First Mongol invasion of Burma

Overview

The first Mongol invasion of Burma were a series of military conflicts between Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty, a division of the Mongol Empire, and the Pagan Empire that took place between 1277 and 1287. The invasions toppled the 250-year-old Pagan Empire, and the Mongol army seized Pagan territories in present-day Dehong, Yunnan and northern Burma to Tagaung. The invasions ushered in 250 years of political fragmentation in Burma and the rise of ethnic Tai-Shan states throughout mainland Southeast Asia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The first Mongol invasion of Burma, conducted between 1277 and 1287 by Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty against the Pagan Empire, resulted in the destruction of one of the region's major polities. The invasions toppled the 250-year-old Pagan Empire and brought Yuan control over Pagan territories in present-day Dehong, Yunnan, and northern Burma as far as Tagaung. Within the broader arc of Mongol invasions and conquests, the campaign extended Yuan power into mainland Southeast Asia. Its consequences extended well beyond the immediate military outcome: the collapse of Pagan initiated roughly 250 years of political fragmentation in Burma and contributed to the rise of ethnic Tai-Shan states across mainland Southeast Asia, a regional realignment that outlasted Mongol power itself.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)