Ekkathat (Thai: เอกทัศ, Ekadaśa, pronounced [ʔèːk.kā.tʰát]) or Borommoracha III (Thai: บรมราชาที่ 3) or King of Suriyamarin Throne Hall (Thai: สมเด็จพระที่นั่งสุริยาศน์อมรินทร์) was the 6th monarch of the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty, the 33rd and the last monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, ruling from 1758 to 7 April 1767, prior to the fall of Ayutthaya. Moreover, he was called by the people in his time as "King Khiruean" (Thai: ขุนหลวงขี้เรื้อน), which meant "the king with skin disease", due to his chloasma.[2]: 299
| Ekkathat เอกทัศ | |
|---|---|
| King of Ayutthaya | |
.jpg) | |
| King of Siam | |
| Reign | 1758 – 1759/1760[1] 1762[1] – 7 April 1767 |
| Predecessor | Uthumphon |
| Successor | Taksin (as King of Thonburi) |
| Born | 1718 Ayutthaya Kingdom |
| Died | 17 April 1767 (aged 48–49) Ban Chik Woods, Ayutthaya |
| Spouse | Wimonphat |
| House | Ban Phlu Luang dynasty |
| Father | Borommakot |
| Mother | Phiphitmontri |
Early Life
editEkkathat was born in 1718 during the reign of his uncle King Thaisa. Ekkathat's father Prince Phon of the Front Palace was the younger brother and Wangna[3] or heir presumptive to King Thaisa. Ekkathat's mother was Princess Consort Phlap, one of two main consorts of Prince Phon and a daughter of Chaophraya Bamroe Phuthorn (Thai: เจ้าพระยาบำเรอภูธร), a prominent nobleman in the reign of King Phetracha. Ekkathat had one younger brother Uthumphon and five sisters who shared the same mother. Ekkathat also had a half-older brother Prince Thammathibet who was born to another main consort of Prince Phon.
In 1732, King Thaisa became ill. Prince Phon, younger brother of King Thaisa and Ekkathat's father, mobilized his forces[3] in preparation for the upcoming succession conflict but was caught. Prince Phon then ordained to become a monk, along with his sons[3] including the young Ekkathat, to avoid royal punishments from his elder brother the king. On his deathbed in 1733, King Thaisa chose to give the throne to his own two sons instead of his younger brother Prince Phon, who had been the heir presumptive. The civil war then ensued in Ayutthaya between Prince Phon and his nephews who were sons of Thaisa.[4]: 110 [3] The result was that Prince Phon prevailed and the two sons of Thaisa, Ekkathat's cousins, were executed. Prince Phon ascended the throne in 1733 as King Borommakot.[3] Princess Consort Phlap, Ekkathat's mother, became Queen Kromma Luang Phiphitmontri (Thai: กรมหลวงพิพิธมนตรี).
Due to the frequent Ayutthayan succession conflicts, King Borommakot devised a method to regulate and control manpower allocation among the royal princes to prevent future princely struggles through the creation of Kroms or princely regiments.[3] Upon his enthronement in 1733, King Borommakot appointed his sons the royal princes to the Krom titles, assigning them with manpower to command. In 1733, at the age of fifteen, Prince Ekkathat was made Kromma Khun Anurak Montri (Thai: กรมขุนอนุรักษ์มนตรี) with a manpower regiment under his command. Siamese Phrai commoners who were conscripted into the princely regiments were called Phrai Som (Thai: ไพร่สม), in contrast to those who directly served the king known as Phrai Luang (Thai: ไพร่หลวง).[5]
Three sons of Borommakot; Thammathibet, Ekkathat and Uthumphon, who were born to two main queens of Borommakot, were given the superior rank of Kromma Khun, meaning that they could appoint their servants to the rank of Khun. Five other sons of Borommokot, who were born to his secondary consorts, were given the inferior rank of Kromma Muen,[3]: 200 meaning that they could appoint their own servants only to the rank of Muen. Appointing servants to high dignity in princely households was a way to demonstrate princely ranks and honors. Ekkathat took two sisters Lady Pheng and Lady Maen as his consorts. Consort Pheng bore him a daughter Princess Praphal Suriyawong and a son Prince Praphaikuman. Consort Maen bore him a daughter Princess Rucchathewi and a son Prince Suthat.
