Ayutthaya Kingdom
Thailand, 1350–1767. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Ayutthaya Kingdom was a Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya. In the 17th and 18th centuries it became a centre of international trade and its culture flourished. In April 1767, after a 14-month siege, the city fell and was destroyed, ending the 417-year-old kingdom.
Seat of power: Historic City of Ayutthaya
Rulers
Uthong
King of Thailand, 1351–1369
He was the founder and first monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. He is traditionally regarded as a pivotal figure in Thai history for unifying the rival power centers of Lopburi and Suphan Buri.
Portrait of Uthong: CKasa, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Borommarachathirat I
King of Thailand, 1370–1388
He was the third king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. He ruled Suphan Buri under King Ramathibodi I before he took the throne at Ayutthaya.
Portrait of Borommarachathirat I: FrameHotep, CC BY 4.0, file
Borommarachathirat II
King of Thailand, 1424–1448
He was a monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom who reigned in the early 15th century. During his reign, Ayutthaya conducted campaigns against the Lanna Kingdom and Khmer polities.
Trailokkanat
King of Thailand, 1448–1488
He was the king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1448 to 1488. His reign was also known for massive reforms of Thai bureaucracy and a successful campaign against the Lan Na Kingdom to the north.
Ramathibodi II
King of Thailand, 1491–1529
He was King of Ayutthaya from 1491 to 1529. His reign was marked by the first Western contact with the Portuguese. A Portuguese embassy led by Duarte Fernandes reached Ayutthaya in 1518, becoming the first Europeans to make contact with Siam.
Maha Chakkraphat
King of Thailand, 1549–1568
Before becoming king, he joined his brother in the campaigns against Lanna and in 1546 led the siege of Chiang Mai. He was put on the throne by Khun Phiren Thorathep and his supporters of the Sukhothai clan, who had staged a coup.
Portrait of Maha Chakkraphat: Thai Wicharn (ไทวิจารณ์) (probably), Public domain, file
Maha Thammaracha
King of Thailand, 1569–1590
He was King of Ayutthaya from the Sukhothai dynasty. As a powerful Sukhothai noble, he gradually rose to power.
Prasat Thong
King of Thailand, 1630–1655
He was the founder and first monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty, the fourth ruling house of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. His reign was marked by the reassertion of Siamese authority over Cambodia, though it also saw a weakening of Ayutthaya's control over its northern principalities.
Portrait of Prasat Thong: Sun Colreone, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Narai
King of Thailand, 1656–1688
His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw the great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Middle East and the West. Narai gave his favorite, the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon, so much power that Phaulkon technically became the chancellor of the state.
Portrait of Narai: Clestur at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, file
Thai Sa
King of Thailand, 1708–1733
He often fished in the pool beside Banyongrattanat Palace, which earned him the epithet Angler King. His reign was marked by the building of many canals. Relations with Qing China also prospered during his reign, with Ayutthaya regularly dispatching tribute missions and exporting rice to southern China during periods of food shortage.
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Borommakot
King of Thailand, 1733–1758
He was the king of Ayutthaya from 1733 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya, as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death. Much of what survives in Ayutthaya today dates back to his massive renovations of Ayutthaya temples in the second quarter of the 18th century.
Portrait of Borommakot: FrameHotep, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Culture
- European travellers in the early 16th century called Ayutthaya one of the three great powers of Asia alongside Vijayanagara and Ming China.
- Under Narai, Persian and then European influence was strong, and an embassy went to the court of Louis XIV in 1686.
- The late period has been called a golden age of Siamese culture.
Picture
The park covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, which was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1351.
Image: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.