Xiān ( Chinese : 暹 ) or Siam ( Thai : สยาม ) was a confederation of maritime-oriented port polities along the present Bay of Bangkok , including Ayodhya , Suphannabhum , and Phip Phli [ th ] , as well as Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor), which became Siam in the late 13th century. Previous studies suggested that the Xiān in Chinese dynasty records only referred to Sukhothai , but this presupposition has recently been rebutted.
101-478: Xiān was formed from city-states on the west Chao Phraya plain after the decline of Dvaravati in the 11th century. In 1178, the region was mentioned in the term San-lo 三濼 , as recorded in the Chinese Lingwai Daida . Xiān or Siam, which was also recorded as Suphan Buri and Nakhon Si Thammarat in the late 13th century, joined a federation with Lavo in 1351; this led to the formation of
202-454: A sotapanna or Buddhist saint and he believed that he could fly. In 1779, the pro-Siamese King Ang Non of Cambodia, an ally of Taksin, was murdered and the pro-Vietnamese Cambodian minister Chauvea Tolaha Mu took power. Taksin's relationship with his son Prince Inthraphithak deteriorated to the point that he banished his son from the palace. His paranoia and religious obsession worsened in mid-1780 when he commanded Buddhist monks to perform
303-576: A Teochew Chinese, sought imperial recognition from the Qing Beijing court. However, the Qing court under Emperor Qianlong refused to accept Taksin as the rightful ruler of Siam because Mạc Thiên Tứ the ruler of Hà Tiên had told Beijing that remaining descendants of the fallen Ayutthayan dynasty were with him in Hà Tiên. This urged Taksin to conduct an expedition in 1771 to destroy Hà Tiên and to capture
404-576: A continuation from the late Ayutthaya period (1688-1767), and the increased influence of the Chinese community in Siam, with Taksin and later monarchs sharing close connections and close family ties with the Sino-Siamese community. The Thonburi Kingdom lasted for only 14 years, ending in 1782 when Taksin was deposed by a major Thonburi military commander, Chao Phraya Chakri , who subsequently founded
505-509: A formidable opponent of Taksin. In 1770, the forces of Chao Phra Fang penetrated south as far as Chainat . King Taksin, in retaliation, led the Thonburi armies to capture Phitsanulok in August 1770. Thonburi forces continued north to seize Sawangkhaburi. Chao Phra Fang escaped and disappeared from history. With the conquest of the last rival regime by 1770, Taksin's position as the ruler of Siam
606-424: A list where the preceding entry has the word vrau in the same sentence position (K127). The term vrau has been considered the name of an ethnolinguistic minority group, possibly ancestors of the modem Bru or Brau people . Therefore, syam may have similarly functioned at that time, perhaps as a toponym that could also be used to refer to people of the area. Siam later occurs in slave lists on inscriptions of
707-665: A monk at Wat Arun with Phraya San taking control in Thonburi. Chaophraya Chakri in Cambodia, informed about the incidents, assigned his nephew Phra Suriya Aphai to lead armies from Nakhon Ratchasima to pacify Thonburi. Phraya San ordered Taksin's nephew Prince Anurak Songkhram to attack Phra Suriya Aphai at Bangkok Noi in the Battle of Bangkok Noi in April 1782. Phra Suriya Aphai was about to be overrun by Phraya San's forces when Siri Rochana, Lanna wife of Surasi, appealed to Binnya Sein
808-710: A move, reading “ do not harm Ma-li-yü-êrh (Melayu). The maritime Xian also attacked Samudera Pasai Sultanate on Sumatra probably between 1299–1310, but failed. The troops might have been launched by the southernmost Xian of Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom with either Takua Thalang or Trang or Syburi / Kedah as the navy bases. In the The Customs of Cambodia written by Zhou Daguan , who visited Zhenla as part of an official diplomatic delegation during 1296–1297, also referred to Siam people as: In recent years people from Siam have come to live in Cambodia , and unlike
909-593: A new campaign against Siam. He ordered troops to be gathered in Burmese Chiang Mai and the Mon town of Martaban in order to invade Siam from both the north and the west in two directions: a similar approach to the invasion of 1765-1767. In 1774, Binnya Sein , a nephew of Binnya Dala the last king of Hanthawaddy , led a failed Mon rebellion against Burma, resulting in the mass exodus of thousands of Mon people into Siam. Hsinbyushin appointed Maha Thiha Thura ,
1010-524: A preeminient military power within mainland Southeast Asia, overseeing the country's expansion to its greatest territorial extent up to that point in its history, incorporating Lan Na , the Laotian kingdoms ( Luang Phrabang , Vientiane , Champasak ), and Cambodia under the Siamese sphere of influence . The Thonburi Kingdom saw the consolidation and continued growth of Chinese trade from Qing China ,
1111-479: A rebellion broke out against Taksin in Ayutthaya due to conflicts over treasure digging rights. King Taksin sent Phraya San to quell the rebellion. However, Phraya San instead joined the rebels and returned to attack Thonburi. With most of his troops away in Cambodia, Taksin relied on Portuguese gunners to defend him, who would soon abandon the king. Taksin surrendered. Phraya San forced Taksin to abdicate and become
