Minbyauk Thihapate

Thihapate of Sagaing (, ; also Minbyauk Thihapate, ; 1305–1364) king of Sagaing from 1352 to 1364. He came to power by being married to the powerful Princess Soe Min Kodawgyi. He led Sagaing during the most tumultuous period of the kingdom (1356−64). Despite a brief period of alliance with Pinya (1357−59), Sagaing had to face near-annual raids by the northern Shan state of Mong Mao (Maw) on its own. He lost power in April 1364 when Maw Shan forces sacked Sagaing. He escaped capture but was soon put to death by his stepson Thado Minbya at Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya, south of Sagaing.

Early life Little is known about his early life or ancestry except that he was a grandson of the elder sister of Queen Pwa Saw of Pagan. This means that he was a grandson of Queen Yadanabon and King Narathihapate of Pagan. Since his father was a minister at the Sagaing court, Thihapate likely entered the service of Sagaing monarchs. Then in late 1351/early 1352, he married a recently widowed Princess Soe Min, daughter of the founder of the kingdom Saw Yun. His marriage to Soe Min may have been part of the election process.

Reign His early reign was relatively peaceful. He continued Tarabya II's policy of peace with the cross-river rival Pinya. However, it was the calm before the storm. By 1355, the northern Shan state of Mong Mao had essentially achieved independence from the Mongols, and begun to look southward for expansion. In the next dry season 1356−57, Shan troops raided northern Sagaing territory. While Sagaing defenses held this time, Thihapate and Soe Min appeared to have recognized the eminent danger posed by the determined foe. They sought a closer alliance with Pinya. In 1357/58, they sent Princess Shin Saw Gyi, Soe Min's eldest daughter and Thihapate's stepdaughter, to King Kyawswa II of Pinya in a marriage of state.

The alliance yielded no discernible benefit. Kyawswa II, who did not control much beyond the core Kyaukse capital region, simply did not have enough manpower to assist Sagaing and hold his southern vassals at the same time. When the next Shan raids came in 1358−59, Pinya's southern vassal Toungoo (Taungoo) promptly revolted, and raided Pinya from the south. So devastating were the raids that Pinya's new king Narathu withdrew from the alliance. Maha Yazawin 1312 – May 1364 52 (53rd year) 1354/55 – April 1364 10 Yazawin Thit 1310 – 1364/65

23 February 1352 – 1364/65 13 Hmannan Yazawin

11 February 1353 [sic] – April 1364 13 [sic]

Hmannan (reconciled) 23 February 1352 – April 1364 12