Significant1824 – 1885 · 61 years
Burmese Wars
Burma · Myanmar
Ayutthaya Kingdom and Konbaung Burma fought for mainland Southeast Asian hegemony (16th-18th centuries).
Estimated casualties
50Ksingle estimate · no range published
What happened
Ayutthaya, Thailand's major power from the 14th century, expanded through the 17th century, defeating Khmer, Lao, and other regional rivals. The Konbaung Dynasty of Burma, consolidated under Alaunghpaya (1752-1760), challenged Ayutthaya's dominance. Multiple Burmese invasions of Thailand ensued, culminating in the Burmese conquest and burning of Ayutthaya (1767). Though the Thais recovered Ayutthaya briefly, Burmese pressure remained intense. The wars thoroughly devastated both kingdoms.
Why it mattered
Ayutthaya's destruction marked the end of classical Thai political dominance. Burmese triumph was temporary; renewed Thai power under the Chakri Dynasty (Rattanakosin period) reasserted Thai independence. The wars redefined Thai-Burmese borders for the modern era.
Belligerents2
- British India
- Burma
ON THE MAPBritish India (1805)Konbaung Burma
Conflict graph
SUB-CONFLICTS · 1
- Battle of Bhamo1885
Sources
- Wikipedia — text reused under CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in the atlas →Seeks the timeline to 1824 and opens this record.
Cite as: Burmese Wars (1824 – 1885). War Atlas. https://waratlas.org/c/burmese-wars · Sources & methodology