Smin Bayan

Smin Baram (; or သမိန် ပရမ်း, ), also called Benya Dharem , was an early 15th-century commander who fought for both Hanthawaddy Pegu and Ava during the Forty Years' War. He is best known in Burmese history for successfully repelling a Chinese invasion in 1414–1415 on behalf of Ava.

A son-in-law of King Razadarit of Pegu, Bayan defected to Ava soon after being captured in battle in 1414. Following his success against the Chinese, he was appointed governor of Legaing by King Minkhaung I of Ava. In 1423, less than two years after the deaths of Minkhaung and Razadarit, Bayan returned to his native land. He led the Hanthawaddy army in a successful campaign against Ava 1430–1431.

Background Smin Bayan was a Mon language title worn by successive commanders in the service of the monarchs of Hanthawaddy Pegu. This article is about the first of the two most prominent Smin Bayans, whose stories are featured in the royal chronicles.

Chronicles provide little information about the background of the first Smin Bayan. His previous title was Smin Upakaung (သမိန် ဥပါကောင်း, ), and his personal name was Athayi (အသရီ, ). He had an elder brother, Smin Upakaung the Elder, who was married to Princess Tala Mi Saw, daughter of King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu. Based on the language used in the chronicles, he was probably born in the 1380s, and was related to the royal family.

Early career Burma c. 1450 when the nearer Shan States were under Ava's suzerainty. The political map in the early 15th century between Ava and Pegu was similar.

Invasion of Ava (1401–1402) In 1401, Athayi was an officer in the Hanthawaddy army that invaded the northern Ava Kingdom to renew the Forty Years' War. He initially served as the deputy commander of the regiment led by his elder brother. But he soon became the commander early in the campaign after his brother was killed in the battle of Myede. or Sale. In one version, he is said to have fought off the two best Ava cavalry officers, Chit Swe and Chit Thin, On the other hand, Razadarit awarded Athayi the title of Smin Upakaung, which was the title of Athayi's fallen brother, and married him to Princess Tala Mi Saw. The two kingdoms reached a truce in 1403 that restored the prewar border, south of Prome. Chronicles do not say if Razadarit gave Upakaung another governorship.

Renewal of war (1408–1414) Minye Kyawswa represented as the Min Kyawzwa nat tried to get Upakaung (Bayan) to defect. Lagun Ein and Smin Bayan fought Burmese troops together with their double swords. Upakaung was again called into service when Razadarit renewed the war in 1408. The frontline commander served with distinction until he was captured by the enemy in 1414.

Even before his capture, Upakaung had long been noticed by the Ava high command. He was one of the commanders that drove back the Ava forces led by King Minkhaung I in 1408. So impressed was Minye Kyawswa that he tried to get Upakaung to defect. The crown prince asked to meet Upakaung in person under the guise of a truce negotiation. When they met near Talezi, on the west bank of the Irrawaddy river near Prome, Minye Kyawswa offered Upakaung a prominent governorship on par with the governorship of Prome. Upakaung refused the offer. The crown prince took a break from the campaign, and made a 17-day trip to personally bring Bayan to Ava (Inwa), before returning to the southern front.

In Ava's service (by 1415–1423) At Ava, Bayan was initially put in prison. He soon decided to switch sides, agreeing to fight for Ava against an invading Chinese army. According to the Burmese chronicles, he was instrumental in driving back the Chinese. For this victory, he is mythologized and celebrated in Burmese history. While chronicles perhaps simplistically state he switched sides because he did not want to be in prison forever, and had supported Razadarit, characteristically recognizing the Hanthawaddy king as its "governor". It had also authorized annual attacks by its own Yunnan-based troops as well as those of its vassal Shan states along the border on Ava's northern territories since 1412. Its 1412–1413 and 1413–1414 invasions were serious enough that Minkhaung had to redeploy Minye Kyawswa to the northern front each time, providing much-needed breathing room for Pegu.

