born 1740/41
died 1819, Amarapura, Myanmar
King of Myanmar (Burma) (r. 17821819).
He was a son of Alaungpaya and the sixth monarch of the Alaungpaya dynasty . Bodawpaya deposed his grandnephew to become king. In 1784 he invaded the kingdom of Arakan and deported more than 20,000 of its people as slaves; in 1785 he attempted to conquer Siam. His oppressive rule in Arakan led to rebellion; his pursuit of rebel leaders across the border into British-controlled Bengal nearly brought him into open conflict with the British. His campaigns in Assam heightened tensions. A fervent Buddhist, he proclaimed himself Arimittya, the messianic Buddha destined to conquer the world.