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#17327725086321212-636: A year. Despite the bunga mas tributes, the degree of actual Siamese control over the Malay sultanates in the Thonburi Period was doubtful. King Taksin requested military and monetary obligations from Pattani, Kelantan and Terengganu to aid Siam against the Burmese invasion in 1776. However, the Malay sultans ignored this order and did not face any repercussions. In 1777, Nakhon Nu the ruler of Ligor proposed to King Taksin to send expedition to subjugate
1313-423: Is recorded that an imperial order was issued again to summon and persuade the king of Xian in 1294. Due to such a persistent persuasion, the king of Xian named Gan-mu-ding (Kamrateng, กมรเต็ง ) from Pi-ch'a-pu-li city ( Phip Phli [ th ] ; present Phetchaburi ) personally appeared at the Chinese court to present the tribute with a golden plate in 1295. The tribute was sent from Xian again
1414-505: The wai to pay respect to him instead of other way round. Five hundred monks who refused to comply were flogged. Also in 1780, Taksin ordered massacre of some fifty Vietnamese people including Mạc Thiên Tứ and Nguyễn Phúc Xuân, who had earlier taken political refuge in Thonburi, for their alleged sedition. In May 1781, Taksin dispatched his first and only official tributary mission to China. In December 1781, King Taksin sent army of 20,000 men, led by Chaophrayas Chakri and Surasi, to fight
1515-546: The Ayutthaya Kingdom with the federal seat at Ayutthaya . Phip Phli [ th ] was demoted to a frontier city following the federative formation and was then governed by Suphan Buri, which was completely annexed into the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1438, whereas Nakhon Si Thammarat maintained its vassal status throughout the Ayutthaya and Thonburi eras with short periods of independence and
1616-513: The Champa and Khmer kingdoms , dated in the 11th and 12th centuries. From about the same period there is also a well-known bas relief panel of Angkor Wat showing mercenaries of the Khmer army, who are identified as syam-kuk , perhaps "of the land of Siam." One cannot be certain what ethnolinguistic group these mercenaries belonged to, but many scholars have thought them to be Siam people . At about
1717-584: The Chao Phraya . He took Thonburi and proceeded to attack the Burmese at Phosamton in November, defeating the Burmese commander Thugyi or Suki. Phraya Tak founded the new Siamese capital at Thonburi and enthroned himself as king there in December 1767. He is colloquially and posthumously known as King Taksin, combining his title Phraya Tak and his name Sin. For strategic reasons, Taksin decided to move
1818-479: The Dade Nanhai-zhi 大德南海志 mentions that Sù gū dǐ (速孤底, Sukhothai ) rely on Xian : "Xian controlled Sù gū dǐ , which is located upstream." ( 暹国管 上水速孤底 ). This makes Tatsuro assume that Sukhothai was controlled by Xian . However, a Thai academic, Keatkhamjorn Meekanon, proposes that Sukhothai may have had to use Xian to export. Xian additionally sent tribute to China in April and July 1314, 1319, and
1919-668: The Dvaravati period, found in the area together with the existing Dvaravati evidence—were probably the Buddism Mon . The migration of the Tai-speaking people from the north to the Chao Phraya River basin happened around the 9th century. It was speculated that the trade interaction between the polities as well as the intermarriage caused a language assimilation among the people in this area. According to
2020-823: The Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục Volume 9. In another Vietnamese chronicle, Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư , Xiān is also mentioned during the Lý dynasty and Trần dynasty periods, as follows: Xian or Siam people are described as maritime-oriented groups as said in the Chinese Daoyi Zhilüe : Its people are aggressive. Whenever they see another country in a state of disorder, they immediately dispatch as many as one hundred ships full of sago to invade it. Recently more than seventy ships invaded Dān mǎ xī ( 單馬錫 , identified as far as Tumasik, or Singapore ), and Xī lǐ ( 昔里 ) When someone dies, mercury will be injected into
2121-725: The Kra Isthmus as before 500 C.E., as well as the degradation of paper, which is more favored as a recording material in the Buddhist -dominated area. Chao Phraya River Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 549729567 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:41:48 GMT Thonburi kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom
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#17327725086322222-615: The Lingwai Daida , written in 1178, is believed to have been an early Chinese attempt to transcribe the name of the country or the people of the upper and central Menam , which Khmer inscriptions had called Syam and which the Chinese were soon to call Xiān and Xiānluó . In the Shū yù zhōu zī lù [ zh ] 殊域周咨錄 , written in 1583, states that when the Sui dynasty dynasty send an embassy to Chi Tu probably between 605 and 618,
