The Myin Knights: The Forgotten History of the Burmese Cavalry MYANMAR DOCUMENTARY

When we talk about pre-colonial Southeast Asian warfare, the two main images in our minds are the titanic war elephants and the clever ambushes of the light infantry. This is generally the case for pre-colonial armies in the Burmese imagination, and yet one of the most documented but the least well known are the horsemen of Burma. Under the name Mien, which means horse in Burmese, these men fight with a sword, lance and javelins, and later pistols and carbine, rapidly swooping past the battlefield, luring enemies into ambushes and flanking their formations. They are the Mienta, the Burmese cavalry. The history of the Burmese cavalry may actually precede the existence of the known historical kingdoms of Myanmar. According to Namal Poncho in his book on ancient Burmese armies, the origins of the Burmese cavalry and the Bagan dynasty itself may have came from the nomadic horsemen of northern Tibet. In his theory, the final waves of the Tibeto-Burmans, known as the Mien, were mercenary cavalrymen in the service of the Nanjiao kingdom in modern-day Yunnan. During the Nanjiao raids into the Pew city and earlier Tibeto-Burman people, these horsemen chose to stay behind, and after assimilating with the local Pew, would found the early Bagan kingdom. Although these people would give up their nomadic ways to become landed farmers, cavalry and horsemanship remain important, especially for the peoples of central Myanmar. Horse-riding cavalry exists in all the Burmese kingdom. As the 19th-century monk and historian, the Monier de Devonciado, states, horses and elephants are worthy of kings as they are excellent things of power. But compared to elephants, horses were a step below the social hierarchy. They rank just below the noble-born ministers, comparable to the gentry and knightly classes of Europe. As noted in the Burmese proverb, which means to be paraded on top of an elephant while escorted by horses, cavalry is commonly seen as the guardians, always accompanying a king. By the 18th century, the Mianzi had become a knightly class in the kingdom. There is no concrete information on the origins of the Mian as an elite social class, but it seems this was due mostly to circumstances. The Burmese word Mianzi literally means horse-rider, as it became a title. The cavalry was organized into groups called the Miansu, and were settled in Mianmi, or cavalry land. Compared to other people in the kingdom, the people of the Miansu were always liable to be called out for active service during wartime and peacetime. In fact, during peacetime, as many as 10% of the total number of households had to remain in the palace for service. However, in turn, these men received monthly wages and held the sole privilege of traveling to any part of the kingdom without molestation, and without being responsible to any other official other than a higher-ranking Mian officer. Furthermore, when they commit a crime, no matter how bad it was, they could only be punished by their own Mian officials. Communists could not even touch a member of the Mian, and even if a lower-ranking one misbehaves all they could do is to complain to a higher Mian officer and hope that he is punished. If you're seeing similarities to the Japanese samurai, well, it's not that much different. However, in return, Mian members were always expected to serve at a moment's notice, and any Miansu that was not battle-worthy were punished harshly by the palace. Their horses, in particular, come under regular inspections, and in some ways more so than the men. In many ways, the Burmese royal dynasties were heavily reliant on the Mian settlement for its own power projection and military role. For most of Burmese history, cavalry played a supporting role and were generally underappreciated. In pitched battles, elephants filled in the role of heavy shock cavalry, and in skirmishes the dense jungles and hills and the abundance of rivers meant that smaller canoes and lightly equipped infantry were more suitable. As a result, horses were instead equipped for medium and light role. They would screen, skirmish, raid, and charge the enemy flanks, but more importantly, they were often used as messengers between commanders. While this suited most of the Burmese kingdoms fine, those that could field much larger horse cavalry often used them more aggressively. The Avar kingdom of the 13th and 14th century was famous for its cavalry forces. Cavalry played an increasingly important role in the Tangu era, it is known that the unification of most of modern Myanmar gave the Tangu a large pool of fighting men, but it also gave the kings a greater number of horses and men skilled enough to ride and fight on them. According to Portuguese and Siamese sources, kings, Da Vinciuti and Vianao extensively used mass cavalry with deadly effect. Their larger cavalry numbers allowed the Tangu to pull off military maneuvers that most Southeast Asian kings were not used to, and until they managed to adopt to new anti-cavalry measures such as guerrilla tactics in Laos or improve their own cavalry like in Ayutthaya, the Tangu were used to dominating many of these battlefields. By the 18th century, especially in the Khomein period after 1780s, there seemed to have been an increase in musketeers, although we do not have any clear indication on how and when this actually happened. But by 1824, Burmese armies were increasingly dominated by lightly equipped musketeers among both