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1. This History Thread is a brief sketch of the military history 1400-1945 of Arakan, now Rakhine St. of Myanmar (Burma.) It was once an illustrious maritime empire, where historically Muslims and Buddhists were often in the same boat fending off invasions by Burma’s kingdoms. 
2. A diverse cosmopolitan trading entity, Arakan had attracted Shan and Burmese (Pyu, Pagan) invaders. In 1406 Burmese (Ava) invaded Arakan’s Lemro cities, whose ruler Min Saw Mon fled to Bengal Sultanate. 1430 Bengal’s Sultan Nasir-ud-din Shah helped Min Saw Mon retake Arakan.
3. 16th C. Arakan was ruled from the city of Mrauk-U. Under King Min Bin Portuguese seafarers aided Arakan’s rise to military power, advising on fortifications, weaponry. Arakan built a formidable navy, challenging the Mughal Bengal Sultanate to control Chittagong port city.
4. 1545-7 Toungoo (central Burma) retaliating for Arakan support of Ava in Ava-Toungoo War invaded Arakan. The attack was repelled at Mrauk-U with defensive flooding. Toungoo invaded again 1580 with even larger infantry and fleet (and 120 elephants) but didn’t get past Sandoway.
5. Naval power Arakan expanded, ruling coast as far east as Moulmein. A Portuguese fleet from Goa was repelled in 1615. Conflict with Bengal arose in 1620s and Arakan burned Dhaka city. Arakan with Portuguese freebooters raided Bengal for slaves, sold many to Dutch East India Co.
6. Arakan attacked Bengal again in 1664 but by 1666 Moghul rulers of Bengal lured Portuguese raiders to their side and got Dutch help improving their navy, enabling them to retake Chittagong from Arakan by naval siege. Arakan rule shrunk as control of lower Burma was also lost.
7. Arakan endured #GoT level succession conflicts in 18th C culminating when Burmese King Bodawpaya was asked to invade. Burmese conquered Arakan 1784-5, massacred many inhabitants, deported 20,000+ to central Burma. Hundreds of thousands fled Arakan to British-colonized Bengal.
8. Under 18th-19th C. Burmese rule people of Arakan became “rebels and refugees.” 1824 Arakan/Bengal border clashes sparked 1st Anglo-Burmese War, 1825 British East India Company defeated Burmese in Arakan. 1826 treaty ceded Arakan to British (who would prioritize rice exports.)
9. WW2 Arakan: 1942 massive inter-ethnic violence, thousands were killed. Rohingya/Muslim for British, Rakhine/Buddhist for Japanese & Burma Independence Army. 1st Arakan Campaign 1942-43 British (w. Indian, local troops) attacked, Japanese reinforced, British retreated to India.
10. 2nd Arakan Campaign 1943-44: British XV Indian Corps aimed for Akyab (Sittwe) which had become a major port (& airfield.) Japanese blocked advance, surrounded XV troops which when air-supplied and reinforced broke through in Battle of Admin Box but did not continue to Akyab.
11. 3rd Arakan Campaign 1944-45: XV Corps took Akyab, Ramree Island, brought amphibious landing craft for final push to Rangoon as Japanese retreated. WW2 severely disrupted Arakan economy and created bitter, violent ethnic division, lasting rifts between north and south Arakan.
12. Links to my previous History Threads about Rakhine State (Arakan) issues and reports can be found at projectmaje.org
