Maha Chakkrapat
Encyclopedia
Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat (1509–1568) was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom
from 1548 to 1568. Originally called Prince Thianracha, he was put on the throne by Phiren Thorathep and his supporters, who had staged a coup
by killing
King Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan.
. His half-brother, Prince Chairachathirat, was crowned as the king of Ayutthaya in 1534. King Chairacha elevated Tianracha to Uparaja, but did not confer on him the title of King of Sukhothai
. Thianracha joined his brother in the campaigns against Lanna
, and,in 1546, led the siege of Chiang Mai
.
Chairacha died in 1546. Chairacha's son (and Tianracha's nephew) Phra Kaewfa succeeded to the throne as King Yodfa
, with his mother Sri Sudachan as regent
. She had Yodfa killed in 1548 and put her paramour
on the throne as Khun Worawongsathirat
. She made Tianracha her co-regent, but his wife, Sri Suriyothai, advised her husband to become a monk to avoid assassination in turn.
Later that year, nobles
led by KhunPirenthorathep and Khun Inthrathep staged a counter-coup, killing Worawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan. Pirenthorathep elevated Prince Tianracha to the throne as Phra Maha Chakkraphat.
as Maha Thammarachathirat, and gave him the hand his daughter, Sawatdirat, in marriage. (Maha Chakkrapat passed over tradition by elevating Pirenthorathep instead of one of his sons; but he, when still Prince Tianracha, had himself never been titular ruler of Phitsanulok.) Khun Inthrathep was rewarded with the regency
of Nakhon Si Thammarat
.
The Burmese armies stopped near Ayutthaya. Tabinshweti came with the Uparaja (future Bayinnaung
), Viceroy of Prome, Governor of Bassein
. Maha Chakkrapat also took his whole family (including Sri Suriyothai, Prince Ramesuan
the Uparaja, and Prince Mahinthrathirat
) to fought the Burmese. At Pukaothong field, Maha Chakkrapat fought the elephant battle (Yuttahadhi) against the Lord of Pyay but was overcame. Sri Suriyothai then rushed to rescue her husband but was slashed to death.
The Siamese then put Narai Sangharn - a culverin on a barge and sailed along the Chao Phraya to fire the Burmese armies. The mission worked. The Burmese armies went on the retreat. However, they ambushed Siamese troops (led by Prince Ramesuan and Maha Thammarachathirat) at Kampaengpetch. The Burmese held the two in captivity and requested for the white elephant as an ransom. Maha Chakkrapat then gave off the elephants in exchange for his son and Maha Thammarachathirat.
Bayinnaug (now king), upon hearing about the white elephants, requested for some. As Maha Chakkrapat refused to gave off his elephant this time, Bayinnaung marched to Ayutthaya. Bayinnaung had captured the whole kingdom of Lanna
in 1558. With auxiliary troops from Lanna, Bayinnaung marched a mass army into Sukhothai kingdom. Maha Thammarachathirat then realised the greatness of Bayinnuang army and readily surrendered, giving up Phitsanulok to Bayinnuang and became Burmese tributary. At Chainat, Bayinnaung clashed with Prince Ramesuan's army but was able to break through.
Bayinnaung reached Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city - bombarding the city so immensely that Maha Chakkrapat sued for peace in 1564. Maha Chakkrapat gave white elephants and his son Prince Ramesuan as a captive to Bayinnaung.
The Burmese War of 1563 was also called the War of White Elephant. In 1568, Maha Chakkrapat went into monkhood again and abdicated for his son, Prince Mahinthrathirat.
Ayutthaya kingdom
Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...
from 1548 to 1568. Originally called Prince Thianracha, he was put on the throne by Phiren Thorathep and his supporters, who had staged a coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by killing
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
King Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan.
An Ayutthayan Prince
Prince Thianracha was a son of Ramathibodi IIRamathibodi II
Somdet Phra Chettathiraj or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi II was the King of Sukhothai from 1485 and King of Ayutthaya from 1491 to 1529. His reign was marked by the first Western Contact with the Portuguese.-King of Sukhothai:Prince Chettathiraj was the youngest of Trailokanat's three sons...
. His half-brother, Prince Chairachathirat, was crowned as the king of Ayutthaya in 1534. King Chairacha elevated Tianracha to Uparaja, but did not confer on him the title of King of Sukhothai
Sukhothai kingdom
The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...
. Thianracha joined his brother in the campaigns against Lanna
Lanna
The Kingdom of Lanna was a kingdom centered in present-day northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. The cultural development of the people of Lanna, the Tai Yuan people, had begun long before as successive Tai Yuan kingdoms preceded Lanna...
, and,in 1546, led the siege of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
.
Chairacha died in 1546. Chairacha's son (and Tianracha's nephew) Phra Kaewfa succeeded to the throne as King Yodfa
Yodfa
Phrabat Somdet Phra Yodfa or Phra Kaewfa was the short-reigning king of Ayutthaya from 1546 to his execution in 1548. Yodfa was the son of Chairacha and his concubine Sri Sudachan from the Uthong clan. In 1546, Chairacha aprubtly died maybe due to the poison by his concubine Sri Sudachan...
