Razadarit: Biography, Facts and Career

Razadarit (Mon: ရာဇာဓိရာတ်, ; Burmese: ရာဇာဓိရာဇ်, Burmese pronunciation: [jàzàdəɹɪ̀ʔ] or [jàza̰dəɹɪ̀ʔ]; also spelled Yazadarit, Pali: Rājādhirāja "king of kings"; 1368–1421), personal name Pasoom-Paing-Cek (Mon: ပသုံပါၚ်စက် ; Burmese: ပသုန်ပန်စက် ), courtesy name Benya Noy (Mon: ဗညာနဲ, ; Burmese: ဗညားနွဲ့, [bəɲá nwɛ̰]), was king of Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1384 to 1421. He successfully unified his Mon-speaking kingdom, and fended off major assaults by the Burmese-speaking Ava Kingdom (Inwa) in the Forty Years' War. The king also instituted an administrative system that left his successors with a far more integrated kingdom. He is one of the most famous kings in Burmese history. Razadarit came to power at 16 after a rebellion against his father King Binnya U (r. 1348–1384), barely controlling the Pegu province. By his sheer will and military leadership, the young king not only defeated Ava's first wave of invasions (1385–1391) but also unified his kingdom in the process. After presiding over Pegu's emergence as a regional power, he twice renewed the war with Ava in the 1400s, and outlasted Ava's fierce counterattacks with the help of Hsenwi and Ming China. Between 1401 and 1418, he met Ava's King Minkhaung I and Crown Prince Minye Kyawswa head-on in Lower Burma, Upper Burma, and Arakan. His life is recorded in a classic chronicle called Razadarit Ayedawbon. The king is remembered as a complex figure: an accomplished military leader who kept his kingdom independent; an able administrator who successfully integrated the provinces; and a ruthless paranoid figure, who drove many close to him to death. His battles against Minkhaung and Minye Kyawswa are still retold in Burmese popular culture.

Quick facts about Razadarit

• Full name: Razadarit
• Born: 1368-01-28
• Nationality: Myanmar
• Known as: Royal
• Wikidata ID: Q1108098

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.