Princely political conflicts
editIn 1741, Prince Thammathibet, eldest son of Borommakot and half-brother of Ekkathat, was made Uparat[3]: 200 or vice-king or Wangna Prince of the Front Palace and heir presumptive to their father Borommakot. Death of Chaophraya Chamnan Borirak the Siamese chief minister in 1753 put the Ayutthayan royal court into princely political conflicts. The princes coalesced into two factions;[3] Princes Thammathibet, Ekkathat and Uthumphon in one faction against another faction composing of Borommakot's secondary sons Prince Kromma Muen Chitsunthorn, Prince Kromma Muen Sunthornthep and Prince Kromma Muen Sepphakdi[3] – known collectively as Chao Sam Krom (Thai: เจ้าสามกรม) or the Three Princes.
In 1756, the Three Princes appointed some of their servants to the rank of Khun, surpassing the limit of their princely rank of Kromma Muen. Prince Thammathibet of Front Palace, the heir presumptive, took this violation of princely ranks seriously and took matters into his own hands by sending his own forces to arrest Prince Sunthornthep, one of the Three Princes.[3] Prince Sunthornthep fled to tell King Borommakot, their father, about the incident. Borommakot summonned Thammathibet for explanation but Thammathibet visited his father with a sword in his hand.[3] Enraged, Borommakot imprisoned Thammathibet. It was also revealed that Thammathibet had been in secret romantic relationships with two of Borommakot's consorts and had been planning a sedition.[3] Thammathibet, the Prince of Front Palace and heir, was whipped with rattan cane strokes and died from injuries in April 1756.
With the death of Prince Thammathibet in 1756, the position and office of the Front Palace became vacant. Prince Ekkathat or Prince Anurak Montri was technically next in line to the position of royal heir as he was the eldest surviving son of Borommakot born to principal queens. However, Borommakot chose to pass over Ekkathat in favor of Uthumphon, Ekkathat's younger brother, citing that Ekkathat would be sure to bring disaster to the kingdom[3] given his supposed incompetency. Borommakot viewed Uthumphon in better light. Prince Kromma Muen Thepphiphit, another secondary son of Borommakot, along with the high-ranking ministers of Chatusadom, proposed to King Borommakot to make Uthumphon the new Uparat or heir. Uthumphon, who was known for his pursuit of Buddhist Theravadin religion, initially refused to accept the position. Borommakot, however, was insistent. Uthumphon finally consented to his father's wish and was appointed as the new Wangna or vice-king of the Front Palace in 1757. Borommakot speculated that Ekkathat would raise his claims in the future so he forced Ekkathat to shave his head to become a Buddhist monk and to go out to stay at Wat Lamut temple (about nine kilometers to the northeast of Ayutthaya in modern Nakhon Luang district) to keep Ekkathat out of powers and politics.
Ascension
editBrief Reign of Uthumphon
editIn April 1758, King Borommakot fell gravely ill. Ekkathat, who had been a Buddhist monk at Wat Lamut temple, upon learning that his father King Borommakot was on his deathbed, decided to leave the Wat Lamut temple to return to Ayutthaya. Prince Ekkathat stayed at Suan Kratai Pavilion – residence of his younger brother Prince Uthumphon of the Front Palace. Ekkathat visited and took a glimpse of his ailing father. After reigning for twenty-five years, King Borommakot died on that day, on the fifth waning of the sixth month,[6] Year 1120 of Culāsakaraj Era, 29 April 1758,[3] propelling Ayutthaya into a new round of royal succession conflict. The demise of King Borommakot marked the end of a golden age and foreshadowed the eventual end of the Ayutthaya Kingdom itself.
Ekkathat decided to support his younger brother the new king Uthumphon against Chao Sam Krom or the Three Princes. Ekkathat made his first move by commanding Prince Kromma Muen Thepphiphit, his ally, to take all of the muskets from Royal Armory to Suan Kratai Pavilion the residence of Uthumphon. The Three Princes responded by sending their own forces to seize the muskets from the Regular Armory. Ekkathat and Uthumphon devised a plan to defeat the Three Princes. Uthumphon asked five senior Buddhist prelates, led by Phra Thepmuni the abbot of Wat Kudidao temple,[7] to peacefully convince the Three Princes to surrender. The senior monk Phra Thepmuni led the virtuous monks to speak to the Three Princes, beseeching them to cease their belligerent actions to prevent the civil war.
