Minyekyawswa (1391–1417) was crown prince of Ava from 1406 to 1417, and commander-in-chief of Ava's military from 1409 to 1417.
He is best remembered in Burmese history as the courageous general who wages the most fierce battles of the Forty Years' War (1385–1424) against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu.
The prince, who leads an army battalion at age 13 and the entire army at 15, is the most trusted and able general of his father, King Minkhaung I.
Between 1406 and 1417, the father and son team wages war on all of Ava's neighbors, and nearly succeeds in reassembling the Pagan Empire under Ava's leadership.
By 1416, Ava has defeated the two strongest Shan states, Mohnyin (1406) and Theinni (1413) in the north, overrun Arakan (1406, 1412) in the west, and seized the entire Irrawaddy delta (1415) in the south, forcing Razadarit to flee Pegu for Martaban.
On the cusp of final victory, Minyekyawswa is wounded in a battle near Dala (Yangon), and captured by the Hanthawaddy army in March 1417.
The crown prince refuses treatment, and dies shortly after.
He is 25.
Minyekyawswa was deeply respected by both sides for his courage.
His archenemy Razadarit gave him a burial with full royal honors and rites.
Minyekyawswa's campaigns of 1414–1417 were the climax of Forty Years' War.
After his death, the war quickly petered out.
Only two more campaigns (1417–1418 and 1423–1424) were fought, halfheartedly, by both sides.
Ava's military success was mostly attributable to his inspired leadership; Ava would not see this kind of success again.
Minkhaung and Minyekyawswa's struggles against Razadarit are retold as classic stories of legend in Burmese popular culture.
Minyekyawswa's name is still invoked alongside the names of greatest warrior kings of Burmese history.the
