The last Burmese king (1878-1886) from perspectives of the British : annexation and disposal

Abstract

By exploring the perspectives of the British toward the last Burmese king, Thibaw Min, who reigned from 1878 to 1885, this essay aims to discuss portrayals of the king, more specifically the representation of his agency and interests, in the context of the British annexation of Burma in 1886. This essay also aims to discuss why the king was portrayed as such by examining the reasons behind the British act of disposing the king to India after the annexation. Through an analysis of primary sources comprising of written documents and records by British military and civil officers; cultural-religious books and texts by British authors; British newspaper articles from The Morning Post; Indian newspaper articles from British India; as well as secondary literature, this essay argues that portrayals of the Burmese king in the annexation and his disposal reflected an awareness of the monarchy’s reach and influence among the Burmese, and also the threat it could potentially pose to the British. Hence, by utilizing these sources, this essay will show that the portrayals of the Burmese king and his subsequent disposal were as such to subvert the legacy of the king and to abolish the potential threat it posed to British rule.