Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat ( Part 1 )

Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat, 25 April – 1605 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. During his reign numerous wars were fought against Burma, and Siam reached its greatest territorial extent and influence. Prince Naret was born in the city of Phitsanulok on the 25 April 1555. He was the son of King Maha Thammarachathirat of Phitsanulok and his queen Wisutkasat. His mother was a daughter of Maha Chakkrapat and Queen Sri Suriyothai. His father was a Sukhothai noble, who had defeated Vorawongsathirat in 1548 and put Maha Chakkrapat on the throne. He was therefore an influential figure. Prince Naret was also known as the Black Prince, and his younger brother Ekathotsarot was known as the White Prince. It is a common belief that these nicknames were given later due to a good cop/bad cop image of Naresuan and his brother. That is to say, while King "Naresuan the Black" ruled with an iron-fist, his brother "Ekathotsarot the White" interceded on behalf of the people. General opinion, however, attributes the virtues of Ekathotsarot to Naresuan. Supporters of this theory claim that as a military king, Naresuan needed to be seen as a strict and severe leader, and therefore commissioned his brother to act out the role play. His elder sister Suphankanlaya was known as the Golden Princess, presumably due to her adherence to chivalric honor.

In the second Burmese–Siamese War (1563–64), King Bayinnaung of Pegu led massive Burmese armies to invade Siam and laid siege to Phitsanulok. Maha Thammarachathirat came to believe that the city would not be able to withstand a long siege, so surrendered. King Bayinnuang took Phitsanulok and made the Kingdom of Sukhothai a Burmese tributary state; and required Maha Thammarachathirat to send his sons – the Black and the White Prince – to Pegu as hostages to ensure the king's fidelity.

Description

• Reign : 29 July 1590 – 25 April 1605
• Predecessor : Maha Thammaracha (Sanphet I), Ekathotsarot (Sanphet III)
• Spouse : Chao Khrua Manichan
• House : Sukhothai dynasty
• Father : Maha Thammaracha (Sanphet I)
• Mother : Wisutkasat
• Born : Chan Palace, Phitsanulok, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai Protectorate
• Died : 25 April 1605 (aged 49), Wiang Haeng, Chiang Mai, Lanna

Naret, along with other captive princes from other kingdoms, were educated in martial arts and war strategy in the Burmese and Portuguese style of early modern warfare. He was also teach by Bayinnaung about Military strategy and later noted for tactics that enabled him to gain victory over the Burmese. It was then that Naret found himself in competition with Mingyi Swa, grandson of Bayinnaung and son of Nanda Bayin. In the third siege of Ayutthaya of 1569, Bayinnaung was able to take the kingdom, and installed Maha Thammarachathirat as a vassal king. After seven years of captivity, Prince Naret and his brother the White Prince were released to Ayutthaya, in exchange for their sister Suphankanlaya becoming Bayinnuang's secondary wife in 1571.

King of Sukhothai

Maha Thammarachathirat made Naret the Uparaja and King of Phitsanulok as Naresuan in 1569, aged 14. In 1574, Naresuan joined his father in the expedition to conquer Vientiane but he suffered smallpox. In 1581, Bayinnuang died, to be succeeded by his son Nanda Bayin. In 1583, Nanda Bayin's uncle who was the Lord of Innwa rebelled against his nephew at Pegu. Nanda Bayin then requested for Siamese troops and supports against Innwa. Naresuan marched the Siamese armies to Innwa but slowly to leave the rebellion defeated before he would reach Innwa or else the Lord of Innwa would get Nanda Bayin.

However, this raised Nanda Bayin's suspicions about Naresuan's loyalty. Nanda Bayin then secretly ordered his son Minchit Sra to defeat Naresuan's army and kill him upon reaching Pegu and ordered Kiet and Ram – the two Mons of the city of Kraeng on the Sittoung River – to attack Naresuan on the rear after he had passed Kraeng while Minchit Sra would attack the front. Naresuan reached Kraeng in 1584. However, Ram and Kiet were Naresuan's childhood acquintances, so they informed Naresuan about Nanda Bayin's plans. Naresuan, upon realising the intentions of Nanda Bayin, performed a ceremony to denounce Burmese tributary, saying;

• All the holy deities with universal knowledge, the King of Hanthawaddi doesn't embrace the fidelity as the kings should do but is indeed intended to hurt me. From now on, the alliance of Ayutthaya and Hanthawaddi breaks, forever.

Naresuan then levied the Mons to join his campaigns under the leadership of Kiet and Ram and then marched to Pegu. However, Nanda Bayin had already defeated the Lord of Innwa and was marching back to Pegu. Naresuan decided to retreat but Minchit Sra himself led the Peguan army to follow Naresuan. The Burmese caught the Siamese at Sittoung River, culminating the Battle of Sittoung River. The legend says that Naresuan shot a Burmese general with a gun from across the Sittoung River – This is called the Royal Shot Across the Sittoung River. After the death of his general, Minchit Sra retreated. In 1583, Naresuan ordered all northern cities including Phitsanulok to be evacuated as they would became the battleground between Ayutthaya and Pegu. So, Phitsanulok ceased to be the seat of Sukhothai kingdom and Naresuan became, therefore, the last king of Sukhothai.

In the same year Nanda Bayin ordered his uncle the Lord of Pathein and Noratra Mangsosri the Burmese King of Lanna to lead the Burmese armies into Siam but was defeated by the Siamese. In 1586, Nanda Bayin himself led the Burmese armies to Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city for 13 months and failed. In 1590, Maha Thammarachathirat died. Naresuan was crowned as the King of Ayutthaya as Sanphet II.

King Naresuan made his brother the White Prince the Uparaja with equal honor as Naresuan himself. In 1590, Minchit Sra marched into Siam through Chedi Sam Ong. Instead of taking defensives at Ayutthaya, Naresuan chose to march to Chedi Sam Ong. Minchit Sra, thinking that the Siamese would stay at Ayutthaya for defensive purposes, marched unprepared. The Burmese were persuaded into a field and ambushed by Naresuan's armies. With his armies scatttered, Minchit Sra retreated back to Pegu.

Phitsanulok History

• Prehistoric Era

Early Nan River Civilizations · Tai

• Khmer Empire

Song Khwae

• Singhanavati City-State

Boromma Chayasiri · Nakhon Thai

• Sukhothai Period

Wat Chula Manee, Wat Aranyik, Wat Chedi Yod Thong, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat

• Ayutthaya Period

Boromma Trailokanat, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Nang Phaya, Boromma Racha III, Naresuan Boromma Kot

• Modern Siam / Thailand

19th Century, 20th Century, Recent Events

Source : Wikipedia.