Maha Thiha Thura
| Maha Thiha Thura မဟာသီဟသူရ |
|
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1720s Mu valley, Kingdom of Myanmar |
| Died | 1782 Ava, Kingdom of Myanmar |
| Allegiance | Konbaung Dynasty |
| Service/branch | Royal Burmese Army |
| Years of service | 1752–1776 |
| Rank |
Commander, General (1752–1768) Commander-in-chief (1768–1776) |
| Battles/wars |
Konbaung-Hanthawaddy War (1752–1757) Burmese–Siamese wars (1765, 1775–1776) Sino–Burmese War (1766–1769) Manipuri Rebellion (1770) |
| Other work | Minister (1776–1777) Chief Minister (1782) |
Maha Thiha Thura (Burmese: မဟာသီဟသူရ [məhà θìha̰θùja̰]; also spelled Maha Thihathura; died 1782) was commander-in-chief of the Burmese military from 1768 to 1776. Regarded as a brilliant military strategist, the general is best known in Burmese history for defeating the Chinese invasions of Burma (1765–1769). He rose to be a top commander in the service of King Alaungpaya during the latter's reunification campaigns of Burma (1752–1759), and later commanded Burmese armies in Siam, Lan Na, Luang Prabang (Laos), and Manipur.
The well-respected general's support was sought after by kings. His support was crucial in securing the throne for Singu, his son-in-law, above the remaining sons of Alaungpaya. However, the general had a fallout with his son-in-law afterwards, and was pushed aside. In 1782, he was appointed Chief Minister by King Phaungka, who overthrew Singu. When Phaungka himself was overthrown six days later by Bodawpaya, the new king kept Maha Thiha Thura as his Chief Minister. However, the old general, who had so often led his countrymen to victory, and had won the greatest of their wars, was found plotting against the king, and was executed for treason.
The future general was born Maung Tha (မောင်သာ [màʊɴ θà]) in the present-day Shwebo District in the Mu valley (about 100 miles northwest of Ava) during the waning years of the Toungoo Dynasty. Tha grew up during the period in which the authority of King Mahadhammaraza Dipadi (r. 1733–1752) had largely dissipated across the kingdom. The Manipuris had regularly raided increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma between the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers since the mid-1720s. Tha's home region was directly on the path of the raids, and took the brunt of the raids. With the Burmese court unable to deal with the small kingdom of Manipur, the Burmese watched helplessly as the raiders torched villages, ransacked pagodas, and taking away captives. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Burma broke away, and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. The central authority of the king had effectively disappeared, and a profound sense of helplessness pervaded and deepened. The Hanthawaddy armies finally toppled the Toungoo Dynasty in April 1752 when they captured Ava.
...
Wikipedia