Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Curious Deaths of some Burmese Kings

Theinhko: killed by a farmer whose cucumbers he ate without permission. Theinkho’s Queen, fearing civil disorder, smuggled the farmer into the royal palace and dressed him in royal robes. He was proclaimed King Nyaung-U Sawrhan, and was known as the ‘Cucumber King’. He later transformed his cucumber plantation into a spacious and pleasant royal garden. (931 AD)

Anawrahta: gored by a buffalo during a military campaign. (1077 AD)

Uzana: trampled to death by an elephant. (1254 AD)

Narathihapate: forced at knife-point to take poison. (1287 AD)

Minrekyawsa: crushed to death by his own elephant. (1417 AD)

Razadarit: died after becoming entangled in the rope with which he was lassoing elephants. (1423 AD)

Tabinshweti: beheaded by his chamberlains while searching for a fictitious white elephant. (1551 AD)

Nandabayin: laughed to death when informed, by a visiting Italian merchant, that Venice was a free state without a king. (1599 AD)

10 comments:

Erika said...

all those crazy elephants!!

steveandjanna said...

Are you suggesting names for the Pickering boy?

Mark said...

Y'know, part of me says these are too wacky to be made up, another says they're made up. Amusing nonetheless.

Penumbra said...

I'm thinking the ephereal pink elephants had a hand in these deaths as well.

Penumbra said...

Man, "ephereal". That's way too big a word for me. The ethereal ephereal word.

Anonymous said...

Nothing like lassoing elephants to get the blood running.....

Mrs. P said...

Fascinating!

From this we learn never to use buffalo and elephants as transportation. Switch to harmless monsters like rhinos or hippos.

Mark said...

Comment #8. Just for kicks.

John Jurries said...

Comment #9, just to one-up you.

Charles Jurries said...

Bwahaha!!! A big old comment 10 of congratulations on enevitable matrimony to 'ya!