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King Thibaw with his Queen. Image by Watts and Skeen-

Top 10 Sensational Facts about Thibaw Min

Thibaw Min also Theebaw or Thebaw born on 1^st January 1858 was the last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma. He was the son of King Mindon and took over the dynasty in a bloody massacre that left all his siblings dead.

He married Supalayat who was his half-sister by blood. When he took over the dynasty, half of the territory was under British occupation. The kingdom’s economy had diminished during his father’s reign forcing his government to increase taxation on the peasants.

He introduced the British India administration where his kingdom was dived into ten districts and administered by district ministers.

He gave little opposition to the British troops as they took over his kingdom and had tried collaborating with the French earlier. He was captured and taken to Ratnagiri, India with his family where they stayed for twenty-four years.

India’s government built him an official house and also gave him an annual allowance.

1. King Thibaw Min married his sister

King Thibaw, Queen Supayalat and her sister Princess Supayaji. Image by unknown photographer-

Despite Thibaw having studied Buddhist texts, he openly practiced incest by marrying his sister. The lady was one of his father’s wives Hsinbyumashin’s daughter called Supalayat.

His wife’s mother brokered the marriage between Thibaw and her daughter. This marriage paved way for his bloodline to have similar marriages as this as they married their cousins.

2. His siblings were assassinated so that he would take power

Hsinbyumashin, his wife’s mother wanted that Thibaw takes over the dynasty with her daughter as the Queen. She brought all princes and princesses who were of close age with Thibaw together.

They were deceived their father wanted to bid them his last farewell. Hsinbyumashin had them bloody massacred and only Thibaw and his wife were left.

3. King Thibaw collaborated with the French

Before his reign, the British had already occupied the lower parts of Burma. He signed a commercial treaty with the French granting them control of the kingdom’s economy in exchange for a political alliance.

He did this to regain the lower part of his dynasty which was under British occupation for thirty years. This situation however did not work following ‘The Great Shoe Question.

This was when some British officials disrespected his palace. He banished them from his palace as they refused to remove their shoes when entering the royal palace.

4. He introduced a new administrative unit in his reign

King Thibaw and his guards. Image by Saya Chone-

King Thibaw introduced a more centralized form of administration similar to that of the British. Here, the kingdom was divided into districts headed by district ministers and was administered by the court.

The district ministers were to oversee the smaller administrative units that were towns and villages. The district ministers were to report to the palace court headed by the King.

He expanded the size of his cabinet from four departments to fourteen. These were Agriculture, Public works, Land warfare, Taxation, Religious knowledge, Royal estate management, and Sassamedha (Personal taxes).

Criminal Justice, Civil Justice, Water-borne warfare, Foreign affairs, Partnerships, Town and village affairs, and Mechanized industries

5. The British captured his dynasty in twenty fours

King Thibaw gave little resistance to the British as they were invading his kingdom. The British force only consisted of eleven thousand men, elephant batteries, and a fleet of flat-bottomed boats.

The British captured the royal capital, Mandalay, and matched to the Mandalay palace to demand Thibaw’s surrender. They got to the palace in twenty-four hours as Thibaw gave little resistance.

6. King Thibaw was deported to India along with his family

Thibaw is being taken to India. Image by Unknown author-

After the British had captured his throne, Thibaw, his wife Supayalat, and two infant daughters were deported to India. They were captured as they were hiding in a summer house in the palace gardens.

They were held in Outram Hall, in Dharangaon, a city in the port of the Arabian Sea. They lived here for twenty-four years as a family before being relocated.

7. The government of India built Thibaw a residence

Thibaw’s palace in Ratnagiri. Image by Aniket Konkar-

In 1906, India’s government spent over 125,000 rupees (c £9000) to construct a new official residence for Thibaw. It was a two-story brick building built of laterite and lava rock. It was constructed on a 20 acres (8.1 ha) property.

Thibaw and his family relocated to their residence officially known as Thibaw’s palace.

8. King Thibaw was paid an annual allowance by the government

Thibaw still lived the life of a king while in captivity. India’s government gave him an annual allowance varying between 35,000 and 42,000 rupees in his first years. They later increased the allowance in 1906 to 100,000 rupees (c £7000).

9. King Thibaw lived a solitary life

The Diwali Festival. Image by Khokarahman-

Thibaw and his family lived a quiet life and they did not leave the premises. The money that the government paid him made him sponsor local festivals, particularly during Diwali. He never physically participated in any local or national activities and festivals.

10. King Thibaw was not taken back to his kingdom upon his death

As it was a norm for royalties to be buried at their dynasties, he was not given this privilege. On 15^th December 1916, Thibaw died at the age of 57 while in captivity.

He was buried along Hteiksu Phaya Galay, one of his consults at a small walled plot adjacent to a Christian cemetery. He ruled only for seven years and spent most of his life in exile.