Burmese-Manipuri Wars
The Burmese-Manipuri Wars were a series of military conflicts that took place between the Kingdom of Manipur and the declining Burmese Empire from the early 18th century to the mid-19th century. Following the fragmentation of Burma after the death of King Bayinnaung in 1581, the region experienced significant instability, with Manipur capitalizing on this by launching raids into upper Burma starting around 1714. The Manipuri warriors, known for their equestrian skills, inflicted severe losses on the Burmese forces, even capturing the capital Ava temporarily in 1738.
The conflicts intensified as Manipuri King Pamheiba expanded his territory and sought alliances, including a treaty with the British for assistance against Burmese incursions. In response, Burmese leaders, particularly Alaungpaya and his son Hsinbyushin, orchestrated military campaigns to regain control and assert dominance, leading to numerous battles throughout the region. The culmination of these tensions ultimately contributed to the first Anglo-Burmese War in the 1820s, which resulted in significant territorial changes and the annexation of parts of Burma by the British. The wars reflect the complex interplay of regional power dynamics, colonial interests, and the struggle for territorial control in Southeast Asia during this era.
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Burmese-Manipuri Wars
At issue: Political and religious control of upper Burma
Date: 1714–1770
Location: Northern Burma (now Myanmar), Manipur (now in northeast India)
Combatants: Konbaung Dynasty of Burma vs. Manipur forces
Principal commanders:Burmese, Alaungpaya (1714–1760), Maha Thihathura; Manipuri, Meidingu Pamheiba (r. 1708–1747)
Principal battle: Ava
Result: Manipur sought British assistance in protecting its homeland, leading to an increased British presence in the region
Background
Burma had been in political decline since the death of Bayinnaung in 1581. For almost 150 years, the region had been divided among small states, including the once-dominant Toungoo Dynasty with its capital at Ava. In addition to incessant warfare against the Tais in Siam, Burma suffered from frequent civil unrest and invasions from small states such as Arakan in the southwest and Manipur in the northwest.
Action
Manipuri warriors, famed for their horses and cavalry skill, began systematic raids into upper Burma around 1714, taking several thousand Burmese captives and laying waste to much of the border region. As his reign progressed, Pamheiba expanded the borders of Manipur to include the Kabow Valley, Nongnang (Cachar), and Takhel (Tripura), in addition to significant parts of upper Burma. The attacks took on a greater sense of purpose when Pamheiba converted to the Ramanandi sect of Hinduism in 1737. After repeated clashes, the Manipuris killed two-thirds of the royal Burmese army and briefly captured Ava (1738). The Manipuri invasion led to a revolt of the Mons of lower Burma, who sought French aid in maintaining their conquests against the Toungoo Dynasty. Meanwhile, a Manipuri dynastic struggle from 1747 to 1751 led to their retreat from Ava by 1749. In 1752, the Mons captured Ava and destroyed the Toungoo Dynasty.
Out of the resistance to Mon rule, the warrior Alaungpaya founded the Konbaung Dynasty, which drove out the Mons and waged an aggressive campaign to reunite Burma and extend its borders. He sent punitive expeditions to Manipur, garrisoning key locations, destroying villages, and impressing the Manipuri cavalry, before turning his attention to Tenasserim, in the far south, in 1759. The Manipuris, meanwhile, sought British help in resisting the Burmese, signing a treaty of commerce and protection with them in 1762. Alaungpaya’s second son, Hsinbyushin, fielded an army of 55,000 men in his invasion of Manipur, in 1765, seeking a strategic base from which to attack British India and taking thousands of prisoners as slaves in the process. In 1770, General Maha Thihathura, fresh from victory over a massive Chinese army in eastern Burma, put down a Manipuri revolt, installing a puppet on the throne and consolidating Burma’s strategic position on the northeastern border of India.
Aftermath
Thwarted by a Siamese revival under Tashin and Rama I, Burma continued to expand westward, maintaining a firm hold on Arakan and conquering Assam, in 1819. Arakan and Assam rebels operating out of British territory in India, invited a punitive Burmese invasion of Manipur and Cachar in 1822. This threat to British interests in Bengal led to the first Anglo-Burmese War and British annexation of western portions of Burma.
Bibliography
Harvey, G. E. History of Burma from the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824. London: Cass, 1967.
Lieberman, Victor B. Burmese Administrative Cycles: Anarchy and Conquest, c. 1580–1760. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1984.
Roy, Jyotirmoy. History of Manipur. 2d ed. Calcutta: Firma KLM, 1999.
Tarling, Nicholas, ed. The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia. 2 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Tensuba, K. C. Genesis of Indian Tribes: An Approach to the History of Meiteis and Thais. New Delhi: Inter-India Publishers, 1993.