Anawrahta of Tharrawaddy
Anawrahta Saw was governor of Tharrawaddy and Paungde from 1427 to 1446, as a vassal of Hanthawaddy Pegu. He had previously served as governor of Paungde as a vassal of Ava. In 1446, he surrendered to King Narapati I of Ava, and died shortly thereafter.
Background
The royal chronicles provide minimal details regarding Anawrahta's background, noting only that he was a younger brother of Governor Saw Lu Thinkhaya of Toungoo. This indicates that he was a younger son of Governor Letwe U-Shaung-Lwe of Mindon. Since Thinkhaya was born in or before 1379, Anawrahta was likely born in the late 1370s or early 1380s.Career
Governor of Paungde
Anawrahta followed his father and brother into the royal service of Ava. By 1426, he was serving as a district-level governor of Paungde, a small district located about 65 km south of Prome, the provincial capital. By then, his brother had risen to the rank of provincial governor of Toungoo, a major strategic region bordering Hanthawaddy.Between 1425 and 1426, Anawrahta, like other vassal rulers, had to navigate the ongoing succession crisis in Ava. Ava saw four kings between August 1425 and May 1426. The latest king, Thado of Mohnyin, could not win the support of key major vassals. When Thinkhaya formally rebelled against Thado in late 1426, Anawrahta was forced to declare his allegiance.
Anawrahta chose to follow his brother who had formed an alliance with King Binnya Ran I of Hanthawaddy. As Thinkhaya cemented the alliance by giving Ran his daughter in a marriage of state, Anawrahta likewise gave his own daughter to Ran in marriage. Unlike his brother's arrangement, however, this was not a formal alliance. Instead, as a district-level governor, Anawrahta became a vassal of Hanthawaddy.
Governor of Tharrawaddy Province
The vassalage provided both protection and a career boost. In early 1427, Ran occupied Tharrawaddy, and appointed Anawrahta as governor of that region in addition to Paungde. Anawrahta now governed a major portion of the Prome province, excluding the city of Prome, Ava's main southern fortress. He participated as a loyal Hanthawaddy vassal in the Ava–Hanthawaddy War (1430–1431) when Ran and Thinkhaya tried to capture Prome. Though Prome was not captured, the war ended with Thado formally acknowledging Ran's control of Paungde and Tharrawaddy, and symbolically "pardoning" Anawrahta.Anawrahta governed the frontier province for the next 15 years from Tharrawaddy town. For most of this tenure, until 1442, his counterpart in Prome was Prince Thihathu, the second son of Thado. The prince had long desired to regain Prome's lost districts, and began advertising his designs soon after his accession to the Ava throne in 1442. The new king gave his old post at Prome to Saw Shwe Khet, the previous governor of Tharrawaddy, and also referred to him as the governor of Tharrawaddy, declaring his intent to reclaim the region.
Despite Ava's designs, Anawrahta's tenure lasted until towards the end of Ran's reign. Circa October 1446, the king of Ava marched south with a joint naval and land strike force to retake the territories. With no Hanthawaddy help in sight, Anawarahta offered no resistance and surrendered at Tayokmaw, south of Prome. According to the chronicles, Narapati pardoned him upon his surrender before retiring to Prome. However, Anawrahta suddenly died shortly after while Narapati was still in Prome. The king then appointed Saw Shwe Khet as Anawrahta's successor.