King Bayinnong facts for kids

Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta (Burmese: ဘုရင့်နောင် ကျော်ထင်နော်ရထာ, Thai: พระเจ้าบุเรงนอง; born January 16, 1516 – died November 9, 1581) was a powerful king of Myanmar. He was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty, a ruling family in Myanmar. Bayinnaung ruled for 30 years. During his time, he built the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.

His empire was huge! It included a big part of Myanmar, plus areas like Manipur, the Chinese Shan States (which are in southern Yunnan), Lan Na (northern Thailand), Siam (central and southern Thailand), and Lan Xang (Laos and northeastern Thailand). He was known as a great leader who brought many lands together.

Bayinnaung's Rule and Legacy

Uniting the Shan States

One of Bayinnaung's big achievements was bringing the Shan States under Burmese control. For a long time, the Shan people would often raid or attack areas in Upper Burma. Bayinnaung stopped these attacks. He took control of the Shan States in 1557.

He set up a new way of governing these areas. This system reduced the power of the Shan chiefs, who were called saophas. He also made some of their local traditions more similar to those in other parts of his kingdom. This way of dealing with the Shan States was followed by Burmese kings for many years, even until the British took over in 1885.

The Empire's Structure

Bayinnaung's empire was very large, and it was made up of many different kingdoms that used to be independent. The kings of these smaller kingdoms were loyal to Bayinnaung himself, not necessarily to the whole empire as one country. He was seen as a "Universal Ruler," a very important leader.

However, this kind of loyalty was hard to keep. After Bayinnaung died, his empire started to break apart. For example, Siam left the empire just three years after his death in 1584. By 1599, all the smaller kingdoms had become independent again, and Bayinnaung's great empire came to an end.

A Famous King

Bayinnaung is remembered as one of the three most important Burmese kings. The other two are Anawrahta and Alaungpaya. Many places in modern Myanmar are named after him. He is also well-known in Thailand because of a popular song and a book. Both are called "Phu Chana Sip Thit," which means "the Conqueror of Ten Directions." This shows how famous he was for his military victories.