Yazathingyan (14th-century minister)

Yazathingyan (Burmese: ရာဇသင်္ကြန်, pronounced [jàza̰ θɪ́ɴdʑàɴ]; also known as Nga Mauk, (ငမောက်; [ŋə maʊʔ]); d. c. October 1400) was a senior court minister under the first three kings of Ava, in what is now Myanmar, from c. 1365 to 1400.

Mauk had risen to be a minister at the Ava court with the title of Yazathingyan while Nu had become the commander of the Inner Royal Household Guards.

After Thado Minbya's sudden death from smallpox, his chief queen Saw Omma persuaded Commander Nu, who had come to execute her on the king's last order,[note 1] to take the throne for himself.

He even agreed to lead an expedition to capture the couple, who had fled to Sagaing directly across the Irrawaddy river from Ava (Inwa).

[5][6] However, Nu soon escaped to Myadaung in the Shan states in the north, likely with Yazathingyan turning a blind eye.

[5][6][7] However, when Nu began raiding Ava's northern regions in 1369–1370, Swa was furious, and seriously considered purging Yazathingyan.

Swa accepted the advice, and decided to keep Yazathingyan at the court as well as allowed him to retain the two fiefs and his marriage to Saw Omma.

Historian Michael Aung-Thwin places Yazathingyan's appointment in 1367/68 as part of Swa's coronation ceremony, citing the Maha Yazawin's initial narrative.