He served in the war against the southern Hanthawaddy Kingdom between 1386 and 1391, and decisively defeated the 1392–93 invasion by the northern state of Mohnyin.
[1] At Yamethin, he remained loyal to his overlords at Pinya until 1364 when he submitted to Thado Minbya of Sagaing, the founder of Ava Kingdom.
According to the chronicles, Thilawa was stoic and taciturn in character, and utterly disinterested in the niceties of statecraft.
When Thado Minbya died without an heir in 1367, the court offered the Ava throne to Thilawa.
[5] The chronicles' record of his military service starts only from Swa's reign, although he was first offered the throne of a still fractious and fragmented kingdom.
But the army led by Saw Hnaung and Tuyin was badly defeated, and chased back to Sagaing.
But Chief Minister Wun Zin Min Yaza reminded the king that Thilawa was never known for etiquette, and that the aloof governor did not mean any harm.