[1] The prince had one full elder sister, Tala Mi Ma-Hsan;[1] two maternal half-siblings, King Saw E (r. 1330) and May Hnin Aw-Kanya;[2] and three paternal half-siblings, Mwei Ne, Princess-Regent Maha Dewi (r. 1383–1384) and King Binnya U (r.
[1] In 1348, the prince was appointed governor of Pegu (Bago) with the title of Smin Nyi Kaung Thein (သမိန် ညီကောင်သိန်, [θəmèiɴ ɲì gàʊ̯ɴ θèɪɴ]) by Binnya U, who had just ascended the throne.
[3] It was an important appointment as the new king, who was still consolidating power, needed someone he could trust in Pegu, located in the geographic center of the Mon-speaking kingdom.
The new king also married Linka to Mwei Daw, daughter of Chief Minister Than Bon.
The rebellion was backed by the eastern Tai-speaking kingdom of Lan Na,[note 2] which sent an 8000-strong invasion force.