Saw Maha-Rit

Background According to the Razadarit Ayedawbon chronicle, Maha-Rit was the elder son of Princess Tala Hnin Thiri. Through his mother, he was a great-grandson of King Saw Zein (r. 1323–1330) and a grandson of Binnya Thein, a former Lan Na court minister who later served as a senior minister under successive Hanthawaddy kings from Saw Zein to Binnya U. Furthermore, his mother was a first cousin of King Razadarit (r. 1384–1421). His personal name was Bauk Kan Baru (ဗောက်ကန်ဗရူး), and he had one younger brother Baw Chi (ဘောချီ), who later became governor of Lagunbyi with the titles of Byattaba and Einkama. By 1401, he himself was married to his second cousin Princess Tala Mi Kyaw, one of Razadarit's daughters, and was now known by the title, Saw Maha-Rit.

Siege of Prome (1401–1402)

Maha-Rit is best remembered in Burmese history for his failed siege of Prome (Pyay) during the first dry season of the Second Ava–Hanthawaddy War. In late 1401, he was given command of an army to take Prome, Ava's main garrison in Ava's south, by King Razadarit himself. While Razadarit continued with his invasion of the upcountry, Maha-Rit laid siege to the heavily fortified city. Meanwhile, his wife came to join him at his main headquarters at a place called Khaunglaunggya, outside Prome.

The siege lasted until March/April 1402; (Razadarit received the news of the fall of Khaunglaunggya soon after the new year had turned [on 30 March 1402].) Ava forces lifted siege, and sent the captured princess to King Minkhaung I in Ava.

Death Maha-Rit awaited the return of Razadarit's forces from Dala (modern Twante–Dala). The news of the fall of Khaunglaunggya, and the loss of the princess reached Razadarit only a few days later when the king was still directing a raid of Sale, some 300 km north of Prome. When he received the news, a furious king ordered an immediate full withdrawal, and sailed down to his country.

Ancestry The following is Maha-Rit's ancestry as given in the Razadarit Ayedawbon chronicle.