First Toungoo Empire: Map & History
The First Toungoo Empire, also known as the Second Burmese Empire in traditional historiography, or simply the Taungoo dynasty, was the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia in the second half of the 16th century.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The First Toungoo Empire, also known as the Second Burmese Empire in traditional historiography, or simply the Taungoo dynasty, was the dominant power in mainland Southeast Asia in the second half of the 16th century. At its peak, Toungoo "exercised suzerainty from Manipur to the Cambodian marches and from the borders of Arakan to Yunnan" and was "the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia." The "most adventurous and militarily successful" dynasty in Burmese history was also the "shortest-lived."
Modern Countries Once Part of First Toungoo Empire
At its mapped extent, First Toungoo Empire covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Laos1572–1587 CE · nearly all
- Myanmar1502–1756 CE · most
- Thailand1564–1733 CE · most
- Vietnam1579–1587 CE · a small part
- India1564–1587 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside First Toungoo Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
First Toungoo Empire in Depth
History
The earliest known record of administration of the region dates to the late Pagan period. In 1191, King Sithu II (r. 1174–1211) appointed Ananda Thuriya governor of Kanba Myint. In 1279, two great-grandsons of Ananda Thuriya—Thawun Gyi and Thawun Nge—founded a new settlement of 370 households, about 40 km farther south. It was named Toungoo (Taungoo) (တောင်ငူ, "Hill's Spur") because of its location by the hills in the narrow Sittaung river valley between the Bago Yoma range and southern Shan Hills.
The narrow valley at the southern edge of the dry zone was not easily accessible from Central or Upper Burma; the best access to the region was from the south, via the Sittaung. Its hard-to-reach location would shape much of its early history.
Government
The Toungoo Empire was “in theory and fact, a poly-ethnic political formation.” The Toungoo kings largely employed then prevailing Southeast Asian administrative model of solar polities in which the high king ruled the core while semi-independent tributaries, autonomous viceroys, and governors actually controlled day-to-day administration and manpower. The system did not work well even for mid-size kingdoms like Ava and Siam. Now, because of the sheer size of the empire, the system was even more decentralised and stretched thinner still. At any rate, it was the only system the Toungoo kings knew, and they "had no choice but to retain it." The kings attempted administrative reforms only at the margins, which proved insufficient to hold the empire after Bayinnaung.
Economy
Agriculture, and maritime trade dominated the economy of the empire. Maritime trade was most prevalent in Lower Burma and southern Siam. Agriculture was dominant in Upper Burma and surrounding highlands. The Ayutthaya region also had a strong agriculture-based economy.
In the western mainland, the three principal irrigated regions were all located in Upper Burma: Kyaukse, Minbu and Mu valley—as had been the case since the 13th century. Lower Burma's agriculture was not well developed—less than 10% of the acreage of the mid-1930s in the British colonial period was under cultivation in the 16th century. Upper Burma had about 730,000 hectares (1.8 million acres) under cultivation c. 1600, divided even between rice and dry crops.
Culture and society
Estimates of the population of the empire point to over 6 million. In 1600, the most populous region of the erstwhile empire was Siam (2.5 million), followed by Upper Burma (1.5 million), the Shan high lands (1 million) and Lower Burma (0.5 million)—for a total of at least 5.5 million. Estimates for Lan Na, Lan Xang and Manipur are not known. The size of the population of the empire before the devastating wars of 1584–99 was probably over 6 million.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: First Toungoo Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
First Toungoo Empire: Key Facts
| Capitals | Taungoo, Bago |
|---|---|
| Official language | Burmese |
| Religions | Theravāda, animism, Christianity, Hinduism |
| Form of government | monarchy, suzerainty |
| Founded | 16 October 1510 |
| Dissolved | 19 December 1599 |
Facts from Wikidata Q23039102 (CC0).
First Toungoo Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which First Toungoo Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
First Toungoo Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,477,943 km² in 1583 CE.
First Toungoo Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the First Toungoo Empire exist?
The First Toungoo Empire is dated to 1502 CE – 1756 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the First Toungoo Empire?
The capital of the First Toungoo Empire was Toungoo (Taungoo) (1510–1539), Pegu (Bago) (1539–1599).
How large was the First Toungoo Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1583 the First Toungoo Empire covered about 1,477,943 km².
How did the map of the First Toungoo Empire change over time?
The First Toungoo Empire appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1600 CE to 1700 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi