| Razadarit ရာဇာဓိရာဇ် | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| King of Hanthawaddy | |||||
| Reign | 4 January 1384 – c. December 1421 | ||||
| Coronation | 5 January 1384 | ||||
| Predecessor | Binnya U | ||||
| Successor | Binnya Dhammaraza | ||||
| Co-Chief Ministers | Zeik-Bye (1384–1388) Byat Za (1388–1413) Dein Mani-Yut (1388–1421) | ||||
| Born | 28 January 1368 Friday, 8th waxing of Tabodwe 729 ME Donwun Martaban Kingdom | ||||
| Died | by 29 December 1421 (aged 53) by Monday, 7th waxing of Tabodwe 783 ME Kama Thamein Paik Hanthawaddy Kingdom | ||||
| Burial | Pegu (Bago) | ||||
| Consort | Tala Mi Daw (1383–1390) Piya Yaza Dewi (1383–1392; Chief Queen) Yaza Dewi (1392–1421; Chief) Lawka Dewi (1392–1421) Thiri Maya Dewi Mi U-Si (1392–1421) | ||||
| Issue among others... | Baw Law Kyan Daw Binnya Dhammaraza Binnya Ran I Binnya Kyan Binnya Set Shin Saw Pu | ||||
| |||||
| House | Wareru | ||||
| Father | Binnya U | ||||
| Mother | Thiri Maya Dewi Mwei Daw | ||||
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism | ||||
Razadarit (Mon: ရာဇာဓိရာတ်,[note 1] ; Burmese: ရာဇာဓိရာဇ်, Burmese pronunciation: [jàzàdəɹɪ̀ʔ] or [jàza̰dəɹɪ̀ʔ]; also spelled Yazadarit, Pali: Rājādhirāja "king of kings"; 1368–1421) 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.
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