Binnya Kyan of Martaban

Binnya Kyan (; , ; also spelled Banya Kyan or Binya Keng; 1395 – 1442/43) was viceroy of Martaban from 1422 to 1442/43. A son of King Razadarit (r. 1384–1421), Kyan was also governor of Dala from 1414 to 1422, with the title of Binnya Dala.

The prince fought in the Forty Years' War against the northern Ava Kingdom between 1413 and 1418. However, after his father's death in 1421, he sought Ava's assistance during the subsequent power struggle with his elder brothers Binnya Dhammaraza and Binnya Ran. He quickly soured on the plundering Ava forces, reached a power sharing deal with his brothers, and drove back the invaders. He subsequently became viceroy of the province of Martaban where he exercised considerable autonomy. He died in 1442 (or 1443) and was succeeded by his sister.

Early life Binnya Kyan was a son of King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu. His mother's name is lost to history. Probably born in the mid 1390s, the prince grew up at the royal palace in Pegu (Bago) with two elder half-brothers—Binnya Dhammaraza and Binnya Ran—and a younger (half-?) brother Binnya Set. He also had three (half-) sisters: Tala Mi Kyaw, Tala Mi Saw and Shin Saw Pu.

Kyan's childhood coincided with the emergence of Pegu as a major power in the region in the 1390s. The kingdom was finally at peace after Razadarit had defeated multiple internal rebellions as well as three invasions by the northern Burmese-speaking Ava Kingdom between 1385 and 1391. Razadarit did renew the war with Ava in 1401 and in 1408 but Kyan and his brother princes did not take part in the war effort until the 1412–1413 dry season campaign. In April/May 1413, Kyan and his two elder brothers were asked by their father to lead the defense of Dala (modern Twante Township and Dala Township in Yangon Region).

Prince of Dala In the following five years, the prince proved himself to be a capable commander in several key battles during the Ava–Hanthawaddy War (1408–1418). He became governor of Dala in 1414, and led the defense of the strategic town in 1414–1415 and 1417–1418.

Battle of Dala (1413)

— King Razadarit in a motivational speech to his sons In the battle, Kyan, despite being the youngest, led the main battalion (500 troops) while the two elder princes commanded smaller battalions (300 men each) from the flanks. when Ava invaded again, Kyan had been made governor of Dala with the title of Binnya Dala (ဗညားဒလ, , "Lord of Dala"); the middle son Binnya Ran was in charge of Syriam (Thanlyin) while the eldest son Binnya Dhammaraza was posted at Pegu. To be sure, the king did appoint experienced commanders to aid his sons. At Dala, the king appointed Gen. Smin Awa Naing and 70 military advisers to aid Kyan. Ava forces then invaded the central Pegu province, laying siege to Dala, Syriam and Dagon. The crown prince himself led the siege of Dala. Kyan withstood the siege but by early February the town was starving. Razadarit sent Commander Emundaya to inform the town's defenses that help was on the way, and to hold on for a few more weeks.

For Kyan and his general Awa Naing, the help could not come soon enough. The Pegu command finally settled on a battle plan on 22 February 1415, and the armies led by Razadarit himself left for Dala only on 2 March 1415. A few days later, while Minye Kyawswa at the Syriam front, the Hanthawaddy army broke the siege of Dala. This set up the famous battle outside Dala. On 13 March 1415, Ava forces returned with Minye Kyawswa himself leading the charge on his favorite war elephant. Razadarit fielded a sizable army to meet the enemy. Kyan and his two elder brothers each led a vanguard regiment. The brothers could not stop Minye Kyawswa, who broke through the lines. However, the crown prince of Ava was mortally wounded while fighting Gen. Awa Naing's regiment. Ava forces remained in the vicinity for a few more months. Kyan himself was almost captured by the enemy at the outskirts of Dala but he managed to escape on horseback.

Battle of Dala (1417–1418) Kyan did not participate in Pegu's unsuccessful attack on Ava's southern province of Toungoo (Taungoo) in 1416–1417. He was forced to defend Dala when Ava's new crown prince Thihathu invaded in the following dry season. Ava forces captured Dagon but could not break Hanthawaddy defenses at Syriam or Dala. At Dala, Kyan successfully withstood Ava's repeated charges. It was the last campaign during the reigns of kings Minkhaung I of Ava and Razadarit, both of which ended in 1421.

In rebellion

In late 1421, kings Minkhaung and Razadarit suddenly died within two months of each other. (Their other brother Binnya Set was no longer in contention; the prince of Dagon was captured by Ava forces, and taken back to Ava (Inwa) in 1418. In early 1422, Kyan retook Dala with the help of two regiments sent by Thihathu. The prince left Dala for Martaban before November 1422.

Viceroy of Martaban At Martaban, Kyan ruled the province like a sovereign. He did not interfere in the subsequent power struggle between Dhammaraza and Ran, who brazenly occupied Dala and Dagon, part of the Pegu province, as soon as Kyan left for Martaban. His quasi-independent rule at Martaban continued even after Dhammaraza was assassinated by poison by one of his queens in 1424. Ran took over the throne but allowed Kyan to exercise considerable autonomy at Martaban.

The pact between the two brothers lasted. In exchange for his autonomy, Kyan shared Martaban's lucrative commercial revenues with the crown. He ruled the province for another 18 years until his death. Kyan was succeeded by his sister, who may have been Princess Tala Mi Saw.