until 1555. In the south, the Toungoo dynasty captured all those Shan States that would become known as the Burmese Shan States in 1557. Though the Shan States came under the suzerainty of Burmese kingdoms based in the valley of the Irrawaddy River, the Shan saophas (chiefs) retained a large degree of autonomy.

When Burma gained independence in 1948, the Federated Shan States