Konbaung

The Konbaung Dynasty was the last royal dynasty of Burma (now Myanmar), governing from 1752 to 1885. It was founded by Alaungpaya, who reunified much of the Burmese core and restored centralized authority after the decline of the Toungoo Dynasty. The dynasty, often identified with a policy of expansion and consolidation, is named after the royal house that sought to unify the Burmese kingdom and its frontiers.

In its early decades the Konbaung state reasserted control over Upper and Lower Burma and moved the capital as it expanded. The court shifted from Ava (Inwa) to Amarapura in 1782 and later to Mandalay in the 1850s–1860s. The kings pursued campaigns to consolidate frontier regions and asserted influence over Arakan (Rakhine), parts of Manipur, and areas of northern India’s borders, while engaging in intermittent conflicts with Siam (Thailand). In 1767 Burmese forces briefly captured Ayutthaya, the Siamese capital, reflecting the military reach of the era, though political control there did not endure.

The 19th century brought intensive pressure from British imperial expansion. The First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826) ended with significant territorial losses for Burma and the Treaty of Yandabo, ceding coastal territories to Britain. The Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852) resulted in the annexation of Lower Burma, including Rangoon. Mindon Min (reigned 1853–78) sought modernization and reform within the framework of a sovereign state facing encroaching colonial power. The Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885) culminated in the fall of the dynasty and the full annexation of Burma by Britain; King Thibaw Min and Queen Supayalat were exiled.

The Konbaung era left lasting legacies in Burmese administration, religion, and culture, marking the final period of native rule before colonial domination.