Maha Thammaracha
Encyclopedia
Phra Maha Thammarachathirat ( 1516 - 1590) or Somdet Phra Sanphet I or formerly known as Khun Phiren Thorathep was the first King of Ayutthaya kingdom (1569 to 1590) of the Sukhothai dynasty. As a powerful Sukhothai noble, Pirenthorathep gradually rose to power. After playing many political turns, he was eventually crowned as the King of Siam.
with Ayutthaya since 1448, the royal clan of Sukhothai still held power in their base Phitsanulok
and constitutes as one of four political clans of 16th century Ayutthaya (Supannabhum, Uthong, Sukhothai, and Sri Thamnakorn). Chairacha
, however, tried to reduce the power of Sukhothai nobles. He ceased to appoint the Upparacha the King of Sukhothai and called the Sukhothai nobles to Ayutthaya to dissolve their base of power at Phitsanulok.
Khun Pirenthorathep was one of the Sukhothai nobles at the court of Ayutthaya. In 1548, the kingdom fell under the governance of Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan of the Uthong clan. The Uthong clan rose to power at the expense of other clans. Khun Pirenthorathep then sought alliance with Sri Thamnakorn clan led by Khun Inthrawongse and staged a coup against Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan in 1548, restoring the throne to Supannabhum dynasty.
Maha Chakkrapat
made Pirenthorathep (who had staged a coup and put him on the throne) the King of Phitsanulok as Maha Thammaracha. The name Maha Thammaracha was the reigning name of Sukhothai kings in the 14th century. Maha Thammaracha enjoyed a great power. He married Maha Chakkrapat's daughter, Sawatdirat, as his queen with the name Queen Wisutkasat
.
led Burmese forces and invaded Ayutthaya in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548. The Siamese managed to force the retreat upon the Burmese. However, the Siamese armies under Prince Ramesuan the Uparaja and Maha Thammaracha was ambushed and the two was captured. Maha Thammaracha was held until Maha Chakkrapat paid the ransom.
In 1563, Tabinshweti's successor, Bayinnaung
, led the massive Burmese armies to invade Siam. He laid siege on Phitsanulok. Maha Thammaracha, upon seeing the massive Burmese armies, concluded that he should gave up. Maha Thammarachathirat then sued for peace and made Phitsanulok the Burmese tributary. Maha Thammaracha had to sent his sons - Naresuan
and Ekathotsarot
- to Pegu as captives.
With his sons in Burmese captivity, Maha Thammaracha was forced to allied himself with Bayinnaung. Mahinthrathirat
- son of Maha Chakkrapat - then sought alliance with Setthathirat of Lan Xang
to fight Bayinnuang and Maha Thammaracha. In 1568, during Maha Thammaracha's absence from Phitsanulok to Pegu, Mahinthrathirat made himself King of Phitsanulok and brought Queen Wisutkasat and her daughter Supankanlaya to Ayutthaya. Maha Thammaracha urged Bayinnuang to take actions.
In 1568, Bayinnuang marched large Burmese armies to Ayutthaya with supports from Maha Thammaracha. Ayutthaya finally fell in 1569 and Maha Thammaracha was installed as King of Ayutthaya. Bayinnuang bestowed him the reigning name Sanpet I.
marched Cambodian armies to Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city but failed. In 1574, under the request from Pegu, Maha Thammaracha led the Siamese armies to subjugate Vientiane. The Cambodians took this opportunity to invade Siam but was also repelled.
In 1578, the Cambodians invaded Korat
and proceeded further to Saraburi
. Naresuan sent Siamese armies to ambush the Cambodians at Chaibadan, halting the invaders from reaching Ayutthaya.
. In 1583, the Lord of Ava
and the Shans staged a rebellion against Pegu. Nanda Bayin then requested for troops from Ayutthaya. The Siamese armies went slowly to Ava under leadership of Naresuan. Nanda Bayin then suspected of Siamese royalty and secretly ordered his son Minchit Sra the Uparaja to defeat Naresuan's army and kill him upon reaching Pegu. However, Naresuan was forewarned and denounced Burmese tributary in 1583.
In 1584, Nanda Bayin himself led the Peguan armies into Siam but was defeated by Naresuan. For many years the Burmese armies surged into Ayutthaya but was repelled. Maha Thammaracha died 1590. He was succeeded by Naresuan.
A Sukhothai noble
Though the Kingdom of Sukhothai came under personal unionPersonal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
with Ayutthaya since 1448, the royal clan of Sukhothai still held power in their base Phitsanulok
Phitsanulok
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...
and constitutes as one of four political clans of 16th century Ayutthaya (Supannabhum, Uthong, Sukhothai, and Sri Thamnakorn). Chairacha
Chairacha
Phrabat Somdet Phra Chairachathirat reigned 1534–1546 as King of the Ayutthaya kingdom of Siam. His reign was remarkable for the influx of Portuguese traders, mercenaries, and early Modern warfare technology.-Uparaja:...
, however, tried to reduce the power of Sukhothai nobles. He ceased to appoint the Upparacha the King of Sukhothai and called the Sukhothai nobles to Ayutthaya to dissolve their base of power at Phitsanulok.
Khun Pirenthorathep was one of the Sukhothai nobles at the court of Ayutthaya. In 1548, the kingdom fell under the governance of Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan of the Uthong clan. The Uthong clan rose to power at the expense of other clans. Khun Pirenthorathep then sought alliance with Sri Thamnakorn clan led by Khun Inthrawongse and staged a coup against Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan in 1548, restoring the throne to Supannabhum dynasty.
