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THE KONBAUNG DYNASTY
It did not take long for a new dynasty, the Konbaung Dynasty, to arise and bring Myanmar to its greatest power yet. A popular Burmese leader named Alaungpaya drove the Pegu forces out of northern Myanmar by 1753, and by 1759 he had once again conquered Pegu, resulting in total subjugation of the Mon people, and southern Myanmar, while also regaining control of Manipur. He established his capital briefly at Dagon, renaming it Yangon (End of Strife). In 1760, he briefly conquered Tenasserim. He also marched on Ayutthaya, but became seriously ill and was forced to withdraw, ending the invasion, and he died on the journey back. His second son Hsinbyushin (1763-76) returned to Ayutthaya (Siam) in 1766 and had conquered it before the end of the next year. Even China began to fear expansion of Burmese power in the East and sent armies to Myanmar, but Hsinbyushin successfully repulsed four Chinese invasions between 1766 and 1769 stretching its limits within Chinese borders. Another of Alaungpaya's sons, Bodawpaya (1781–1819), lost control of Ayutthaya, but added Arakan (1784) and Tenasserim (1793) to the kingdom. In January 1824, during the reign of King Bagyidaw (1819-37), a Burmese general Maha Bandula succeeded in conquering Assam, bringing Myanmar face to face with British interests in India. |
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