Maha Thiha Thura

Maha Thiha Thura was commanderinchief of the Burmese military from 1768 to 1776. Regarded as a brilliant military strategist, the general is best known in Burmese history for defeating the Chinese invasions of Burma . He rose to be a top commander in the service of King Alaungpaya during the latters reunification campaigns of Burma , and later commanded Burmese armies in Siam, Lan Na, Luang Prabang , and Manipur.

The future general was born Maung Tha in the presentday Shwebo District in the Mu valley during the waning years of the Toungoo Dynasty. Tha grew up during the period in which the authority of King Mahadhammaraza Dipadi had largely dissipated across the kingdom. The Manipuris had regularly raided increasingly deeper parts of Upper Burma between the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers since the mid1720s. Thas home region was directly on the path of the raids, and took the brunt of the raids. With the Burmese court unable to deal with the small kingdom of Manipur, the Burmese watched helplessly as the raiders torched villages, ransacked pagodas, and taking away captives. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Burma broke away, and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. The central authority of the king had effectively disappeared, and a profound sense of helplessness pervaded and deepened. The Hanthawaddy armies finally toppled the Toungoo Dynasty in April 1752 when they captured Ava.

Source: Wikipedia