Maha Chakkrapat
Maha Chakkrapat
Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat 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.-An Ayutthayan Prince:Prince Thianracha ...
made Pirenthorathep (who had staged a coup and put him on the throne) the King of Phitsanulok as Maha Thammaracha. The name Maha Thammaracha was the reigning name of Sukhothai kings in the 14th century. Maha Thammaracha enjoyed a great power. He married Maha Chakkrapat's daughter, Sawatdirat, as his queen with the name Queen Wisutkasat
Wisutkasat
Phra Wisutkasat , was a Siamese Queen and Princess during the Ayutthaya period in the 16th century, born Phra Sawatdirat to Prince Thianracha and Suriyothai...
.
King of Phitsanulok
In 1548, Tabinshweti of PeguToungoo Dynasty
The Toungoo Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Burma from the mid-16th century to 1752. Its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung succeeded in reunifying the Pagan Empire for the first time since 1287, and in incorporating the Shan States for the first time...
led Burmese forces and invaded Ayutthaya in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548. The Siamese managed to force the retreat upon the Burmese. However, the Siamese armies under Prince Ramesuan the Uparaja and Maha Thammaracha was ambushed and the two was captured. Maha Thammaracha was held until Maha Chakkrapat paid the ransom.
In 1563, Tabinshweti's successor, 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...
, led the massive Burmese armies to invade Siam. He laid siege on Phitsanulok. Maha Thammaracha, upon seeing the massive Burmese armies, concluded that he should gave up. Maha Thammarachathirat then sued for peace and made Phitsanulok the Burmese tributary. Maha Thammaracha had to sent his sons - Naresuan
Naresuan
Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat or Somdet Phra Sanphet II was the King of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1590 until his death in 1605. Naresuan was one of Siam's most revered monarchs as he was known for his campaigns to free Siam from Burmese rule...
and Ekathotsarot
Ekathotsarot
Prabat Somdet Phra Sanpet III or Somdet Phra Ekatotsarot was the King of Ayutthaya from 1605 to 1610 succeeding his brother Naresuan. His reign was mostly peaceful as Siam was then a powerful state through the conquests of Naresuan...
- to Pegu as captives.
With his sons in Burmese captivity, Maha Thammaracha was forced to allied himself with Bayinnaung. 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...
- son of Maha Chakkrapat - then sought alliance with Setthathirat of Lan Xang
Lan Xang
The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country...
to fight Bayinnuang and Maha Thammaracha. In 1568, during Maha Thammaracha's absence from Phitsanulok to Pegu, Mahinthrathirat made himself King of Phitsanulok and brought Queen Wisutkasat and her daughter Supankanlaya to Ayutthaya. Maha Thammaracha urged Bayinnuang to take actions.
In 1568, Bayinnuang marched large Burmese armies to Ayutthaya with supports from Maha Thammaracha. Ayutthaya finally fell in 1569 and Maha Thammaracha was installed as King of Ayutthaya. Bayinnuang bestowed him the reigning name Sanpet I.
King of Ayutthaya
Maha Thammaracha asked Bayinnuang to return his sons Naresuan and Ekathotsarot to Ayutthaya in exchange for his daughter Supankanlaya as Bayinnuang's concubine. Maha Thammaracha made Naresuan the King of Phitsanulok and Uparaja in 1569. Ayutthaya kingdom under Maha Thammaracha was tributary to Burma.Cambodian invasions
In 1570, the King Borommaracha IV of LovekLovek
Longvek was a city in ancient Cambodia, the capital city of the country after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese in 1431. Little more than a village today in Kampong Chhnang Province, it lies just north of Oudong....
marched Cambodian armies to Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city but failed. In 1574, under the request from Pegu, Maha Thammaracha led the Siamese armies to subjugate Vientiane. The Cambodians took this opportunity to invade Siam but was also repelled.
In 1578, the Cambodians invaded Korat
Korat
Korats are a slate blue-grey shorthair domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Their bodies are semi-cobby, and surprisingly heavy for their size. They are intelligent, playful, active cats and form strong bonds with people. Among Korats' distinguishing...
and proceeded further to Saraburi
Saraburi
Saraburi is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Saraburi Province. As of 2005, it has a population of 61,900, and covers the complete tambon Pak Phriao of the Mueang Saraburi district....
. Naresuan sent Siamese armies to ambush the Cambodians at Chaibadan, halting the invaders from reaching Ayutthaya.
Break from Pegu
In 1581, Bayinnuang died, succeeded by his son Nanda BayinNanda Bayin
Nanda Bayin , was the king of the Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar from 1581 to 1599. Nanda was the first son of King Bayinnaung. He was made the crown prince upon the ascension of his father in January 1551. As the crown prince, he led subjugation of Lanna and the sack of Vientiene in 1565...
. In 1583, the Lord of Ava
Ava
Innwa is a city in the Mandalay Division of Burma , situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. Its formal title is Ratanapura , which means City of Gems in Pali. The name Innwa means mouth of the lake, which comes from in , meaning lake, and wa , which means mouth...
and the Shans staged a rebellion against Pegu. Nanda Bayin then requested for troops from Ayutthaya. The Siamese armies went slowly to Ava under leadership of Naresuan. Nanda Bayin then suspected of Siamese royalty and secretly ordered his son Minchit Sra the Uparaja to defeat Naresuan's army and kill him upon reaching Pegu. However, Naresuan was forewarned and denounced Burmese tributary in 1583.
In 1584, Nanda Bayin himself led the Peguan armies into Siam but was defeated by Naresuan. For many years the Burmese armies surged into Ayutthaya but was repelled. Maha Thammaracha died 1590. He was succeeded by Naresuan.