Razadarit (1368–1421) is king of Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1384 to 1421, and is considered one of the greatest kings in Burmese history.
He successfully reunifies all three Mon-speaking regions of southern Burma (Myanmar), and fends off major assaults by the Burmese-speaking northern Kingdom of Ava (Inwa) in the Forty Years' War (1385–1424).
When Razadarit becomes the ruler of Hanthawaddy in 1384, the 16-year-old boy-king holds just the Pegu (Bago) province while the other two major Mon-speaking regions of the Irrawaddy delta and Martaban (Mottama) are in open rebellion.
By his sheer will and military leadership, he defeats Ava's first wave of invasions in the 1380s, and by 1390, is able to reunify all three Mon regions.
During the second half of the Forty Years' War, he meets Minkhaung I of Ava and his son Minyekyawswa head-on in Lower Burma, Upper Burma, and Arakan.
Razadarit is remembered as a complex figure: a brave military commander, who defeats Minkhaung I in single combat, and keeps the kingdom independent; an able administrator who organizes the kingdom; and a ruthless paranoid figure, who drives his first love Talamidaw to commit suicide, and orders the execution of their innocent son Bawlawkyantaw.
The king dies of injuries received in hunting a wild elephant in 1421 at age 53.
He leaves a strong, independent kingdom for the Mon people that will prosper for another 118 years.
Three of his offspring later become rulers of Hanthawaddy.
His daughter Shin Sawbu is the first and only female regent, and one of the most enlightened rulers in Burmese history.
The story of Razadarit's reign is recorded in a classic epic that exists in Mon, Burmese and Thai language forms.
Razadarit's struggles against Minkhaung I and Minyekyawswa are retold as classic stories of legend in Burmese popular culture.
