Maha Chakkraphat (, ; lit.: 'The Great Emperor'; 1509 – 1569; Burmese: မဟာစက္ကဝတ္တိ၊ မဟာစကြဝတေး၊ မဟာစကြာမင်း) was king of the
Ayutthaya kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai 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-day Thailand. Europe ...
from 1548 to 1564 and 1568 to 1569. Originally called Prince Thianracha, or Prince Tien, he was put on the throne by
Khun Phiren Thorathep and his supporters of the
Sukhothai clan, who had staged a
coup by
killing the usurper King
Worawongsathirat and
Si Sudachan.
[Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited]
Prince of Ayutthaya
His original name is Thianracha. His initial biography is unclear. Evidence of his family appears in the Royal Chronicles, stating that "he was part of the royal family of King Chairathirat" and in Sangitiyavansa, a Pali text of the Rattanakosin era, stating that he was the nephew of King Chairachathirat. The evidence in
Fernão Mendes Pinto
Fernão Mendes Pinto (; 1509 – 8 July 1583) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese explorer and writer. His voyages are recorded in ''Pilgrimage'' (), his autobiographical memoir, which was published posthumously in 1614. The historical accura ...
's record states that he was the natural brother of King Chairachathirat. Thianracha joined his brother in the campaigns against
Lanna
The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
The cultural developme ...
and, in 1546, led the siege of
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
.
Chairacha died in 1546 and his son, Prince Kaewfa succeeded to the throne as King
Yodfa, with his mother Sisudachan as
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
. She had Yodfa killed in 1548 and eventually put her
paramour on the throne as Khun Worawongsathirat. Before doing so however, Thianracha was her co-regent, but wishing to remain faithful to his wife
Sri Suriyothai
Suriyothai (, , ; Burmese: သူရိယောဒယ) was a royal queen consort during the 16th century Ayutthaya period of Siam (now Thailand). She is famous for having given up her life in the defense of her husband, King Maha Chakkraphat ...
, he became a monk to the Queen Mother's amorous advances.
[
"A band of brothers", retired officers, led by Khun Piren staged a counter-coup, killing Worawongsathirat and Sisudachan. Phiren Thorathep then elevated Prince Thianracha to the throne as Phra Maha Chakkraphat.][
]
King of Ayutthaya
Maha Chakkraphat appointed Phiren Thorathep to the position of King of Phitsanulok
Phitsanulok (, ) is a city municipality in northern Thailand and the capital of Phitsanulok province. It had a city population of 60,827 and an urban population of approximately 200,000 in 2024, making it Thailand's 19th-most populous city p ...
as Maha Thammarachathirat, and gave him in marriage his daughter Sawatdirat. (Maha Chakkraphat passed over tradition by elevating Phiren Thorathep instead of one of his sons; but he, when still Prince Thianracha, had himself never been titular ruler of Phitsanulok.) Khun Inthrathep was rewarded with the regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of Nakhon Si Thammarat
Nakhon Si Thammarat (, ; from ) is a city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') located in Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, the capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Nakhon Si Thammarat Province is situated in the South of Thailand. It is about s ...
.
First Siege of Ayutthaya (1548)
Upon Maha Chakkraphat's ascension, King Tabinshweti
Tabinshwehti (, ; 16 April 1516 – 30 April 1550) was King of Burma from 1530 to 1550, and the founder of the First Toungoo Empire. His military campaigns (1534–1549) created the largest kingdom in Burma since the fall of the Pagan Empire in ...
of the Burmese Dynasty of Toungoo marched to Ayutthaya, trying to take advantage of the upheavals in the Siamese capital.[Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., ]
The Burmese armies stopped near Ayutthaya. Tabinshweti came with his best general, the '' Uparaja'' Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
, Viceroy of Prome and Governor of Bassein. Maha Chakkraphat also took to the battleground his whole family, including Sri Suriyothai, the ''Uparaja'' Prince Ramesuan, and Prince Mahinthrathirat
Mahinthrathirat (, , ; 1539–1569) was king of Ayutthaya kingdom, Ayutthaya 1564 to 1568 and again in 1569. He ruled his first reign as a vassal of First Toungoo Empire, Toungoo Burma before restoring his father in 1568 as the sovereign king. He ...
