King Thibaw

Thibaw Min was born on January 1, 1859, the son of King Mindon. Educated in Buddhist monastic schools, he was crowned in 1878 under the powerful influence of Queen Supayalat. When the British Empire sought to monopolize upper Burma's teak forests and blocked diplomatic overtures to France, the British launched the Third Anglo-Burmese War in November 1885.

British gunboats sailed up the Irrawaddy, capturing Mandalay Palace with little resistance. On November 29, 1885, King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat were escorted out of their palace in an ox-cart, exiled to Ratnagiri on the remote western coast of India. He lived in dignified exile for over three decades until his death in 1916. His tragic downfall is chronicled in Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace.