Hsinbyushin (, ; 12 September 1736 – June 10, 1776) was the third king of the
Konbaung dynasty of
Myanmar. He was the second son of King
Alaungpaya and succeeded his brother King
Naungdawgyi.
Hsinbyushin is best known for his invasion of the
Siamese kingdom of
Ayutthaya. In 1764, he went eastward, claiming the cities of
Chiang Mai and
Vientiane. The Ayutthaya capital fell again into Burmese hands on April 1767, when he sent thousands of prisoners back to
Burma. The wanton destruction wrought by the invading Burmese army this time moved one Thai chronicler to comment that "the king of Hanthawaddy (
Bayinnaung) waged war like a monarch, but the king of Ava (Hsinbyushin) like a robber".
This conquest began the tradition of absorbing Thai elements into
Burmese culture, which is most pronounced in music and literature. However, Burmese reign of Ayutthaya was brief;
Paya Taksin (later King of Siam), an Ayutthaya general, drove out the Burmese who had another battlefront in the north against an invading
Chinese army of the
Qing Dynasty. The Burmese were struggling with two wars, one invasive and another defensive, and could not control Ayutthaya for long.
Nevertheless, the Burmese army's defensive campaign successfully penetrated southern
China if only to be stopped by a peace parley offered by their Chinese counterparts. After waging four unsuccessful wars against the Konbaung Dynasty (1765 - 1769) and losing three of his Viceroys including his son-in-law
Ming Jui in the process, the
Qianlong Emperor eventually established diplomatic relations with the Burmese. In 1770, a treaty was negotiated between the generals of the two countries, establishing formal trade and diplomatic missions.
The negotiations were conducted by the Burmese commanders but the terms of the treaty were not referred to Hsinbyushin for royal sanction. King Hsinbyushin was furious at his generals who signed the Treaty of Kaungton. In order to appease his anger, the Burmese generals invaded the
Indian kingdom of
Manipur, an action seen as a threat by the
British.
The French officer
Pierre de Milard was the Captain of the Guard and a key counsellor to Hsinbyushin. In 1769, Hsinbyushin also negotiated a treaty with the ambassador of the
French East India Company,
M. Feraud, allowing the French to have an establishment in
Rangoon.
Hsinbyushin died after a long illness in
Ava on
10 July 1776 and was succeeded by his son
Singu. The Kingdom of
Ava, as it was known at the time, continued to politically dominate the
Shan States,
Laos, and the
Lanna Kingdom.
See also
