. Initially a vassal of Ava, the ''sawbwa'' kept his small Shan-speaking state independent fro ...
was related to him.
Hsipaw chronicle narrative
The
Shan language
The Shan language (written Shan: , , spoken Shan: , or , ; my, ရှမ်းဘာသာ, ; th, ภาษาไทใหญ่, ) is the native language of the Shan people and is mostly spoken in Shan State, Myanmar. It is also spoken in p ...
chronicle ''
Hsipaw Yazawin
''Hsipaw Yazawin'' or ''Thibaw Yazawin'' ( my, သီပေါ ရာဇဝင်, ) is a 19th-century Burmese chronicle that covers the history of the Shan state of Hsipaw (Thibaw). It is believed to have been written after the publication of ' ...
'' (''Onbaung Hsipaw Chronicle'') however says that he was an ally of King Minkhaung. According to the chronicle, it was Minkhaung that submitted to the ''sawbwa'' in February 1415 after the ''sawbwa'' had marched and encamped in
Sagaing across from the capital
Ava (Inwa). The king of Ava gave his niece Sanda in marriage.
[(Fernquest 2006) presents inconsistent information. (Fernquest 2006: 54) states that the marriage alliance came in February 1415, citing the Onbaung chronicle via (Sai Aung Tun 2004: 153–154). But (Fernquest 2006: 58) says that the marriage between Sao Kem Hpa and Sanda was in 1393, without providing an explicit citation. It is unclear if the source chronicle provides two different dates, or if one of his dates is a typographical error. The chronicle also claims that his son Hsan Hpa married Sanda after his death.]
The chronicle also says he was the father of Hsan Hpa (Le Than Bwa), the next ''sawbwa'' of Onbaung–Hsipaw.[Fernquest 2006: 58]
Notes
References
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{{s-end
Ava dynasty
People from Hsipaw