Taungoo

Taungoo stands in the upper valley of the Sittaung River, between the Pegu Yoma and the eastern hills. From this inland town arose a dynasty that came to rule much of mainland Southeast Asia. Its position on the southern edge of Upper Burma brought it into contact with both the kingdoms of the Irrawaddy and the Mon lands downstream. A walled royal city and Buddhist shrines marked its status as a seat of kings.

Mingyi Nyo strengthened Taungoo while Ava struggled with rebellions and Shan attacks. In 1510 he declared his independence, sheltering his small kingdom from much of the warfare farther north. His son Tabinshwehti inherited a secure base and turned south against Hanthawaddy. After conquering Pegu, he moved the royal centre there, closer to the ports and their trade. Bayinnaung succeeded Tabinshwehti and extended Toungoo authority across a vast area, including the Shan states and Siam. The empire fractured after his death in 1581, but the dynasty was later restored from Upper Burma. Taungoo itself remained an important provincial centre, remembering the time when its rulers began their rise from the Sittaung valley.