. At Pukaothong field, Maha Chakkraphat fought an elephant duel
Elephant duels were a historical martial practice where opposing army leaders engaged each other on the battlefield in single combat on the back of war elephants. They are documented in historical records from Southeast Asia, mainly in present-da ...
against the Viceroy of Prome but his elephant was overcame and ran away. Sri Suriyothai then rushed to rescue her husband but was slashed to death by the viceroy. The two princes then forced the viceroy to retreat.[
The Siamese then put a culverin on a barge and sailed along the ]Chao Phraya
The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
Etymology
Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...
to fire the enemies. The mission worked, the Burmese armies retreated but later they ambushed at Kamphaeng Phet the Siamese troops led by Prince Ramesuan and Maha Thammarachathirat. The Burmese held the two in captivity until Maha Chakkraphat gave up two male war elephants in exchange for his son and Maha Thammarachathirat.[
]
War Over White Elephants (1563–1564)
After the war of 1548, Maha Chakkraphat insisted on battling Burmese armies near Ayutthaya, so he heavily fortified the city and de-fortified three nearby cities, Suphanburi, Lopburi and Nakhon Nayok
Nakhon Nayok is a capital of Nakhon Nayok province in the central region of Thailand.
The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers Nakhon Nayok subdsitrict (''tambon'') and parts of Tha Chang, Ban Yai, Wang Krachom, and Phrommani subdistricts, Mueang ...
in order to prevent the Burmese from taking them as bases. The census was taken to derive all available manpower for war. Wild elephants (especially white elephants) were caught and accumulated in the full-scale preparation for war.[
]Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
became King after the death of Tabinshwehti, and upon hearing about the white elephants, requested two. As Maha Chakkraphat refused, the Burmese King marched to Ayutthaya with a large army. His route was via the northern provinces since he had conquered the Lanna
The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries.
The cultural developme ...
in 1558 and occupied Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
. Phraya
The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', ) in the service of Thai monarchy, the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th century � ...
Sukhothai and Phra Maha Thammaracha surrendered when Sukhothai and Phitsanulok
Phitsanulok (, ) is a city municipality in northern Thailand and the capital of Phitsanulok province. It had a city population of 60,827 and an urban population of approximately 200,000 in 2024, making it Thailand's 19th-most populous city p ...
were captured. The governors of Sawankhalok and Phichai submitted without resisting. At Chainat, Bayinnaung clashed with Prince Ramesuan's army but was able to break through. The Burmese army then reached Ayutthaya and laid siege, bombarding the city so immensely that Maha Chakkraphat "agreed to come to friendly relations with His Majesty of Hongsawadi." Additionally, he paid tribute of four white elephants and Phra Ramesuan, Phraya Chakri and Phra Songkhram were brought back to Pegu as hostages.[
At Pegu, King Maha Chakkraphat entered the monkhood.][Harvey 1925: 168–169] Though Damrong Rajanubhab
Prince Tisavarakumara, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พ� ...
asserts the king only entered the monastery after his daughter Phra Thepkasattri was kidnapped by the Burmese, giving up his throne in dishonor. He resumed his regal powers at the urging of his son Mahinthrathirat
Mahinthrathirat (, , ; 1539–1569) was king of Ayutthaya kingdom, Ayutthaya 1564 to 1568 and again in 1569. He ruled his first reign as a vassal of First Toungoo Empire, Toungoo Burma before restoring his father in 1568 as the sovereign king. He ...
.[
]
Second Reign
In early 1568, the captive king successfully convinced Bayinnaung to allow him to go back to Ayutthaya on pilgrimage. Upon his arrival, in May 1568, he disrobed and revolted. He also entered into an alliance with King Setthathirath
Setthathirath (; 24 January 1534 – 1571) or Xaysettha (; , , ) is considered one of the great leaders in Lao history. Throughout the 1560s until his death, he successfully defended his kingdom of Lan Xang against military campaigns of Burmese ...
of Lan Xang
Lan Xang () or Lancang was a Lao people, Lao kingdom that held the area of present-day Laos from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The kingdom is the basis for Laos's nat ...
. He was not able to convince Maha Thammarachathirat of Phitsanulok to join him and his son in the revolt. Thammarachathirat remained loyal to Bayinnaung and survived the siege by Ayutthaya and Lan Xang forces until October when the relief forces from Pegu arrived. The invasion armies laid the Third Siege of Ayutthaya in December 1568. According to Wyatt, Maha Chakkraphat died one month into the siege in January 1569.[Wyatt 2003: 82] According to Prince Damrong, he died sometime during the siege.[Damrong 2001: 57] The Burmese chronicles
The royal chronicles of Myanmar ( ; also known as Burmese chronicles) are detailed and continuous chronicles of the Burmese monarchy, monarchy of Myanmar (Burma). The chronicles were written on different media such as parabaik paper, palm-leaf ...
say that the king died on 15 April 1569.[(Yazawin Thit Vol. 2 2012: 249): Friday, 1st waxing of Kason 931 ME = 15 April 1569.]
Ancestry
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Richard D. Cushman (David K. Wyatt Ed.): ''The Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya''. The Siam Society, Bangkok 2000,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maha Chakkraphat
Suphannaphum dynasty
Kings of Ayutthaya
1509 births
1569 deaths
16th-century monarchs in Asia
Princes of Ayutthaya
16th-century Thai people