Eathath , ( Thai สมเด็จ พระเจ้า เอก ทัศน์ , also Suriyamarin, สมเด็จ พระเจ้าอยู่หัว พระที่นั่ง สุริยา ม ริน ท ร์, and Boromaracha V) is the last monarch of the Ayutthaya kingdom and the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty. Under him, the Burmese captured and ravaged Ayutthaya, and the king himself died during the ruin or shortly after it.
| Eathath | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| สมเด็จ พระเจ้า เอก ทัศน์ | |||||||
| |||||||
| Predecessor | Boromaracha IV | ||||||
| Successor | Thaksin | ||||||
| Birth | |||||||
| Death | 1767 | ||||||
| Father | Boromacot | ||||||
| Religion | Buddhism | ||||||
Biography
At birth, received the name Anurak Montry (กรม ขุน อนุรักษ์ มนตรี). In 1756, Tsarevich Uparatcha Thammathibet , whom Tsar Boromakot appointed as heir, died, and only two of the sons of Chao Fa remained among the sons of Boromakot: Anurak Montri and his younger brother Phon Phinit. Boromakot believed that Anurak Montry was incapable of governing the state. Historians describe him as frivolous and foolish. Therefore, Boromakot appointed Prince Phon Phinit as heir, and after his death in April 1758, the latter became king under the name Uthumphon (Boromaracha IV). However, his candidacy did not suit part of the ruling elite, which caused an acute crisis of governance. As a result, already in May, Uthumphon was forced to abdicate and go to the monastery, and Anurak Montri became king under the name of Suriyamarin.
In 1759, the Burmese attacked Siam, capturing Tenasserim . In the same year, they launched a siege of Ayutthaya , the capital of Siam. The king asked his brother to leave the monastery and take control of the state, in particular, to organize the defense of the city. After some time, the king of Burma, Alaunpaya, was seriously wounded by a cannonball, and subsequently died of a wound, and the Burmese army lifted the siege and withdrew. Uthumphon defended Ayutthaya for two years, after which he returned to the monastery.
In 1765, the Burmese launched a full-scale offensive, attacking the Ayutthaya kingdom simultaneously from the south and north. At first they were stopped near Thonburi, but in February 1766 they nevertheless began the siege of Ayutthaya. Eathath offered the surrender of the city, but the Burmese refused, insisting on its complete destruction. On April 7, 1767, the city fell, and the Ayutthaya kingdom ceased to exist. The fate of the king is not reliably known. According to some sources, he was able with a small detachment to break through the defenses and get out of the encirclement, as Thaksin previously managed, according to others - he died during the ruin of Ayutthaya.
Sources
- David K. Wyatt: Thailand A Short History . Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 1984, ISBN 974-7047-44-6
- Richard D. Cushman (David K. Wyatt Ed.): The Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya . The Siam Society , Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-8298-48-5
- BJ Terwiel: Thailand's Political History. From the Fall of Ayutthaya to Recent Times. River Books, Bangkok 2005, ISBN 974-9863-08-9