In late 1414, as Ava forces began their assault on the central Pegu province, the Chinese again opened the northern front. According to the Burmese chronicles, King Minkhaung did not deem the invasion this time to be serious enough. Instead of recalling Minye Kyawswa and the main armies as he did in the previous years, Minkhaung sent just a small army this time. But the Chinese army is said to have advanced all the way to Ava (Inwa) and laid siege to the Burmese capital. (The chronicle narrative is inconsistent.) First, chronicles say the Chinese army only reached the main fort guarding the invasion route. Chronicles do not name the fort. Instead, they provide the names of the outposts outside the fort that the Chinese army had captured: Yaw-Wa (or Nga Ya-wa), Kyei-myin-daing, Taung-Bilu, Lon-daw-bauk. Afterwards, the narrative changes to the capital being under siege. Bayan defeated the Ming champion in the duel, and the Chinese forces retreated.

The chronicle story has many issues. First, the Ming records do not say any of their expeditions in the 1410s reached the Burmese capital, or provide any of the details found in the Burmese chronicles. Bayan spent the next seven years in the northern kingdom. However, he apparently did not go to the southern front while Razadarit was alive.

Bayan went to the front only after the deaths of Minkhaung and Razadarit in 1421. In early 1423, he marched to the south alongside Thihathu (r. 1421–1425), the new king of Ava, in Ava's attempt to interfere in the succession crisis in Pegu. The invasion ended amicably in a peace treaty between Thihathu and Prince Binnya Ran, one of the pretenders to the Pegu throne.

For his part, Bayan saw an opportunity for him to return to his native land and be rehabilitated. Upon withdrawal of Ava troops, Bayan accompanied Thihathu on an elephant hunting trip in Tharrawaddy at the border. He made a break for the border during the hunting trip, shouting back to Thihathu as he rode away that he needed to return to his homeland as he missed his wife and family in the south. The campaign went well for the allies, and King Mohnyin Thado of Ava (r. 1426–1439) reluctantly agreed to consider Ran's terms. While peace negotiations were taking place in Ava, Bayan visited his Ava counterpart Yazathingyan's camp several times, socializing with Yazathingyan, who was a close friend during Bayan's stay in the north. But King Thado, who had been incensed by Ran's demands, broke the protocol, and ordered Yazathingyan to arrest Bayan when the Hanthawaddy general visited the next time. Bayan was arrested at his next visit. However, Bayan was released shortly after as Thado and Ran reached a deal. Bayan was made governor of Donwun by King Binnya Kyan of Pegu, and died after being bitten by the severed head of a bandit. The story of his demise is suspiciously similar to that of Sigurd Eysteinsson. The supernatural nature of his death aside, Binnya Kyan was viceroy of Martaban, not king of Pegu. Although it is quite probable that Bayan would have held a prominent governorship—Donwun was the ancestral home of the dynasty—Pak Lat in general contains several unsubstantiated claims and mangled timelines that it is difficult to discern which parts of its narrative might be true.

Bayan is not mentioned again in the main chronicles after 1431. He may still have been alive in 1442/43 when his wife Princess Tala Mi Saw may have been appointed governor of Martaban; she is said to have still been married to a high-ranking official, who presumably was Bayan.

Commemorations Smin Bayan is commemorated in Myanmar with his name typically transliterated as Thamein Bayan or Thamain Bayan.

Thamein Bayan Road, Tamwe Township, Yangon Thamein Bayan Road, Mawlamyine, Mon State Thamein Bayan Street, Thingangyun Township, Yangon Thamein Bayan Street, Dawbon Township, Yangon

List of campaigns The following is a list of Smin Bayan Upakaung's military campaigns as reported in the chronicles.

CampaignDurationTroops commandedNotes Invasion of Ava 1401–1402 1 regiment Commanded 1 regiment in the initial invasion force into Upper Burma; led the cavalry corps. Commanded 1 regiment in the Prome campaign in late 1402. Ava's invasion of Pegu 1408 1 regiment (1000 troops) Commanded a cavalry regiment in the initial invasion force into Upper Burma. Member of the delegation to negotiate a truce. Led one of the three regiments that chased the retreating Ava troops. Ava's invasion of Pegu 1409–1410 500 troops Led 500 troops, 15 elephants Ava's invasions of Pegu 1410–1412 unknown Upakaung's name is not mentioned Ava's invasion of Pegu 1412–1413 1 regiment Under the command of Binnya Bassein in the siege of Prome Ava's invasion of Pegu 1414 1 regiment Led the counterattack on Ava supply lines but was captured. Put under arrest during a meeting with his Ava counterpart by the Ava side, breaking the protocol. Released only after a peace agreement was reached in 1431.