Early History of Yangon In the early 11th century ( c. 1028–1043), Yangon was called as Dagon by the Mon people, who inhabited Lower Burma at that time. During the Hanthawaddy Kingdom (in the 14th century) , Dagon became a famous pilgrimage pagoda town. Princess Maha Dewi is one of the notable governors of Dagon, who ruled the town from 1364 to 1392. Her grandniece, Shin Saw Pu later became the only female queen in Burmese history. In 1755, King Alaungpaya captured Dagon and renamed the town "Yangon". In 1823, the estimated population of Yangon was about 30,000. Yangon was captured by the British during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26), then returned back the city to Burmese after the war.