Nawrahta of Kanni

This article contains Burmese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Burmese script.

Nawrahta of Kanni (Burmese: ကန်းနီ နော်ရထာ,^[1] pronounced [káɴnì nɔ̀jətʰà]; also spelled ကန္နီ နော်ရထာ,^[2] [kàɴnì nɔ̀jətʰà]) was a senior Myinsaing prince, who held important governorship positions in the rival Burmese-speaking kingdoms of Pinya and Sagaing. He was the youngest child of King Thihathu and his chief queen Mi Saw U, and the youngest brother of kings Uzana I and Kyawswa I of Pinya.^[3]

Nawrahta was given the town of Shisha (ရှိရှား) in fief on 7 February 1313 by Thihathu.^[3] He remained loyal to his father's Pinya faction when the Myinsaing Kingdom split into Pinya and Sagaing kingdoms in 1315. He remained loyal to Pinya throughout the reigns of Uzana I and Sithu. On 29 March 1344,^{[note 1]} Kyawswa I succeeded the Pinya throne and appointed his younger brother Nawrahta governor of the important city of Pinle, their ancestral base.^[1] But two brothers became rivals, and in 1349,^{[note 2]} Nawrahta fled west to Sagaing where his nephew Nawrahta Minye had just become king. Nawrahta Minye appointed Nawrahta governor of Kanni.^[1]

All royal chronicles from Maha Yazawin (1724) onward identify Nawrahta of Kanni as an ancestor (maternal great-great-great grandfather) of King Bayinnaung of Toungoo Dynasty.^[4]

• Royal Historical Commission of Burma (2003) [1832]. Hmannan Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3. Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
• Sein Lwin Lay, Kahtika U (1968). Mintaya Shwe Hti and Bayinnaung: Ketumadi Taungoo Yazawin (in Burmese) (2006, 2nd printing ed.). Yangon: Yan Aung Sarpay.
• Than Tun (December 1959). "History of Burma: A.D. 1300–1400". Journal of Burma Research Society. XLII (II).
• Thaw Kaung, U (2010). Aspects of Myanmar History and Culture. Yangon: Gangaw Myaing.