When was Myanmar founded? -Interesting facts
Myanmar is an Asian country in the southeast which is also known as Burma and officially known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar has evidence of human settlement as far back as 13,000 years ago.
The Tibeto-Burman speaking people established the Pyu city-states which dated between 200BCE and 1050CE.
The early pagan cultures, known as the Bamar people entered Myanmar in the Irrawaddy Valley and it wasn’t until the late 1200’s, 1297 that the smaller kingdoms began warring for control.
The small kingdoms, Ava, Hanthawaddy Pegu, Shan States, and Arakan ruled from the mid-1300’s to the late 1700’s, when Myanmar’s rule was taken over like it’s similar Asian neighbors and factioned off into Dynasties.
The Taungoo Dynasty
The Taungoo Dynasty ruled from 1510 to 1752. The First Taungoo Dynasty was from 1510 to 1599 and was led by Tabinshwehti, king of Taungoo.
Taungoo was one of the only peaceful kingdoms at the time, and Tabinshwehti led the people to conquer the rest of the warring states and bring them under control.
In 1599, the Taungoo Dynasty was led by Nyaungyan Min, who worked to successfully bring about the reunification of the states and worked for a peaceful union.
The Konbaung Dynasty
Like with many countries, peace was short-lived, and in 1740, The Mon in Lower Burma began a rebellion to seize control, and so the Konbaung Dynasty was founded and ruled from1752- 1885.
Within the first 70 years, the largest Burmese empire was created. By 1759, King Alaungpaya’s Konbaung had defeated the Mon-led forces and untied all of Burma.
King Alaungpaya worked to rid the states of the European influence but the united country was still at war first with Siam in the Burmese-Siamese war and the Sino-Burmese war from 1765 to 1769.
In addition to warring with it’s neighboring countries, The Konbaung Dynasty faced the Anglo-Burmese wars which were a two-year war with the British Empire.
The British Rule
The Burmese dynasties came to an end when in 1886, Britain made Burma a providence of India.
Skirmishes continued in the north until 1890, but Britain worked to restore the decimated villages, and the British forces established the capital at Rangoon.
The British worked to restore the economy and appoint new officials who worked to rid the country of guerrilla warfare, and there was even collaboration during World War II with Burma asking for British assistance for their support in the war.
The country was once again divided in allegiance, and in 1948, Burma pushed to become independent from Britain. Until 1962, Burma was a government controlled by insurgents of different communist factions, and in 1962 until 1968, Burma saw a rise in protests and skirmishes against the military factions, which led to several arrests and deaths.
The Militant Rule
1988 saw the uprising against the military, which disregarded the constitution that had been established in 1974, and martial law was upheld instead.
In 1989 the communist leaders were overthrown and forced into exile, and from 1990 to 2006 the country saw the militant government officially propose to change the countries name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989.
The government worked to revise the constitution which had been established in 1974 and justice was sought by the European Council and the International Labour Organization for crimes against humanity against the Myanmar government.
From 2007 to present, a new kind of government was formed, with elected members to a Parliament, and the military was reformed to a drafted constitution, with Myanmar becoming a tentative democratic country.
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