Kanaung Mintha
Kanaung ကနောင်မင်းသား | |
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Theravada Buddhism |
Kanaung Mintha (
Role as a modernizer
King Mindon was dedicated to religion, but Kanaung was skillful in administration, serving as the leader (သမ္မတ, thamada) of the
Kanaung tried to rebuild the Burmese Army with modern weapons. He sent men to study in Western countries to establish an up-to-date arms industry. His efforts were well depicted in contemporary stories and poems. One story relates to his effort in testing depth charges in order to repulse British troops sailing up the
Assassination
In an unsuccessful palace coup on 2 August 1866, Kanaung Mintha was beheaded by the princes
Upon his death, he was conferred the royal title Thiri Pawara Maha Dhamma Yaza, nominally reserved for kings, as part of a
In 1878, King Mindon died and his son Prince Thibaw acceded to the throne. In November 1885, King Thibaw surrendered to the British after the defeat at Third Anglo-Burmese War. Consequently, Thibaw was sent to exile in India. To this day, Burmese citizens believe that their history would have been considerably different if Kanaung were to survive and accede to the Burmese throne. The loss of Kanaung Mintha has been mourned by the Burmese nearly as much as that of Aung San. In addition, Burmese people believe British officers were behind the assassination plot of Aung San and Kanaung.
Epilogue
In 1978 Ne Win, dictator of Burma since leading a military coup in 1964, married June Rose Bellamy, aka Yadana Nat-Me (Precious Angel), a great-granddaughter of Ka Naung, daughter of Princess Hteiktin Ma Lat and Herbert Bellamy, an Australian orchid collector long settled in Burma. The marriage lasted only a few months and ended in divorce.
References
- ^ Dr Yi Yi (1982). "Life at the Burmese Court under the Konbaung Kings" (PDF). Historical Research Department, Rangoon.
- ^ a b Shway Yoe (Sir James George Scott) 1882. The Burman – His Life and Notions. New York: The Norton Library 1963. p. 456.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ S2CID 144209331.
- ^ Aung, Wei Yan (2 August 2019). "A Palace Assassination that Altered Myanmar's History". Irrawaddy. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Pollak, Oliver (1979). Empires in Collision:Anglo-Burmese Relations in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. London: Greenwood. pp. 145–147.
- ^ "Sandamuni paya – the grave of Kanaung".
External links
- Burmese Encyclopedia Vol 1, p-49 printed in 1955
- Seinchu Kya-nyaung by Yadana Oo on the Burmese harp on YouTube