Saw E

Saw E စောအဲ
King of Hanthawaddy
Reign	c. April – May 1330 (49 days)
Predecessor	Zein Pun
Successor	Binnya E Law
Born	1303
Died	c. May 1330 (aged 26)
Consort	Sanda Min Hla
House	Wareru
Father	Saw O
Mother	May Hnin Htapi of Sukhothai
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Saw E or Saw E Kankaung (Burmese: စောအဲ [sɔ́ ʔɛ] or စောအဲကံကောင်း [sɔ́ ʔɛ kàɴ káʊɴ]; 1303–1330) was the sixth king of the Hanthawaddy Pegu in Burma, who ruled for 49 days in 1330.^[1] He was a son of King Saw O and Princess May Hnin Htapi of Sukhothai. After the death of his uncle King Saw Zein in 1331, the young price was placed on the throne by Queen Sanda Min Hla. The powerful queen had ousted usurper Zein Pun, who reigned for seven days.^[2]

Though she was technically the young king's aunt—his father was her first cousin, Sanda Min Hla nonetheless made herself Saw E's chief queen. According to the chronicles, Saw E gave her respect as his aunt, and spent more time with concubines of the court. After a few months, the queen poisoned the young king, and placed her half-brother Binnya E Law, viceroy of Pegu, to the throne. (She again made herself the chief queen.)^[2]

The murder of Saw E greatly angered the king of Sukhothai as Saw E was a grandson of his. Sukhothai forces invaded but were defeated. From then on, Hanthawaddy threw off its nominal vassal status to Sukhothai.^[1]

References

1. Phayre 1967: 66–67
2. Pan Hla 2004: 42

Bibliography

• Pan Hla, Nai (1968). Razadarit Ayedawbon (in Burmese) (8th printing, 2004 ed.). Yangon: Armanthit Sarpay.
• Phayre, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta.