Binnya U's reign was marked by several internal rebellions and external conflicts.
22 Facts About Binnya U
1.
2.
Binnya U survived the initial rebellions and an invasion by Lan Na by 1353.
3.
Binnya U formally handed her all his powers in 1383 while facing an open rebellion by his eldest son Binnya Nwe, who succeeded him as King Razadarit.
4.
King Binnya U is best remembered in Burmese history as the father of King Razadarit.
5.
Binnya U was a grandnephew of the founder of the dynasty King Wareru.
6.
Binnya U had two elder sisters Mwei Ne and Mwei Na although the eldest sister Ne died young.
7.
Binnya U had two younger half-siblings: Mi Ma-Hsan and Min Linka.
8.
Binnya U ascended the throne with the title of Hsinbyushin because he possessed a white elephant, a propitious symbol of Burmese monarchs.
9.
Binnya U would spend the next five years consolidating power, overcoming external and internal threats.
10.
Binnya U bought the allegiance of the court through a series of marriage alliances.
11.
Binnya U himself married three daughters of Minister Than-Bon, and married off his sister Maha Dewi to Bon-Lan, son of Minister Than-Daw, and his half-brother Min Linka to the youngest daughter of Than-Bon.
12.
Binnya U actually built a Buddhist pagoda, housing a holy relic he had received from Ceylon, at the hilltop where he atop his elephant began the counterattack.
13.
Binnya U governed the kingdom with the help of his Chief Minister Pun So, and his brother-in-law Gov.
14.
Binnya U's regime was able to steer the kingdom out of the troubles that were enveloping his northern and eastern neighbors.
15.
Binnya U rushed back to the capital, and ordered two separate missions to retake Martaban.
16.
Binnya U's realm had suddenly been reduced to the Pegu province and the northern tip of the Martaban province.
17.
Binnya U's hold over the Pegu province was helped by the effective rule of his elder sister, Maha Dewi, whom he appointed governor of Dagon in 1364.
18.
Binnya U successfully fended off Laukpya's attempts to seize southern Pegu province, and his forces even retook Donwun, restoring the pre-1369 borders.
19.
Binnya U gradually withdrew from administration, and handed increasing responsibilities to his sister Maha Dewi, culminating in her appointment as regent in 1383, and his eldest son Binnya Nwe's rebellion.
20.
Binnya U had relied on his elder sister for advice at least since 1369.
21.
Binnya U had proven herself as an able governor of the key town of Dagon since 1364.
22.
Binnya U's enemies tried to undermine her by making public her alleged affair with a much younger married Smim Maru, who was her nephew-in-law and U's son-in-law.