Mingyi Swa
The eldest son of King Nanda of the Toungoo Dynasty led three out of the five Burmese invasions of Siam between 1584 and 1593, all of which ended in complete failure.
Mingyi Swa was born to Crown Prince Nanda and his chief consort Hanthawaddy Mibaya on 27 November 1558 in Pegu (Bago).
[1] The prince grew up in Pegu during a period in which his grandfather King Bayinnaung founded the largest empire in Southeast Asia.
Between 1584 and 1593, Mingyi Swa would lead four out of five campaigns that all ended in failure for the invaders, and ultimately claimed his life.
Mingyi Swa had stayed behind at the capital Pegu (Bago) with an army to guard the rear.
Naresuan withdrew to Martaban (Mottama), and formally declared Ayutthaya's independence from Pegu on 3 May [O.S.
Still in Upper Burma, Nanda in haste sent two armies (11,000 men, 900 horses, 90 elephants) to chase the Siamese troops to their country.
Indeed, the troops were caught unprepared by the flooded countryside by the Chao Phraya, and were nearly wiped out by Siamese on their war canoes.
[6][8] In March 1586,[9] Swa again led another expedition force (12,000 troops, 1200 horses, 100 elephants) from Lan Na into northern Siam.
[10] The goal was to seize northern Siam in preparation for a larger campaign planned for the following dry season.
The remaining regiments arrived back in such disarray that Nanda verbally disparaged Mingyi Swa and executed some of the top generals.
During the course of the battle, a Burmese war elephant named Pauk-Kyaw Zeya (ပေါက်ကျော်ဇေယျ) ridden by the governor of Zapayo (ဇာပရိုး), went on musth, and initially charged Siamese vanguard lines toward Naresuan.
Both elephants immediately came under Siamese fire, and Swa and the front mahout were felled by a mortar round.
After the battle, the Burmese command now led by Thado Dhamma Yaza III of Prome realized the death, and they collectively decided to retreat, rather than to attack the city.
The prevailing account says that the Burmese army led by Swa had penetrated deep into Siam to a place called Nong Sarai (in present-day Suphan Buri Province.)
There, the invaders were met by the Siamese army, led by Naresuan (now king) and his younger brother Crown Prince Ekathotsarot.
Facing certain death, Naresuan issued a challenge to Mingyi Swa to fight him in single combat on their war elephants.
[24] Per Terwiel's analysis of the ten accounts, Swa and Naresuan both fought on their war elephant in the battle but no formal duel probably ever took place.
[27] According to Terwiel, the "Burmese and European accounts stayed closer to what actually may have happened", and "Naresuan's much repeated challenge to hold a duel, even though it looms large in many Thai history books, should be relegated to a legendary tale.
[28] King Nanda is said to have been completely saddened, and gave his eldest son a royal cremation ceremony with highest honors in front of the Kanbawzathadi Palace.
A shaken Nanda waited over nine months before appointing Minye Kyawswa II as the new heir apparent on 29 December [O.S.
[30] His first wife was Natshin Medaw, his double cousin and the only child of Viceroy Thado Minsaw of Ava and Inwa Mibaya.
With his father gone, Swa forcibly raised the princess to be his wife, and formally divorced Natshin Medaw in the process.
Nanda arrived back to Pegu in June 1587 from a failed campaign, and the king was extremely unhappy to learn of the news what had happened while he was away.
