Thawun Gyi

Thawun Gyi (, ; 1258 – 1317) was the founder and first ruler of Toungoo (Taungoo), the predecessor state of the Toungoo dynasty of Myanmar. The two-times-great-grandson of King Sithu II founded Toungoo near the end of the Pagan Empire in 1279. He became one of several independent rulers of petty states after the empire's breakup in 1287. He later submitted to Myinsaing, the new power in Upper Burma. Thawun Gyi was assassinated by the men of his younger brother Thawun Nge in 1317.

Early life Thawun Gyi was the elder son of Thawun Letya, the ex-governor of Kanba Myint and Kya-Khat-Wa-Ya (both in modern Taungoo District). He was born after 1256. According to the regional chronicle Toungoo Yazawin, he was born in Pyu where his father had been placed under house arrest since 1256 by a rival governor from a Mon state to the south, which most likely was Pegu (Bago). The fight between the rival governors took place during a brief interregnum following the death of King Uzana of Pagan (Bagan) May 1256. At the capital Pagan (Bagan), a power struggle broke out between Crown Prince Thihathu and his half-brother Narathihapate. The court-backed Narathihapate emerged winner by November 1256. Since Thawun Letya remained under house arrest until his death in 1279,

Ruler of Toungoo After their father's death, the two sons along with the followers (370 households) left Pyu for the north. They decided to settle at a location, about 55 km from Pyu and about 40 km south of Kanba Myint. It was named Toungoo (Taungoo) (, "Hill's Spur") because of its location by the hills in the narrow Sittaung river valley between the Bago Yoma range and southern Shan Hills. The date of foundation was 17 April 1279.

Thawun Gyi by primogeniture became the ruler. He was wary of his ambitious younger brother, who coveted the job, but made him his deputy nonetheless. He also brought in Kayin Ba, a commoner from the nearby Htihlaing village, into his inner circle, appointing him chief of law enforcement. It is not clear if he ever sought or received formal recognition from King Narathihapate. At any rate, within the four years of Toungoo's founding, the kingdom came under the Mongol invasions. By 1287, the country had been broken up into multiple rival centers, with each ruler claiming independence. Thawun Gyi never submitted to King Kyawswa (r. 1289–97), who ruled only around Pagan.

Death Thawun Gyi's end came in 1317. he was assassinated by the men of Thawun Nge while on his way to the nearby Tayahte Pagoda (modern Myat Saw Nyi-Naung Pagoda) to start his annual pilgrimage. Thawun Nge's calculation proved right. Although Thihathu managed to send an army led by Crown Prince Uzana to retake Toungoo, Thawun Nge quickly submitted to the Pinya forces, and got to keep the governorship.