About a week later, on the eleventh waning of the sixth month[6] (2 May 1758), the Three Princes decided to visit the new king Uthumphon and his brother Ekkathat to pay obeisance. However, Uthumphon and Ekkathat secretly placed some policemen to arrest the Three Princes. Not knowing that they were walking into a trap, the Three Princes were captured and imprisoned. Two days later, on the thirteenth waning,[6] on 4 May 1758, Uthumphon ordered the executions of the Three Princes. Before their deaths, Prince Sepphakdi, one of the Three Princes, said "Being born under the great royal white umbrella, who will ever die a peaceful death?" (Thai: ธรรมดาเกีดมาในมหาประยูรเสวตรฉัตรดั่งนี้ ใครจะได้ตายดีสักขี่คน).[6] The Three Princes were beaten to death by sandalwood club – the traditional method for royal executions to prevent any princely blood from touching the grounds. A civil war was thus averted by quick actions of Ekkathat and Uthumphon as the Three Princes were subjugated and executed.
After eliminating the Three Princes, Uthumphon was officially enthroned in the Praptabhisekha ceremony on the sixth waxing of the seventh month[6] (12 May 1758).[8] Ekkathat, however, decided to push for his own claims to the throne against his younger brother the new king Uthumphon. Prince Ekkathat or Prince Anurak Montri defiantly stayed at Suriyat Amarin Pavilion in the royal palace, not returning to Wat Lamut temple despite being a Buddhist monk. Uthumphon was sensitive of his elder brother contesting for the throne as Ekkathat imposed political pressure on Uthumphon. Finally, Uthumphon gave in. Uthumphon abdicated on 22 May 1758,[8] after merely ten days on the throne,[5]: 244 in favor of his older brother Ekkathat. Uthumphon personally visited Ekkathat at Suriyat Amarin Pavilion to relinquish his throne. Uthumphon left the Ayutthayan royal palace to be ordained as a Buddhist monk to stay at Wat Pradu temple,[9] earning Uthumphon the epithet Khun Luang Hawat (Thai: ขุนหลวงหาวัด), meaning the King Who Sought Temple.
Enthronement
editEkkathat, at the age of forty, left monkhood to take the throne, becoming the last king of Ayutthaya. Ekkathat was officially enthroned on the waxing of the eight month[6] (early June 1758) at Sanphet Prasat Throne Hall in the Rajabhisekha ceremony. His full ceremonial regal name was Somdet Phra Borommaracha Maha-adisorn Bawornsucharit Thotsaphitthamtharet Chetthalokanayokudom Borommanath Borombophit Phra Phutthachaoyuhua (Thai: สมเด็จพระบรมราชามหาอดิศร บวรสุจริต ทศพิธธรรมธเรศ เชษฐโลกานายกอุดม บรมนาถบรมบพิตร พระพุทธเจ้าอยู่หัว).[6] Ekkathat was also known in posterity as King Somdet Phra Thinang Suriyat Amarin (Thai: สมเด็จพระที่นั่งสุริยาศน์อมรินทร์) or "King of the Suriyat Amarin Pavilion", naming after his residence.
The new king Ekkathat made his mother Queen Phiphitmontri the Dowager Queen with title Kromphra Thephamat (Thai: กรมพระเทพามาตุ์). Ekkathat also granted Prince Athit, son of the deceased Prince Thammathibet, a Krom title of Kromma Muen Phithakphubet. Prince Kromma Muen Thepphiphit, half-brother of Ekkathat, who had been supporting Uthumphon since his proposal to make Uthumphon the new Wangna previously in 1757, decided to become a Buddhist monk[3]: 208 at Wat Krachom temple, just off the northeastern corner of Ayutthaya citadel, seven days[6] after Ekkathat's enthronement, to avoid political repercussions from the new king Ekkathat.
