Yazathingyan of Pagan

Background

Little is known about his background except that he was a descendant of the 11th-century general Nyaung-U Hpi. But the facts that he was married to a daughter of King Kyaswa and that he became the chief minister show that he hailed from a (distant) branch of the royal family. He was born c. 1198/99.

Reigns of Kyaswa and Uzana

He first entered the royal service of King Htilominlo, and became a judge before graduating to the royal court as a junior minister. He then rose to the rank of chief minister with the title of Yazathingyan certainly by 1248 at King Kyaswa's court. By then the court ran the country. King Kyaswa, a devout Buddhist and scholar, was interested only in religion, and gave up all administrative duties to his heir-apparent Uzana. But Uzana was not interested in governing either; he was reportedly interested only in chasing elephants and drinking liquor. Uzana in turn handed over the administration to the court.

When Kyawswa died and Uzana officially became king in 1251, nothing changed from the court's perspective. They still ran the country. However, the court, in particular Yazathingyan, came into conflict with Uzana's head-strong son and heir-presumptive Thihathu. Yazathingyan felt slighted by the young prince's what he considered rude, disrespectful behavior toward him—someone several decades older. (According to the chronicles, Yazathingyan was once spat on by the young prince. Chronicles do not say how old Thihathu was but given that Yazathingyan was about 15 years older than Uzana, he was at least about three decades older than Thihathu.)

Putsch of Thihathu

The old minister nursed a grudge against the young prince. His opportunity to repay the favor came in May 1256 when Uzana died during one of his many elephant hunting trips in the south. Thihathu, the only son of Uzana by a queen, naturally claimed the throne. But the powerful court disagreed. Yazathingyan persuaded the court to back Uzana's only other son by a concubine. The junior prince, known by the nickname of Min Khway-Chi (lit. "Prince Dog Dung"), was seen as harmless, and one that they could control. The court prevailed in the ensuing power struggle. Thihathu was arrested, and though the chronicles do not explicitly state it, he was most likely executed. According to inscriptional evidence, Prince Dog Dung was crowned king with the title of Narathihapate in November 1256.

Exile in Dala

It turned out that Yazathingyan had badly miscalculated. The 18-year-old new king was not harmless after all. He quickly consolidated power, and pushed aside the old minister who put him on the throne by exiling him to Dala (modern Yangon). In utter shock, Yazathingyan asked the king why. The young king famously replied that when the construction of a temple is complete, the scaffold must be removed, and that Yazathingyan was the scaffold which must be removed now that his rise to power was complete.

Martaban campaign (1258–59)

But the king had acted in haste. The vassal rulers did not respect the inexperienced king. The vassal rulers of Martaban (Mottama) and Missagiri both revolted. The king did not know what to do. On the advice of his queen Saw Hla Wun, the king had to recall Yazathingyan to Pagan (Bagan). In 1258, he returned to Pagan, and organized two expeditions. In December 1258, Yazathingyan led an army (2000 men, 200 horses, 20 elephants) to start the Martaban campaign, while Thray Pyissapate, captain of the Household Guards, led another army to Missagiri. Yazathingyan's army faced little resistance, and took the city after a siege of 8 days. The minister appointed Aleimma as the new governor, and brought back the rebellious governor Nga Shwe and prisoners of war.

Missagiri (1259–60)

Meanwhile the Missagiri campaign had bone badly. The army had been badly defeated there, and retreated in disarray. Furious, the king sent Yanda Pyissi, the younger son of Yazathingyan, to the front with an order to execute the commander, Thray Pyissapate. Yazathingyan was on his way back to Pagan, intercepted his son en route near Salin, and stopped him from carrying out the order. At Pagan, he presented the king with the rebel lord of Martaban and prisoners of war. When the king was in a better mood, he persuaded the king to rescind the execution order of Pyissapate.

In return, the king asked Yazathingyan to lead the next dry-season campaign to Missagiri. The old minister agreed. In November 1259, Yazathingyan led a massive army (40,000 men) to Missagiri. His two sons also joined him. The Pagan armies laid siege to the city for a while until starvation forced them to surrender. Yazathingyan however fell ill on the return trip through the Irrawaddy delta. (He was either travelling by sea from Missagiri or settling some delta revolt.) He died in Dala. He was 61. The king is said to have been greatly saddened by the news.

Legacy

Yazathingyan had at least four children. Two of the children became generals in the Pagan army with the titles of Ananda Pyissi and Yanda Pyissi. Both brothers had competed to succeed their father's title, Yazathingyan. The chronicles do not mention the mother of Ananda Pyissi and Yanda Pyissi. He also had at least two younger children named Saw San and Saw Soe by Princess Saw Khin Htut, daughter of King Kyaswa and Queen Yaza Dewi.

His descendants became famous people in Burmese history. His two sons led the Burmese army against the first two Mongol invasions (1277, 1283–84). Saw Soe became a principal queen of King Kyawswa, the successor of Narathihapate. Through Saw Soe, Ava kings from Swa Saw Ke to Thihathu were his descendants. Through Yanda Pyissi, Ava kings from Mohnyin Thado to Narapati II were his descendants. Through Mohnyin Thado, all the king of the Konbaung Dynasty were his descendants.