Theingaba of Toungoo
| Theingaba သိင်္ဂပါ |
|
|---|---|
| King of Toungoo | |
| Reign | c. November 1358 – 29 March 1367 |
| Predecessor | himself (as governor) |
| Successor | Pyanchi I |
| Governor of Toungoo | |
| Reign | c. January 1347 – c. November 1358 |
| Predecessor | Htauk Hlayga |
| Successor | himself (as king) |
| Monarch |
Kyawswa I of Pinya (1347–50) Kyawswa II of Pinya (1350–58) |
| Born | ? Toungoo (Taungoo)? |
| Died | 29 March 1367 14th waning of Late Tagu 728 ME Toungoo |
| Issue | Pyanchi I |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Theingaba (Burmese: သိင်္ဂပါ, pronounced [θèiɴgəbà]; also spelled Thinhkaba) was the first king of Toungoo (Taungoo) from 1358 to 1367. Prior to his independent reign, he was governor of Toungoo for 11 years before successfully breaking away from Pinya in 1358. He spent his last two years (1365–67) resisting attempts by King Thado Minbya of Ava to reclaim Toungoo.
Of commoner background, Theingaba first rose to prominence during the administration of Gov. Kayin Ba (1325–42). He eventually became chief minister, and ran the day-to-day affairs of the nominal vassal state of Pinya. The powerful minister continued to serve Ba's successor Letya Sekkya but was sidelined in 1344 when Htauk Hlayga seized the governorship by assassinating Sekkya. Hlayga had timed the assassination during the transition of power at Pinya, and the new king Kyawswa I of Pinya (r. 1344–50) allowed Hlayga to keep the office. Although Hlayga had been a longtime minister since the 1310s, he ultimately proved to be an incompetent ruler. About a year and nine months into Hlayga's rule, c. January 1347, Theingaba successfully staged a coup, and put Hlayga to death. Like Hlayga before him, he quickly submitted to Pinya, and was allowed to keep the office.
Theingaba remained a nominal vassal of Pinya for the next decade. He pledged allegiance to King Kyawswa II of Pinya (r. 1350–59), who succeeded the Pinya throne in 1350. But the governor increasingly acted like a sovereign ruler. He conducted his own foreign policy by forging alliances with the Kingdom of Ramanya in the south; Lan Na in the east; and Taungdwin, also a vassal state of Pinya, in the west. An experienced administrator, he kept the region peaceful and prosperous. Toungoo continued to grow in size, attracting migrants from Upper Burma. Immigration from Central Burma to his geographically isolated region accelerated, starting in 1356–57 when the powerful Shan state of Mong Mao (Maw) began raiding the northernmost Central Burmese state of Sagaing.
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