Ekkathat initially retained chief Chatusadom ministers from his father's reign, with Chaophraya Aphiracha as Samuha Nayok or the Chief Minister and Chaophraya Kalahom Khlongklaeb as the Samuha Kalahom or Minister of Military. Ekkathat appointed his brother-in-laws Pin and Chim, who were brothers of Ekkathat's consorts, Consort Pheng and Consort Maen, to positions in royal court. Pin was appointed as Phraya Ratchamontri and Chim as Chameun Si Sorrarak – relatively high positions among the royal pages. In spite of their mid-ranking positions, Pin and Chim exerted great influence over the king and Ayutthayan royal court as they were Ekkathat's in-laws. They had unlimited access to the king and managed to insult some high-ranking Chatusadom ministers.
Dowager Queen Phiphitmontri, mother of Ekkathat and Uthumphon, soon died in the twelfth month of Year 1120[6] (November 1758). Ekkathat had his mother placed in a royal urn, placed next to the royal urn of his father the deceased King Borommakot, waiting to be cremated.
Rebellion of Prince Thepphiphit
editChaophraya Aphiracha the Chief Minister, who had previously supported Uthumphon, had enough of the two brother-in-laws of Ekkathat. In the twelfth month of Year 1120[6] (November 1758), Aphairacha gathered conspirators including Phraya Yommaraj the Head of the Police as they decided to overthrow Ekkathat for the vileness of his in-laws Pin and Chim in favor of Uthumphon the temple king. Aphairacha, Yommaraj and other conspirators went out to visit Prince Thepphiphit at Wat Krachom temple, asking Thepphiphit to lead the rebellion. Prince Thepphiphit, being a Buddhist monk, accepted the challenge as the leader of this rebellion. Thepphiphit led the conspirators to visit Uthumphon at his Wat Pradu temple[9] to ask Uthumphon to resume kingship. Uthumphon, who preferred religious life, did not wish to involve himself so he vaguely said that, as a Buddhist monk, he was not entitled to involve in worldly affairs[9] and the conspirators should do whatever they were pleased with. Thepphiphit and the conspirators mistook this speech of Uthumphon as approval and went on with their seditious plan.
Uthumphon decided not to trust the ambitious Prince Thepphiphit. Uthumphon speculated that if Thepphiphit managed to overthrow Ekkathat, Thepphiphit would take the throne himself rather than letting Uthumphon to take the throne. Uthumphon decided to visit his elder brother King Ekkathat, informing the king about the seditious plan[3]: 208 of Prince Thepphiphit. Uthumphon also asked the king to spare the lives of the conspirators[9] in exchange for this information. Aphairacha, Yommaraj and other conspirators were arrested, stripped of their positions and titles, whipped with rattan cane blows, imprisoned[9] for life but spared not to be executed. Thepphiphit fortified himself at Wat Krachom temple against the incoming royal forces but was eventually forced to flee to the west before being caught at Phra Thaen Dong Rang (in modern Tha Maka district, Kanchanaburi Province). Coincidentally, a Dutch ship arrived at Ayutthaya to procure Siamese Buddhist monks to Ceylon or Sri Lankan Kingdom of Kandy. Ekkathat then had his half-brother Prince Thepphiphit, along with his family, wife and children, board on the Dutch ship to be transported and exiled to Ceylon.[3]: 209
Ekkathat also accused Phraya Phrakhlang the Minister of Trade of involvement in this aborted rebellion of Prince Thepphiphit.[3]: 208 Panicked, Phraya Phrakhlang resolved to give a large sum of money to the king to avert the royal anger. Ekkathat rewarded Phrakhlang with the elevated rank and title of Chaophraya Phrakhlang to be the acting Samuha Nayok or chief minister. Being simultaneously the Phrakhlang and the Samuha Nayok, Chaophraya Phrakhlang technically became the Siamese Prime Minister during the reign of Ekkathat. Next year, on the eleventh waxing of the fifth month,[6] Year 1121 of Culāsakaraj Era (19 March 1759), King Ekkathat held cremation funerary rites for his parents King Borommakot and Dowager Queen Phiphitmontri.
Burmese Invasion and Ayutthaya's Downfall
editIn 1759, Alaungpaya ordered his second son, Hsinbyushin, to attack Tenasserim and Mergui, telling Siam their friendship with Burma was ended since Siam refused to deliver a rebel Mon nobleman who had fled in a French vessel to Mergui. Meeting little resistance, the Burmese continued their advance by attacking other Siamese provincial towns. After capturing Phetchaburi, Alaungpaya decided to advance to Ayutthaya in 1760.[2]: 300–304
The Siamese capital was in confusion and an uproar after the Burmese had taken Ratchaburi. Ekkathat was forced to invite his abdicated brother, Uthumphon, to leave the priesthood and resume the sovereignty. Ekkathat became Somdet Phrachao Luang, "king who had abdicated his throne". Uthumphon then prepared the capital for a siege.[2]: 307
However, Alaungpaya was wounded during the siege, and died during the Burmese retreat.[2]: 310
This postponed the death of Ayutthaya for another 7 years.
