Tarabya I of Sagaing
Who was Tarabya I of Sagaing?
King of Sagaing
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Tarabya I of Sagaing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Tarabya I (Burmese: တရဖျားကြီး, pronounced [təja̰pʰjá dʑí]; 1297–1339) was the king of the Sagaing Kingdom in what is now Myanmar, ruling from 1327 to 1335/36. Born in 1297, he took the throne after the death of his maternal half-brother, King Saw Yun. This continued the family line that turned Sagaing into an independent state in northern Irrawaddy after the breakup of the Pagan Empire.
Tarabya I's reign happened during a chaotic time in Burmese history, with several states vying for control after Pagan's collapse. The Sagaing Kingdom, on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River, stayed independent under his leadership, though internal court politics were as dangerous as threats from outside. His wife, Saw Hnaung of Sagaing, was an important figure in the royal family during this turbulent time.
In 1335 or 1336, Tarabya I was overthrown and imprisoned by his own son, Shwetaungtet, in a palace coup. This act of betrayal ended his rule and left him a captive in his own kingdom. This shows deep divisions within the Sagaing court, a common issue among the small states that appeared after Pagan's fall.
Even in captivity, Tarabya I had some supporters. In 1339, he managed to have his son Shwetaungtet killed, taking revenge for his ousting. However, his victory was brief. Chief Minister Nanda Pakyan, likely to secure his position or the court's stability, had Tarabya I killed shortly afterward. He died in Sagaing, the city that had been both his seat of power and his place of defeat.
Before Fame
Tarabya I was born in 1297, during the time of chaos that followed the Mongol invasions and the slow breakdown of the Pagan Empire, which had been the main power in mainland Southeast Asia for a long time. The Sagaing Kingdom started in 1315, founded by Saw Yun. Tarabya I grew up in the royal family of this new state, as a prince of the new dynasty.
As a maternal half-brother of King Saw Yun, Tarabya I held a close yet secondary spot in the line of succession. He became king not through conquest or rebellion but through the natural course of dynastic inheritance, indicating that he was seen as a legitimate royal heir. It's likely that he was involved in the governance and military activities of Sagaing during Saw Yun's rule before becoming king himself in 1327.
Key Achievements
- Ruled the Sagaing Kingdom as king from 1327 to 1335/36, maintaining the dynasty established by his predecessor Saw Yun.
- Successfully orchestrated the death of his son Shwetaungtet in 1339, despite being held under arrest following his deposition.
- Maintained Sagaing's position as an independent successor state during a highly competitive and unstable period in Burmese political history.
- Continued the royal lineage of the Sagaing Kingdom as a legitimate dynastic successor to Saw Yun.
Did You Know?
- 01.Tarabya I was deposed not by a foreign enemy or rival kingdom but by his own son, Shwetaungtet, in 1335 or 1336.
- 02.Despite being imprisoned, Tarabya I lived for approximately three years after his deposition and managed to orchestrate the killing of the son who had overthrown him.
- 03.His reign of roughly eight to nine years ended in a double political killing: he arranged Shwetaungtet's death, then was himself killed by Chief Minister Nanda Pakyan in the same year, 1339.
- 04.Tarabya I was the maternal half-brother of his predecessor, King Saw Yun, reflecting the complex polygamous royal family structures common in Burmese courts of the era.
- 05.The Sagaing Kingdom over which he ruled was located on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River, directly across from what would later become the royal capital of Inwa (Ava).