Binnya Kyan Explained

Type:	monarch
Binnya Kyan Burmese: ဗညားကျန်း
Reign:	30 May 1451 – June 1453
Succession:	King of Hanthawaddy
Predecessor:	Binnya Waru
Successor:	Leik Munhtaw
Suc-Type:	Successor
Father:	Binnya Dhammaraza
Birth Date:	1420^[1]
Death Date:	June 1453
Death Place:	Pegu
Religion:	Theravada Buddhism

Binnya Kyan (my|ဗညားကျန်း, in Burmese pronounced as /bəɲá dʑáɰ̃/; 1420–1453) was the 13th king of the Hanthawaddy Pegu Kingdom in Burma from 1451 to 1453. Binnya Kyan, son of King Binnya Dhammaraza, came to power after assassinating his cousin King Binnya Waru in 1451. One notable project of his reign was the raising of the height of Shwedagon Pagoda to from .^[2] The king himself was murdered in 1453 by his first cousin Leik Munhtaw who seized the throne. Despite his raising of the height of the Shwedagon, the king murdered so many of his rivals that by the time he himself was murdered, his killer, first cousin Leik Munhtaw was the last living male descendant of King Razadarit.

Historiography

Various Burmese chronicles do not agree on the key dates of the king's life.

Chronicles	Birth–Death	Age	Reign	Length of reign	Reference
Maha Yazawin	not reported	not reported	June 1450 – 1451/52 and 1450/51–1453/54	1 and 3	^[3]
Slapat Rajawan	1436–1463/64	27	1459/60–1463/64	3	^[4]
Hmannan Yazawin	not reported	not reported	June 1450 – 1452/53 and 1450/51–1453/54	2 and 3	^[5]
Mon Yazawin (Shwe Naw)		27		3	^[6]

Bibliography

• Athwa . Sayadaw . P.W. Schmidt . Slapat des Ragawan der Königsgeschichte . Die äthiopischen Handschriften der K.K. Hofbibliothek zu Wien . Vienna . 1766 . 1906 . German . 151 . Alfred Hölder.
• Book: Harvey, G. E.. History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824 . Frank Cass & Co. Ltd . 1925 . London.
• Book: Kala, U . U Kala . . Ya-Pyei Publishing . Yangon . 1724 . 2006, 4th printing . Burmese . 1–3.
• Book: Pan Hla, Nai . . Burmese . 1968 . 8th printing, 2005 . Yangon . Armanthit Sarpay.
• Book: Phayre, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. . Arthur Purves Phayre . History of Burma . 1883 . 1967 . Susil Gupta . London.
• Book: Royal Historical Commission of Burma . Royal Historical Commission of Burma . . 1–3 . 1832 . Yangon . Burmese . 2003 . Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
• Book: Shwe Naw . Shwe Naw . . Burmese . 1785 . 1922 . Yangon . Burma Publishing Workers Association Press.

Notes and References

1. The chronicle Mon Yazawin (Shwe Naw 1922: 55) says he died at age 27 (28th year) in 1445 after having reigned for 3 years, meaning he was born 1417/18. But the chronicle also says he was younger than his predecessor Binnya Waru by two years. Since Binnya Waru was born in 1418/19 per Hmannan Yazawin, Binnya Kyan was probably born around 1420/21.
2. Harvey 1925: 112–117
3. Maha Yazawin is inconsistent. (Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 81) says he reigned between 812 ME (1450/51) and 813 ME (1451/52). But in its summary section of Hanthawaddy kings, (Maha Yazawin Vol. 2 2006: 140), the chronicle says he reigned between 812 ME and 815 ME (1453/54).
4. Schmidt 1906: 131
5. Hmannan Yazawin is inconsistent. (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 91) says he reigned between 812 ME (1450/51) and 814 ME (1452/53). But in its summary section of Hanthawaddy kings, (Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 185), the chronicle says he reigned between 812 ME and 815 ME (1453/54).
6. Shwe Naw 1922: 55