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The King Taksin

Everybody who know there is a country called Thailand existed in the world must know its Capital now is Bangkok.(Well, don’t feel strange about my sentence. I have a Thai girl friend whose soon-to-be-husband French boy friend’s family first got to know there is a country called Thailand in Asia when they met their to-be-daughter-in-law in France.)

But before Bangkok, the capital of Thailand (known as Siam at that time) was Ayutthaya. And before Ayutthaya were Sukhothai and Chiang Mai- but let’s just talk about: why the current capital is Bangkok now? , or simply just focus on the question “why did the Thais move the capital to Bangkok from Ayutthaya?” Here is the story behind: The biggest foreign enemy of Thais should be Burmese. Burmese has been attacking the Thais since both countries were born in history. Let’s skip the stories of conflict in between, as the stories were like China VS Japan, France VS Britain or Germany VS Denmark, too long, and too complicated but the Thais and Burmese dislike each other because of the long standing war over time. The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya (again) in 1765. This time the Burmese caused much threat to the Thais. Burmase soldiers destroyed everything, including temples, manuscripts, and religious sculptures. Members of the Thai old royal family of Ayutthaya had died, escaped, or been captured by the Burmese and many rival claimants for the throne emerged, based in different areas of the country. The situation seemed hopeless. But out of this national catastrophe emerged yet another savior of the Thai state: General Phraya Taksin, the son of a Chinese father and a Thai mother, former governor of Tak. Within a few years this determined warrior had defeated not only all his rivals but also the Burmese invaders and had claimed himself king. Since Ayutthaya had been so completely devastated, King Taksin chose to establish his capital at Thon Buri (across the river from a small village: Bangkok). King Taksin is so prowess a general and an inspirational leader that all attempts by the Burmese to re-conquer Siam failed. The rallying of the Thai nation during a time of crisis was King Taksin's greatest achievement. But the situation changed. History stories told us that some time after taking the throne. Taksin became deranged, and claimed that he was the Buddha. He was said to abuse his courtiers and the Sangha alike. Chao Phaya Chakri had returned from a campaign against the Khmer, by then officials urged him to depose Taksin and ascend to the throne himself. Chao Phaya Chakri and Taksin had been friends and comrades in the army. A council declared that TakSin had to be executed in the prescribed manner for royalty. No royal blood could be shed. King Taksin was put in a silk bag and beaten with sandalwood clubs. (Some books mentioned that he cut off Taksin’s head and let it drop in the bag/vase, so still no royal blood on the floor- but it’s only a different saying and nobody can prove it.) The new king, Phraphutthayotfa Chulalok, or Rama I, was the monarch who established Bangkok as the capital of Thailand and was also the founder of the Royal House of Chakri, of which the ruling monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is the ninth king. The significance of his reign in Thai history is therefore manifold. If you have only been to Bangkok but never been to Ayutthaya in Thailand, and if you are interested in Asian history, consider Ayutthaya in in your next Thai-trip plan, it takes around 2-3 hours by train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya (go to Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok city centre to catch this train) and you can see the old, destroyed, but very historic temples, and feel for yourself the huge ancient city - the previous capital of Siam.

-Kylie Thaphong







	The King Taksin Everybody who know there is a country called Thailand existed in the world must know its Capital now is Bangkok.(Well, don’t feel strange about my sentence. I have a Thai girl friend whose soon-to-be-husband French boy friend’s family first got to know there is a country called Thailand in Asia when they met their to-be-daughter-in-law in France.) But before Bangkok, the capital of Thailand (known as Siam at that time) was Ayutthaya. And before Ayutthaya were Sukhothai and Chiang Mai- but let’s just talk about: why the current capital is Bangkok now? , or simply just focus on the question “why did the Thais move the capital to Bangkok from Ayutthaya?” Here is the story behind: The biggest foreign enemy of Thais should be Burmese. Burmese has been attacking the Thais since both countries were born in history. Let’s skip the stories of conflict in between, as the stories were like China VS Japan, France VS Britain or Germany VS Denmark, too long, and too complicated but the Thais and Burmese dislike each other because of the long standing war over time. The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya (again) in 1765. This time the Burmese caused much threat to the Thais. Burmase soldiers destroyed everything, including temples, manuscripts, and religious sculptures. Members of the Thai old royal family of Ayutthaya had died, escaped, or been captured by the Burmese and many rival claimants for the throne emerged, based in different areas of the country. The situation seemed hopeless. But out of this national catastrophe emerged yet another savior of the Thai state: General Phraya Taksin, the son of a Chinese father and a Thai mother, former governor of Tak. Within a few years this determined warrior had defeated not only all his rivals but also the Burmese invaders and had claimed himself king. Since Ayutthaya had been so completely devastated, King Taksin chose to establish his capital at Thon Buri (across the river from a small village: Bangkok). King Taksin is so prowess a general and an inspirational leader that all attempts by the Burmese to re-conquer Siam failed. The rallying of the Thai nation during a time of crisis was King Taksin's greatest achievement. But the situation changed. History stories told us that some time after taking the throne. Taksin became deranged, and claimed that he was the Buddha. He was said to abuse his courtiers and the Sangha alike. Chao Phaya Chakri had returned from a campaign against the Khmer, by then officials urged him to depose Taksin and ascend to the throne himself. Chao Phaya Chakri and Taksin had been friends and comrades in the army. A council declared that TakSin had to be executed in the prescribed manner for royalty. No royal blood could be shed. King Taksin was put in a silk bag and beaten with sandalwood clubs. (Some books mentioned that he cut off Taksin’s head and let it drop in the bag/vase, so still no royal blood on the floor- but it’s only a different saying and nobody can prove it.) The new king, Phraphutthayotfa Chulalok, or Rama I, was the monarch who established Bangkok as the capital of Thailand and was also the founder of the Royal House of Chakri, of which the ruling monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is the ninth king. The significance of his reign in Thai history is therefore manifold. If you have only been to Bangkok but never been to Ayutthaya in Thailand, and if you are interested in Asian history, consider Ayutthaya in in your next Thai-trip plan, it takes around 2-3 hours by train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya (go to Hua Lamphong train station in Bangkok city centre to catch this train) and you can see the old, destroyed, but very historic temples, and feel for yourself the huge ancient city - the previous capital of Siam. -Kylie Thaphong