Smim Htaw Buddhaketi

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Smim Htaw Buddhaketi (Burmese: သမိန်ထောဗုဒ္ဓကိတ္တိ [θəmèɪɰ̃ tʰɔ́ boʊʔda̰ keɪʔtḭ]) was the first king of the Restored Kingdom of Hanthawaddy which overthrew Toungoo Dynasty's rule in Lower Burma. From 1740 to 1747, the ethnic Burman king was a nominal figurehead of the ethnic Mon rebellion. He was selected to be king by the leaders of the Mon insurrection for his royal lineage.

Styled with the Mon title Smim Htaw Buddhaketi (lit. 'Lord of the Striped Elephant'; "ဆင်ကျားရှင်") the former Buddhist monk found it difficult to adjust himself to the life of king. As an ethnic Burman, he was reluctant to take charge of the government or command of the army, and usually absent from the capital.^[2] Much of the governance and fighting was left to his prime minister Binnya Dala, a local Mon nobleman.^[3] Forced to abdicate, he left for Chiang Mai, but was later imprisoned by Borommakot and sent to China, where he made his way back to Chiang Mai.^{[4]: 284–290}