Lauk Shein

Lauk Shein (လောက်ရှိန်, ; also Lauk Na-Rein, လိုက်နရိန်, လောက်နရိန်; died 1390) was governor of Bassein (Pathein), at least from the 1380s to 1390. A son of Viceroy Laukpya of Myaungmya, Shein actively participated in his father's rebellion against King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy, and fought in the subsequent Ava–Hanthawaddy War (1385–1391) on the Ava side.

Though he successfully defended Bassein in 1389, Shein decided to evacuate the port city when his father's provincial capital Myaungmya unexpectedly fell in 1390. His caravan of elephants carrying loads of treasures soon found their path to Ava territory blocked by a Hanthawaddy battalion, and were forced to make a detour to Sandoway in Arakan. However, the governor of Sandoway gave him up to the pursuing Hanthawaddy troops. Shein was brought back to Bassein where he was executed on Razadarit's order.

Background
Lauk Shein was born to a large powerful noble family in the Mon-speaking Martaban–Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Through his father Viceroy Laukpya of Myaungmya Province, he was a half cousin, twice-removed of King Binnya U (r. 1348–1384), and half-cousin, once-removed of King Razadarit (r. 1384–1421). (Although it can be inferred from chronicle reporting that his mother may have been the chief consort of Laukpya, chronicles nonetheless do not explicitly state who his mother was. )

Shein was part of his father's exceptionally large family. He had either 67 or 69 (half) siblings. When his father, who had been the de facto independent ruler of the Myaungmya province since 1364, raised a rebellion in 1385 against the new king Razadarit at Pegu, Shein was governor of Bassein (Pathein), the second most important district in the province.



Ava–Hanthawaddy War
Shein is remembered in Burmese history for the 1389 battle of Bassein, and his subsequent flight to Sandoway (Thandwe) during the Ava–Hanthawaddy War (1385–1391). In 1389, Shein led the defense of his port city with the help of his half-brother Bya Kun and his brother-in-law Bya Kyin. Their heavily fortified port city's defenses, which also included war boats manned by foreign mercenaries equipped with guns, withstood repeated frontal charges by Hanthawaddy forces, inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy, and eventually forced them to retreat.



The reprieve was short-lived however. When Razadarit's forces unexpectedly captured his father's capital Myaungmya in early 1390, Shein and his deputies quickly decided to evacuate Bassein for Prome (Pyay), Ava's southernmost garrison. In a fateful decision, Shein also decided to take "ten elephant loads of gold and silver" with him. This attracted Razadarit's attention. Upon hearing the news about the evacuation two days after Myaungmya's fall, Razadarit dispatched a battalion to catch Shein. While his deputies successfully made it to Prome, Shein's contingent was not as fast. They soon found their path to Prome blocked by the Hanthawaddy battalion, and had to make a detour to Sandoway (Thandwe), 300 km northwest of Bassein, in Arakan.

At Sandoway, Shein persuaded Sandoway's governor to take him in. But when the Hanthawaddy battalion led by Byat Za showed up soon after and laid siege to the town, the town's governor agreed to give up Lauk Shein and his elephant loads of treasures. Shein, his family and treasures were brought back to Bassein, where Razadarit was waiting. The king had Shein executed but sent Shein's family to Martaban (Mottama). He then appointed Thilawa, one of his ministers, as governor of Bassein.

Had he made it to Prome, Shein might have had a career similar to those of his deputies. Both his deputies were promptly appointed to high office by King Swa Saw Ke of Ava. Bya Kun became Gov. Nawrahta of Salin (r. 1390–1426), and Bya Kyin Gov. Letya Pyanchi of Prome (r. 1390–1413).