Key Facts
- Duration
- 1297–1313
- Founded by
- Three brothers: Athinkhaya, Yazathingyan, Thihathu
- Mongol invasion repelled
- 1300–1301 (second Mongol invasion)
- Territorial extent
- Tagaung (north) to Prome/Pyay (south)
- Successor states
- Pinya and Sagaing kingdoms (1315)
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
Following the collapse of the Pagan Empire in 1287 under Mongol pressure, three brothers from Myinsaing—Athinkhaya, Yazathingyan, and Thihathu—established a regency in central Burma in 1297. Rising amid the fragmentation of Pagan's former domains, the brothers exercised co-rule and consolidated control over the Irrawaddy valley, positioning Myinsaing as the dominant power in the post-Pagan political landscape.
Phase II: Zenith
At its height, Myinsaing extended authority over central Burma from Tagaung in the north to Prome (Pyay) in the south. The kingdom's most notable achievement was defeating the second Mongol invasion in 1300–1301, preventing further Yuan Chinese encroachment into the region. This military success consolidated the brothers' legitimacy and allowed them to unify the fragmented central Burmese territories under a single administration.
Phase III: Decline
The co-rule of the three brothers began to unravel between 1310 and 1313 following the deaths of the two elder brothers, Athinkhaya and Yazathingyan. The surviving brother Thihathu was unable to maintain unity, and by 1315 the central Burmese state split into two rival kingdoms, Pinya and Sagaing. Central Burma would remain divided until the Ava Kingdom reunified the region roughly five decades later.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory