Tabinshwehti succeeded his father Minkyinyo as ruler of the Toungoo dynasty in 1531. At the time Myanmar was divided, and in a campaign begun in 1535 he re-unified most of the country. He moved the capital to the important trading center of Pegu.
He failed in his attempts to expand the kingdom further, and was assassinated during a revolt. His brother-in-law Bayinnaung defeated the insurrection and succeeded him as king.