Journey through the people, cities and ideas that shaped Myanmar, from early communities to contemporary society.
Follow Pyu and Mon cities, Bagan, regional kingdoms, the Toungoo and Konbaung dynasties, British rule, independence and contemporary Myanmar.
Explore 13 historical periods, the rulers and heads of government, and 80 chapters of territorial change.
Kings and emperors, regional authorities, governors and viceroys, heads of state and prime ministers of the lands of Myanmar.
A Journey Through the Ages
Myanmar brings together histories of early communities, Pyu and Mon cities, Burmese kingdoms, colonial rule, independence and contemporary Myanmar. Explore 514 events across thirteen periods.
750,000 BCE – 201 BCE
The Anyathian culture is dated to roughly 750,000 to 275,000 years ago, although the earliest claim is disputed, and the Padah-Lin caves near Taunggyi are dated 11,000 to 6,000 BCE. Bronze axes at Nyaunggan suggest a Bronze Age beginning around 1500 BCE.
200 BCE – 848
Pyu walled cities such as Beikthano, Halin and Sri Ksetra flourished from about the second century BCE, with Tang records listing 18 states, while Mon polities developed around Thaton on the Gulf of Martaban. Nanzhao overran the Pyu country in 832, sacking Halin.
849 – 1297
Chronicles date Pagan's founding to 849, but the empire rose under Anawrahta from 1044 and, by Narapatisithu, reached the Salween, northern Arakan and the Chin Hills. Mongol invasions from 1277 and revolts such as Hanthawaddy's in 1287 ended it.
1298 – 1551
After Pagan's fall, Myinsaing, Pinya, Sagaing and Ava ruled the dry zone while Hanthawaddy held Lower Burma and Mrauk U rose in Arakan from 1430. A Shan Confederation sacked Ava in 1527, and Toungoo rose from 1510 to conquer Pegu and Prome by 1542.
1552 – 1751
Bayinnaung took Ava in 1555 and, by about 1580, claimed Lan Na, Ayutthaya, Lan Xang and Manipur, but the empire fell apart after 1581. The restored Toungoo dynasty reunited Burma in 1613 and counted about two million people in the Irrawaddy valley in 1635.
1752 – 1823
Founded on 29 February 1752, the Konbaung dynasty ended Ayutthaya in 1767, annexed Arakan in 1784 or 1785, and by 1824 ruled about 794,000 square kilometres and an estimated three million people. It was the second-largest empire in Burmese history.
1824 – 1885
The Treaty of Yandabo (24 February 1826) forced Burma to cede Arakan and Tenasserim and give up claims to Assam and Manipur, and Britain annexed Lower Burma after the 1852 war. Upper Burma, under Mandalay's last kings, was annexed in November 1885.
1886 – 1941
Burma was a province of British India from 1 January 1886 and a separate Crown Colony from 1 April 1937, with Ministerial Burma administered apart from the Frontier Areas. The 1901 census counted 10,490,624 people, and by 1931 over a million Indians lived in Burma.
1942 – 1961
Japan occupied Burma from 1942, sponsoring a nominal State of Burma on 1 August 1943; civilian deaths of 170,000 to 250,000 are reported. Independence came on 4 January 1948 after the Panglong Agreement of 12 February 1947, with Karen State and Kayah State following in the 1950s.
1962 – 1987
General Ne Win seized power on 2 March 1962 and the Burma Socialist Programme Party was founded on 4 July 1962, ruling a one-party state. Mon, Arakan and Chin States were created in 1974, and the 1983 census counted 35,442,972 people.
1988 – 2009
The armed forces formed SLORC on 18 September 1988, renamed it SPDC on 15 November 1997, and changed the English name to Myanmar on 18 June 1989. Naypyidaw replaced Yangon as administrative capital on 6 November 2005, and Cyclone Nargis in 2008 caused over 130,000 deaths or disappearances.
2010 – 2020
The 2014 census, the first in 31 years, counted 51,419,420 people including an estimated 1,206,353 uncounted, and Rohingya were not enumerated. More than 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017, according to the Rohingya people article, a figure and characterisation contested by the Myanmar authorities.
2021 – present
After the 1 February 2021 coup the country divided between the military, the National Unity Government, and ethnic armed organisations, with Wikipedia's infobox (1 December 2025) putting stable military control at 72 to 220 of 330 townships. The UN reported 3,484,300 displaced in December 2024; refresh these figures.
From the Pyu, Mon and Arakan to Pagan, Toungoo, Konbaung, British Burma and the Union, 750,000 years ago – 2026
From the Padah-Lin caves and the Pyu city-states to the kingdoms of Pagan, Ava, Pegu, Mrauk U, Toungoo and Konbaung, the three Anglo-Burmese wars, British Burma, the Japanese occupation, independence, the military era and the civil war that followed the 2021 coup. Watch the lands of Myanmar change year by year, with the empires around them; dashed shapes mark approximate zones where historical boundary data are missing, and 2021-26 control zones are schematic and attributed.
98th ruler · King of Toungoo and Hanthawaddy (Pegu)
Primary chain follows Toungoo from c. January 1539, the end of the Hanthawaddy king Taka Yut Pi; reign as king ended 30 April 1550.
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The history of Myanmar connects diverse communities through trade, migration and cultural exchange.
Regional polities and successive administrations shaped political institutions and cultural life.
Colonial rule, independence movements, conflict and social change shaped contemporary society.
Events and ruler profiles retain the references supplied with the dataset. Structural and display checks do not establish historical accuracy. The research report records unverified ruler links, single-source events, gaps and conflicting dates; recent events remain subject to revision.
The supplied map retains its credits, references and territorial caveats. Historical states, context layers and approximate zones distinguish regional authority from modern borders. Kashmir is shown through administered and proxy outlines, with disputes identified in the map; East Myanmar is included in its historical context.
Population estimates describe differing territories and periods. Ranges for an ancient city or a whole civilisation are not treated as counts for modern Myanmar. Images are pending; this microsite uses a gradient and a generic ruler placeholder.
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