Smin Bayan
Smin Bayan (Mon: သၟိၚ် ပရာံ; Burmese: သမိန် ဗရမ်း or သမိန် ပရမ်း,[note 1] Burmese pronunciation: [θəmèiɴ bəjáɴ]; also spelled Smin Baram, Thamein Bayan, Thamein Payan) was an early 15th century commander who fought on both sides of the Forty Years' War between Hanthawaddy Pegu and Ava.
Smin Bayan was a Mon language title worn by successive commanders in the service of the monarchs of Hanthawaddy Pegu.
[note 5] In 1401, Athayi was an officer in the Hanthawaddy army that invaded the northern Ava Kingdom to renew the Forty Years' War.
The king ordered the execution of Saw Maha-Rit, one of his sons-in-law, for fleeing the scene at the battle of Prome, and for losing Princess Tala Mi Kyaw to Ava forces.
[14][15][16] 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.
The Ming court had been alarmed by Ava's conquests of the nearer Shan states, which it considered its vassals, in 1403–1406,[20] and had supported Razadarit, characteristically recognizing the Hanthawaddy king as its "governor".
[21] 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.
[22] 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.
[23] In late 1414, as Ava forces began their assault on the central Pegu province, the Chinese again opened the northern front.
After a month of siege, c. January 1415,[note 8] both sides agreed to settle the matters with a duel on horseback between their chosen champions.
Chronicles continue that the king searched for the best horseback fighter in the city, and convinced Bayan, a highly acclaimed cavalry officer, to represent the Ava side.
[note 9] At any rate, the former Hanthawaddy commander apparently played a key role in driving back the Chinese, even if the stakes were not as high or the events were not as dramatic as chronicles make them out to be.
For his service, Bayan was made governor of Legaing along with the regalia befitting a prince, and wedded to a younger daughter of Gov.
[27][28] The invasion ended amicably in early 1423 in a peace treaty between Thihathu and Prince Binnya Ran, one of the pretenders to the Pegu throne.
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.
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.
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.
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.
