Saw E
Who was Saw E?
King of Hanthawaddy Pegu
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Saw E (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Saw E, also known as Saw E Kan-Kaung, was a king of Hanthawaddy Pegu who ruled Martaban for about 49 days in 1330. He was born in Mottama and was the eldest son of King Saw O, who ruled Martaban from 1311 to 1323. His short reign was marked by political maneuvering and family drama, reflecting the complex ties between the Mon kingdoms of lower Burma and their stronger neighbors, particularly the Sukhothai kingdom to the west.
Saw E was put on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla, a powerful political player who also made herself his chief queen. This gave her significant control over the kingdom's affairs. Although Saw E had previously been in conflict with Sukhothai, he quickly worked to mend ties with his maternal grandfather, King Loe Thai of Sukhothai, after becoming king. This move made him the last Martaban king to formally pledge loyalty to Sukhothai, a gesture with a lot of political significance in the area.
However, his reign was extremely short. Queen Sanda Min Hla, unhappy with him, poisoned him about seven weeks after he became king. His death ended what seemed like a promising bid to stabilize Martaban's foreign relationships. Saw E passed away in Mottama, the city where he was born, probably in late 1330.
The fallout from Saw E's murder extended beyond Martaban. His assassination triggered a military invasion by Sukhothai, who saw the killing of a loyal king as a direct insult to their power. By then, Sanda Min Hla, ruling with her new chosen king Binnya E Law, successfully defended Martaban against Sukhothai's forces. This victory effectively ended Sukhothai's control over Martaban and was a key moment in securing the Mon kingdom's political independence.
Before Fame
Saw E was born in 1304 in Mottama, the main city of Martaban and an important port on the Gulf of Martaban. As King Saw O's oldest son, he grew up in the royal court of a kingdom situated between the remains of Pagan authority to the north and Sukhothai's rising power to the west. His upbringing involved navigating the diplomatic tensions and changing alliances common in the Mon kingdoms at the time.
The early 1300s were a time of change in mainland Southeast Asia. The Pagan Empire's decline after the Mongol invasions of the late 1200s left a power gap that regional kingdoms like Martaban aimed to fill or take advantage of. Saw E became king not because of a planned preparation for solo rule but due to political reasons. Queen Sanda Min Hla chose him and helped his rise to power after a period of dynastic upheaval following his father's reign.
Key Achievements
- Restored diplomatic relations with the Sukhothai kingdom after a period of conflict, pledging formal allegiance to King Loe Thai.
- Briefly stabilized the political situation in Martaban following dynastic instability after King Saw O's reign.
- Became the last Martaban monarch to maintain the kingdom's historical tributary relationship with Sukhothai.
- His brief reign and subsequent assassination indirectly precipitated a Sukhothai invasion, the defeat of which secured Martaban's political independence from Sukhothai suzerainty.
Did You Know?
- 01.Saw E reigned for only approximately 49 days, making his one of the shortest reigns in the history of Martaban.
- 02.He was the last king of Martaban to formally pledge allegiance to the Sukhothai kingdom, ending a tributary relationship that had defined the region's politics.
- 03.Despite having fought against Sukhothai before his accession, Saw E reversed course and sought reconciliation with his maternal grandfather, King Loe Thai of Sukhothai, almost immediately after taking the throne.
- 04.Queen Sanda Min Hla, who placed Saw E on the throne and became his chief queen, later poisoned him and took a new king, Binnya E Law, in his place.
- 05.The invasion Sukhothai launched in response to Saw E's assassination was decisively repelled by Sanda Min Hla and Binnya E Law, effectively ending Sukhothai's suzerainty over Martaban.