Yotfa ( th, ยอดฟ้า) or Kaeofa ( th, แก้วฟ้า) was the 14th Ayutthayan king from the

Suphannaphum Dynasty The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Thai people, Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-d ...

(c. 1536 – 10 June 1548) Yotfa was a son of King Chairachathirat () and his consort Lady Si Suda Chan (). He reigned from 1546 until his murder in 1548.Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited

Birth

Yotfa was born around 1536. He was the son of King Chairachathirat and Lady Si Suda Chan, the Consort of the Left. He had one brother, Prince Sisin (), who was six years younger than him.

Reign

After King Chairachathirat's death in 1546, Prince Yotfa succeeded to the throne at the age of eleven. His mother, Lady Si Suda Chan, then served as the regent. To avoid political conflicts with Lady Si Suda Chan, Prince Thianracha (), the most senior member of the royal household, became a monk and stayed at Ratchapraditsathan Temple () throughout the reign of Yotfa.

Jeremias van Vliet Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

recorded that Yotfa was fond of riding a horse along the fields, watching elephant duels, learning to use weapons and studying political science, and that his reign saw abundance of agricultural products. However, many Thai chronicles recorded that bad

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

s occurred shortly after he ascended the throne. When Yotfa presided over an elephant duel, the tusk of Lord of Fire ( ), a royal elephant, broke into three pieces. At night, another royal elephant, Lord of Six Tusks ( , named after a legendary six-tusked elephant), cried like a human being and strange sounds emerged from the Gate of Phaichayon ( ), the gate to the Throne Hall of Phaichayon ( ). During this period, Lady Si Suda Chan committed adultery with a government officer known by his noble title Phan But Si Thep (). Phan But Si Thep, whose personal name is unknown, was the Keeper of the Outer Chapel. Lady Si Suda Chan later ordered Lord Ratchaphakdi ( ), Minister of Palace Affairs, to promote Phan But Si Thep to Khun Chinnarat (), Keeper of the Inner Chapel. Heavily pregnant, Lady Sisudachan found it necessary to enthrone her paramour. In order to place the government officers in awe of Khun Chinnarat, she promoted him to Khun Worawongsathirat (), authorised him to take charge of

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

affairs, ordered the construction of his residence next to the Conscription Pavilion ( ) near the palace walls, ordered the construction of his office under a

white mulberry ''Morus alba'', known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to tall. It is generally a short-lived tree with a lifespan comparable to that of humans, although ...

tree inside the palace, and ordered a royal taboret to be installed in his office for him to sit on. Lord Mahasena ( ), Minister of Defence, complained about the political situation to his fellow ministers. Lady Si Suda Chan then had the minister killed.

Death

Siamese chronicles recorded that in 1548, Lady Si Suda Chan eventually summoned all government officers and told the meeting that Yotfa was too young to rule the kingdom and that "I will place Khun Worawongsathirat in charge of public administration until my son is mature enough". As no one objected, Lady Si Suda Chan ordered the Ministry of Palace Affairs to hold a royal chariot procession to bring Khun Worawongsathirat into the palace and hold his

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

. After becoming king, Khun Worawongsathirat ordered Yotfa to be murdered at Khok Phraya Temple () but spared his brother, Prince Sisin. The ''Astrological Annals'' recorded that the execution was held on Sunday, the fifth day of the waxing moon in the eighth month of the 910th year of the Minor Era, corresponding to 10 June 1548. Yotfa had been on the throne for about two years and was around thirteen years of age when he was executed. Lady Si Suda Chan, as well as her paramour and newborn daughter, were later killed in a countercoup staged by senior government officers, led by Khun Phirenthrathep (ขุนพิเรนทรเทพ). The coup makers then offered the throne to Prince Thianracha.

Ancestry

Notes

{{Monarchs of Thailand 1536 births 1548 deaths Suphannaphum dynasty 16th-century murdered monarchs Assassinated Thai people Deaths by poisoning Kings of Ayutthaya 16th-century monarchs in Asia Princes of Ayutthaya 16th-century Thai people Executed Thai monarchs Executed children Murder in 1548