War fought between the Konbaung Dynasty and the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom of Burma (Myanmar) from 1752 to 1757, ended the Mon people's centuries-long dominance of the south
This war ended centuries of Mon dominance in southern Burma and unified the region under the Konbaung Dynasty, reshaping the country's ethnic and political landscape.
Key Facts
- War duration
- 1752 to 1757
- Capital sacked
- Pegu (Bago), May 1757
- Syriam siege duration
- 14 months, fell July 1756
- Konbaung invasion of Lower Burma
- January 1755
- Tenasserim peninsula captured
- 1765
- Hanthawaddy Kingdom age at fall
- 16 years
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 1752, Hanthawaddy forces toppled the Toungoo Dynasty, prompting independent resistance movements in the Burmese-speaking north. Alaungpaya emerged as the principal resistance leader, exploiting Hanthawaddy's low troop levels to consolidate power and found the Konbaung Dynasty.
Konbaung forces systematically conquered Upper Burma by late 1753, repelled a belated Hanthawaddy full invasion in 1754, and pushed into Lower Burma in January 1755. The Irrawaddy Delta and Dagon fell by May 1755; French-defended Syriam fell in July 1756; and the Hanthawaddy capital Pegu was sacked in May 1757.
The fall of Hanthawaddy ended Mon political dominance of southern Burma. Burman families settled the delta after the war, and by the early 19th century assimilation and intermarriage had reduced the Mon population to a small minority. Remaining Mon resistance was extinguished by 1765 when Konbaung armies expelled the Siamese from the Tenasserim peninsula.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Alaungpaya.
Side B
2 belligerents