, with his mother Sri Sudachan as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. She had Yodfa killed in 1548 and put her paramour
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
on the throne as Khun Worawongsathirat
Worawongsathirat
Khun Worawongsathirat was a usurper in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, ruling for only 42 days in 1548 before being assassinated. Siamese chronicles relate that Worawongsathirat attainted the crown — his kingship is not accepted by most traditional historians....
. She made Tianracha her co-regent, but his wife, Sri Suriyothai, advised her husband to become a monk to avoid assassination in turn.
Later that year, nobles
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
led by KhunPirenthorathep and Khun Inthrathep staged a counter-coup, killing Worawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan. Pirenthorathep elevated Prince Tianracha to the throne as Phra Maha Chakkraphat.
King of Ayutthaya
Maha Chakkrapat, having been put on the throne by Pirenthorathep, elevated him to the position of king of PhitsanulokPhitsanulok
Phitsanulok is an important and historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province, which stretches all the way to the Laotian border. Phitsanulok is one of the oldest cities in Thailand, founded over 600 years ago...
as Maha Thammarachathirat, and gave him the hand his daughter, Sawatdirat, in marriage. (Maha Chakkrapat passed over tradition by elevating Pirenthorathep instead of one of his sons; but he, when still Prince Tianracha, had himself never been titular ruler of Phitsanulok.) Khun Inthrathep was rewarded with the regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and the Nakhon Si Thammarat district. It is about south of Bangkok, on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The city was the administrative center of southern Thailand during most of its history. ...
.
Wars with Burma (1548)
Upon Maha Chakkrapat's ascension, Tabinshweti marched to Ayutthaya taking the opportunity of the upheavals in Ayutthayan politics to capture the Siamese kingdom.The Burmese armies stopped near Ayutthaya. Tabinshweti came with the Uparaja (future Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
), Viceroy of Prome, Governor of Bassein
Pathein
Pathein , also called Bassein, is a port city with a 2004 population estimated at 215,600, and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Burma. It lies on the Pathein River , which is a western branch of the Irrawaddy River....
. Maha Chakkrapat also took his whole family (including Sri Suriyothai, Prince Ramesuan
Prince Ramesuan
Phra Ramesuan was a Siamese prince and military commander during the Ayutthaya period in the 16th century. He was a son of Prince Thianracha and Suriyothai, thus he was a member of the Suphannaphum Dynasty...
the Uparaja, and Prince Mahinthrathirat
Mahinthrathirat
Somdet Phra Mahinthrathirat was the King of Ayutthaya kingdom in 1568 and again from 1568 to 1569. Mahinthrathirat was the last monarch of the Suphannabhum dynasty as the kingdom fell to the Burmese in 1569...
) to fought the Burmese. At Pukaothong field, Maha Chakkrapat fought the elephant battle (Yuttahadhi) against the Lord of Pyay but was overcame. Sri Suriyothai then rushed to rescue her husband but was slashed to death.
The Siamese then put Narai Sangharn - a culverin on a barge and sailed along the Chao Phraya to fire the Burmese armies. The mission worked. The Burmese armies went on the retreat. However, they ambushed Siamese troops (led by Prince Ramesuan and Maha Thammarachathirat) at Kampaengpetch. The Burmese held the two in captivity and requested for the white elephant as an ransom. Maha Chakkrapat then gave off the elephants in exchange for his son and Maha Thammarachathirat.
War with Burma (1563)
After the war of 1548, Maha Chakkrapat insisted on battling Burmese armies near Ayutthaya, so he heavily fortified the city. He, however, de-fortified other cities in order to prevent the Burmese from taking them as bases. The census was taken to derive all available manpower to war. The arms and horses and elephants (white elephants) was caught and accumulated in the full-scale preparation for war.Bayinnaug (now king), upon hearing about the white elephants, requested for some. As Maha Chakkrapat refused to gave off his elephant this time, Bayinnaung marched to Ayutthaya. Bayinnaung had captured the whole kingdom of Lanna
Lanna
The Kingdom of Lanna was a kingdom centered in present-day northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. The cultural development of the people of Lanna, the Tai Yuan people, had begun long before as successive Tai Yuan kingdoms preceded Lanna...
in 1558. With auxiliary troops from Lanna, Bayinnaung marched a mass army into Sukhothai kingdom. Maha Thammarachathirat then realised the greatness of Bayinnuang army and readily surrendered, giving up Phitsanulok to Bayinnuang and became Burmese tributary. At Chainat, Bayinnaung clashed with Prince Ramesuan's army but was able to break through.
Bayinnaung reached Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city - bombarding the city so immensely that Maha Chakkrapat sued for peace in 1564. Maha Chakkrapat gave white elephants and his son Prince Ramesuan as a captive to Bayinnaung.
The Burmese War of 1563 was also called the War of White Elephant. In 1568, Maha Chakkrapat went into monkhood again and abdicated for his son, Prince Mahinthrathirat.
Second Reign
Maha Chakkrapat was then asked to leave monkhood by his son Mahinthrathirat to fight Bayinnaung and Maha Thammarachathirat. In 1568, Maha Chakkrapat was crowned again. He led the Siamese against the invading Burmese but he fell ill and suddenly died the same year.Further reading
- Richard D. Cushman (David K. Wyatt Ed.): The Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya. The Siam Society, Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-8298-48-5