kingdom · Mainland Southeast Asia
Ava Kingdom
Origins
After Shan raiders sacked Pinya and Sagaing in 1364, Thado Minbya united the two courts and in 1365 founded a new capital at Ava, Inwa, at the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Myitnge rivers. He presented his kingdom as the successor of the Pagan Kingdom.
Rule and society
Ava controlled the Kyaukse and Minbu rice lands and claimed authority over Prome, Toungoo and the Shan borders. Swa Saw Ke and his son Minkhaung I fought the Forty Years' War against Razadarit of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom from 1385 to 1424. Monks and court poets such as Shin Maha Thilawuntha and Shin Maha Rahtathara made Ava the golden age of Burmese classical literature.
Decline and legacy
Ava weakened as vassals broke away, including Prome and Toungoo. In 1527 a confederation of Shan states led by Mohnyin captured Ava, ruling it as the Confederation of Shan States. In 1555 Bayinnaung of the First Toungoo Empire conquered it, and Ava later became the capital of the Restored Toungoo Kingdom.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Kingdom of Arakan (Lemro period) was conquered by Ava Kingdom1406 CE
- Prome Kingdom split from Ava Kingdom1482 CE
- First Toungoo Empire split from Ava Kingdom1510 CE
- Ava Kingdom was conquered by First Toungoo Empire1555 CE
More states of Mainland Southeast Asia →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ava Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ava-kingdom
- MLA
- “Ava Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ava-kingdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ava Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ava-kingdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ava Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ava-kingdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