Tharrawaddy

Tharrawaddy lies in the lowlands west of the wooded Pegu Yoma, between the Irrawaddy and the hills of central Burma. Its name became known at the royal court through the Prince of Tharrawaddy, a brother of King Bagyidaw. After the First Anglo-Burmese War, rivalry at court intensified as the king's health failed. In 1837 the prince fled the capital, defeated the forces of his rivals and took the throne. He became known as King Tharrawaddy, after the district from which he held his title.