Siam under Ekkathat was in turmoil. Ayutthaya lost its control over network cities and Ekkathat was said to be indulged by the luxury of the court and concubines. The peasants went on the rebellion. In 1766, the Burmese armies again invaded Siam—through Mergui under Mahanoratha and Lanna under Neimyo Thihapate after subjugating Lanna and Laotian kingdoms. The Burmese captured various peripheral cities to cut down any supports given to Ayutthaya. A Dutch source said the court faced bankruptcy. The capital totally lost contact with its satellite. Ayutthaya was then helpless.
Local accounts told that Ekkathat desperately tried to counter the Burmese. He ordered his remaining armies and fleets to counter the Burmese at Ratchaburi and Thon Buri, but the Burmese crushed them all. The two Burmese armies joined at Ayutthaya and laid the siege on the city. A foreign account claimed that Ekathat and his family secretly fled from the capital. The nobles then agreed to surrender. On April 7, 1767, Ayutthaya fell. The Burmese looted and burnt the city to the ground.
Death
editSiamese chronicles said Ekkathat died upon having been in starvation for more than ten days while concealing himself at Ban Chik Woods (Thai: ป่าบ้านจิก), adjacent to Wat Sangkhawat (Thai: วัดสังฆาวาส).,[2]: 356 where his dead body was discovered by a monk. Another possibility was that he was captured and taken to the Burmese encampment at Pho Sam Ton (Thai: ทุ่งโพธิ์สามต้น), where he died shortly thereafter.[10][11] He was buried at a mound named "Khok Phra Men" (Thai: โคกพระเมรุ), in front of a revered Siamese temple called "Phra Wihan Phra Mongkhonlabophit" (Thai: พระวิหารพระมงคลบพิตร).
The Burmese occupation did not last long. By the end of 1767, the remaining Burmese troops in Siam had been recalled to defend their homeland against the Chinese invasions (1765–1769), leaving Siam in a power vacuum. Taksin (governor of Tak) founded the Kingdom of Thonburi in 1768, and emerged as the primary contender by 1769.
Issue
edit| # | Consort and Concubines | Children |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Maengmao, Princess Wimonphat | Princess Siri Chanthrathewi (or Princess Noi) |
| 2. | Royal Concubine Pheng | Prince Praphai Kuman Princess Praphan Suriyawong |
| 3. | Royal Concubine Maen | Prince Suthat Kumara Princess Rutchathewi |
| Unknown mother | Prince Set Princess Dok Maduea |
Ancestry
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References
edit- ^ a b Wood, W. A. R. (1924). A History of Siam. T. Fisher Unwin. pp. 241–242.
- ^ a b c d e Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., ISBN 9747534584
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Ruangsilp, Bhawan (2007). Dutch East India Company Merchants at the Court of Ayutthaya: Dutch Perceptions of the Thai Kingdom, C.1604-1765. Brill.
- ^ Wyatt, David K. (2003). Thailand: A Short History (2nd ed.). Silkworm Books.
- ^ a b Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2017). A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k พระราชพงศาวดารฉบับสมเด็จพระพนรัตน์วัดพระเชตุพน ตรวจสอบชำระจากเอกสารตัวเขียน (in Thai). 2015.
- ^ "WAT KUDI DAO". History of Ayutthaya.
- ^ a b Arthayukti, Woraphat; Van Roy, Edward (2012). "Heritage Across Borders: The Funerary Monument of King Uthumphon" (PDF). Journal of Siam Society.
- ^ a b c d e "WAT PRADU SONGTHAM". History of Ayutthaya.
- ^ "History of Ayutthaya – Temples & Ruins – Wat Sangkhawat". www.ayutthaya-history.com.
- ^ "History of Ayutthaya – Geo Info – Areas – Thung Pho Sam Ton". www.ayutthaya-history.com.