palace and non-palace troops. Cavalry was still retained, although the ratio of its numbers decreased significantly. It is suggested that the increase in the amount of military horsemen in the Khomein cavalry was a reflection of Burma and Shan cavalry districts converted to being musketeers. Following the Second Anglo-Burmese War, where Khomein armies reorganized, equipped and trained to be European-style forces, while the infantry predominantly took British and Italian influence, the cavalry looked after the French armed and equipped like 19th century dragoons and lancers. After the fall of Mandalay, the former Khomein cavalrymen took part against the British during the 10-year resistance. The word Min literally means horse and Minci means horse rider. As a title, it actually refers to senior cavalry leaders. It also became part of several royal titles, including some of the highest ranking non-royal literally means cavalry prince, but it actually translates to more of grand prince or prince of knights in English. Considering that the knight is translated in many languages as a form of horse rider, such as the French Chevalier or the German Ritter, this actually makes more sense in Burmese. Even if the Burmese dictionary defined knight being the mounted elite warrior as Minci Tuyegang, which also literally just means mounted skilled warrior. I'm not entirely sure when this system began or when and how it evolved places like Shuibo, Nianyang, Sakai were known cavalrymen. They were part of a Burmese social group called Asuk, which makes up the bulk of the Akhmutan or crown service people. A Burmese cavalry formation consists of Mien Da, which literally means basic cavalry trooper, the Mien Gao, or head of horse, who commands around 10 Mien troopers, and the Mien Si, generally is a squadron leader commanding around 5 Mien Gaos and a total of 50 men. They are also often the head or the deputy head of the cavalry group. The Mien Siye is the cavalry clerk in charge of logistics feeding the men and horses, and the type of horse is produced. The Mien Ta Po is translated as a regimental commander. This rank is equivalent to a modern major. The Mien Mu, sometimes called the brigade commander, also another palace appointee, usually translates to a modern colonel, usually heads the entire cavalry regiment in that particular army. In charge of it all is the Mien Wong, usually sometimes translated as the master of horse, who is in charge of all cavalry forces in the kingdom. The requirement for being any senior cavalry officer was particularly high as they were expected to understand both mounted and dismounted warfare, and the difficult logistics of leading cavalry. The Mien Wong was expected to quote, understand and look after the horses as if they were his own children. This is actually commented by British officers during the Anglo-Burmese Wars, where Burmese horses, although small, often looked healthy and were well fed. It seems that the Burmese cavalry generally deployed in the hundreds, similar to the British tradition, but during eras of larger kingdoms they could be deployed in the thousands. Vietnam's armies usually held a great number of cavalrymen due to being able to recruit among the Burmese one, Burmese, Shan, as well as Miniport, Thai and Lao people, with each army sometimes containing as high as 2,000 to 3,000 cavalrymen. By the Kungbom period, the cavalry were predominantly Burmese, Shan and Mithai speakers. Known as Burmese Eskete, the Mithai horsemen were particularly prominent in the Burmese cavalry after Alumpia's revenge campaign for the 1730 raids into Northern Burma, where he brought back thousands of Mithai who were settled around Central Myanmar. Although Mithai horsemen have always been present in the Burmese armies since the Tangu era, these had been primarily political exiles, mercenaries, and it was only during the Kungbom period larger number of Mithais were present in Burma. The actual relationship with the Kingdom of Burma is unknown, because Miniport sources heavily emphasize the negative aspect of their relationship due to the brutal Kungbom raids. Burmese sources of course often downplay the brutality of it, but at the same time, a large number of Mithai names can be seen as senior Kungbom officers, and many ethnic Mithai served loyally to the Burmese throne in the Anglo-Burmese War and even against the rulers of Mipha. Furthermore, the palace politics of the Mithai Kingdom was quite complicated, and brutal rivalry between factions often had them allying or attempting to gain support of their neighbours, including the Kingdom of Burma. Further study is needed on this topic, and one needs to really analyse Mithai and Burmese language sources, as well as looking at Chin and Kachin oral histories. In war, because elephants already fill in the role of heavy shock troops, horsemen became the European equivalent of light and medium cavalry. They served as scouts, screens, skirmishing, and transport for mounted infantry actions. Burmese Shans, in particular, were noted for their stocky Shan Mien, or the Shan Horse, to travel through mountains and hills, and then often dismount to fight on foot. In peacetime, the Mien cavalry were also responsible for policing, fighting criminal activities such as bandits, as well as the first to be in action against uprisings and rebellions. In pitch battles, the Burmese cavalry traditionally placed itself on the wings, where they would either flank or harass the enemy, or act as escorts for cavalry and infantry units. In combat, they were generally armed with the Mien Si Da, a longer cavalry variant of the Burmese Da, a short stabbing spear, a longer charging lance, and traditionally, javelins. Each year in the month of Nadaw, or December, there is the Mien Khentabin, a jousting competition of sorts, where the elite of the kingdom would show off their skills in horsemanship, mounted combat such as tent-pegging, javelin throws. Mietai cavalry became quite popular in this competition. By the late 18th and 19th century, however, most of the cavalry had replaced their javelins with muskets and carbines. As for horses, the Burmese cavalry were generally mounted on the local ponies, with the Mietai riding their Minipuri ponies. Palace cavalry and those of the nobility often rode larger imported mounts, usually of Arab stock. Michael Kearney suggests that cavalry mounted on smaller ponies were either mounted infantry or skirmishers, while the ones on larger Arabic chargers would often serve in shock action. Although Ava and other central Burmese kingdoms were mostly known for their cavalry, the most famous cavalryman in Burmese history is the Mon Taming Bayan of the Ghamani duel fame. Even before his duel, Taming Bayan was a notable cavalry officer in the war between the kingdom of Ava and Hantawari. According to the chronicles, Taming Bayan saved several battles through rearguard action and outfighting the more numerous Ava cavalry. Actually, if its exploits are accurate, it could be read that due to the superiority of Ava's cavalry numbers, the other Burmese kingdoms were forced to develop anti-cavalry tactics or improve the quality of their own smaller cavalry force. Hantawari's Mun cavalry, despite their smaller numbers, were generally able to nullify or outfight Ava's Bamar cavalry forces, while the Rakhines of Marau often used hills and jungle terrain against them. It is generally thought that the Burmese cavalry was largely unarmoured, based on Kelbang records and British eyewitnesses, and it is especially so since elephants already fill in the role of heavy shock troops. However, Portuguese sources of the 16th century often mention that the Taungu cavalry were heavy in nature, with both rider and horses being heavily armoured and armed with lance, shield and sword, with no mention of the javelin. Unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence of Burmese armour of this era, so we have no way of verifying this. But the Burmese cavalry would see its greatest glory in the hands of Bien Nang. Although known for being an elephant rider, as immortalised in the Battle of Nang Yau for the Burmese, and Age of Empires II for everyone else, Bien Nang was actually an extremely skilled horseman. In fact, he decreed that every nobleman in the Taungu empire was required to learn and fight on horseback. It is drawing from his nobles and the Mien forces of his vassal kings, Bien Nang was able to produce possibly the largest cavalry forces in Southeast Asia, which also include elite horsemen from Ava and Lana. It is during this time the Burmese possibly changed the way they fought battles. In his Ayutthaya campaign, Bien Nang made full use of his riders, who were able to get better intelligence, conduct deadly raids, and ambushes against his opponents. Furthermore, in pitched battles, the Taungu cavalry, with their greater numbers, could be massed together into a more effective charge. It is the deadliness of the Burmese cavalry that encouraged the Ayutthaya and Taungu Kingdom to improve the quality of the Thai's own cavalry arm. Like with most cavalry forces in the world, the rise of firearms brought a great decline to the Burmese cavalry, who were increasingly ineffective in direct combat. In the First Anglo-Burmese War, the Ma, Mi Tai, and Shan cavalry proved itself useful against the British in skirmishes due to their familiarity with their lands, but were no match for the heavier British and Indian horses in open field. The British commented that the Mi Tai in particular were too reliant on their javelins and manoeuvrabilities, and were often just smashed by the heavier British cavalry with brute force. Oddly enough, the few notable Burmese victories of the war were actually contributed by the Burmese cavalry, such as in the Battle of Ramuh, which they charged a British unit in retreating into a complete rout. Most of the other times, however, they were almost always nearly defeated. During the westernization program, the cavalry was reorganized into a European-style one, based on the French. They were dressed in European-style tunics, a vest, and striped cavalry trousers, with the metal Napoleonic Greco-Roman helmets. They were armed with lances, carbines, and although European-style sabres became more prominent, many still carried the traditional Burmese da. Out of formal occasions, however, they often worn simple red or white tunics, and the cavalry trousers were worn with a Burmese basso and a leather pit helmet in the style of the British home service helmet. In modern Myanmar, the role of horses in cavalry is largely forgotten among the Myanmar masses, who mostly remember it through the mink in the bin. Like with many Southeast Asian states, culturally elephants were the prestigious animals often cited in poems, novels, movies, and modern warfare had brought up a bigger focus on light infantry due to jungle warfare. But many years ago, like their cousins in Europe and Northern Asia, cavalry once dominated the battlefields of Myanmar.