2323-592: The Rattanakosin Kingdom , the fourth and present ruling kingdom of Thailand. Phraya Tak , personal name Sin, Zheng Zhao (鄭昭) or Zheng Xin (鄭信), was a nobleman of Teochew Chinese descent. By the time of Burmese Invasion of 1765-1767 , Phraya Tak had been the governor of Tak and called to join the defense of Ayutthaya. In January 1767, about three months before the Fall of Ayutthaya, Phraya Tak gathered his own forces of 500 followers and broke through
2424-539: The South China Sea since the beginning of the 1st millennium, the historical records about them were rarely found, and most of the existing evidence is local legends. The ancient entities mentioned in the Chinese records potentially located in the region are the five cities of Tun Sun and its northern neighbor Chin Lin . This is most likely owing to the change in maritime trade routes, which no longer need to cross
2525-496: The Sukhothai Kingdom in 1238. This first Siamese kingdom was succeeded by Ayutthaya , Thonburi , and Rattanakosin . His works were eventually translated and edited in 1924 by Cœdès , who made this theory proliferated through his influential writings, such as The Indianized States of Southeast Asia . However, the equation that Xian was long-believed Sukhothai was contested in 1989 by Tatsuro Yamamoto, who proposes that
2626-578: The Three Pagodas Pass in February 1775. Taksin was unprepared as most of his troops were in the north defending Chiang Mai. He recalled the northern Siamese troops down south to defend the west. Satpagyon Bo took Kanchanaburi and continued to Ratchaburi , where he encamped at Bangkaeo (modern Tambon Nangkaeo, Photharam district ), hence the name Bangkaeo Campaign . King Taksin sent preliminary forces under his son and his nephew to deal with
2727-598: The 11th century in the late Dvaravati period, which was potentially declined due to the Menam Valley and the upper Malay peninsula conquered of Tambralinga 's king Sujita who also seized Lavo in the mid-9th century. the 9-year civil wars in the Angkor in the early 11th century, which led to the devastation of Lavo , as well as the Pagan invasion of Menam Valley around the mid-11th century. All of these are probably
2828-425: The 7th century. It is probably a toponym referring to some location in the lower Chao Phraya Basin . In surviving inscriptions of this period, syam occurs four times to designate female slaves ("ku syam", Inscriptions K557 (dated 611 CE), K127 (683 CE), K154 (685 CE), and K904 (713 CE)) and once to identify a landlord-official ("pon syam"), who donates rice fields to a temple (K79 639 CE). In one case syam occurs in
2929-620: The Ayutthayan princes and to put the pro-Siamese Ang Non on the Cambodian throne. King Taksin ordered Phraya Yommaraj Thongduang (later King Rama I ) to bring the army of 10,000 men to invade Cambodia by land, while King Taksin himself with Phraya Phiphit Chen Lian (陳聯, called Trần Liên in Vietnamese sources) as the admiral invaded Hà Tiên with the fleet of 15,000 men. Hà Tiên fell to Siamese invaders in November 1771. Phraya Yommaraj
3030-518: The Burmese at Ratchaburi. The princes led the Siamese forces to completely encircle Satpagyon Bo at Bangkaeo in order to starve the Burmese into surrender. Northern Siamese troops arrived in the battlefield of Bangkaeo, bringing the total number of Siamese to 20,000 men, greatly outnumbering the Burmese. After 47 days of being encircled, Satpagyon Bo capitulated in March 1775. The Siamese took about 2,000 Burmese captives from this battle. Six months after
3131-410: The Burmese conquest for the second time after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. The untimely demise of Hsinbyushin saved Siam from such fate. King Taksin took this chance to pursue the retreating Burmese. The Burmese had all left Siam by August 1776 and the war came to the end. In 1765, Lao kingdoms of Luang Phrabang and Vientiane became Burmese vassals. After the Siamese capture of Chiang Mai in 1775,
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3232-513: The Burmese earned him loyalty but as situation progressed some began to notice noncomformity of his rule. He did not erect a great royal city with splendid palaces nor did he actively pursued the old Ayutthayan way. High titles and commands belonged to Taksin's early followers who were not much of high aristocratic stratum. Taksin's defeat at the hands of the Burmese in 1776 affected him greatly. After 1776, Taksin ceased to personally lead armies in battlefields but instead relegated military commands to
3333-696: The Burmese encirclement to the east. After battling with Burmese scouting forces and some local resistances, Phraya Tak and his retinue settled in Rayong on the eastern Siamese coast . There, Phraya Tak competed with Pu Lan the Phraya Chanthaburi or the governor of Chanthaburi for domination over the eastern coastline. In the famous episode, Phraya Tak ordered all cooking pots in the supplies to be destroyed and then successfully took Chanthaburi in June 1767. Phraya Tak established his dominions of influence on
3434-455: The Burmese influence in Laos waned. King Ong Boun of Vientiane had been a Burmese ally, as he instigated the Burmese to invade his rival Luang Phrabang two times in 1765 and 1771. King Taksin had been suspicious about Ong Boun being in cooperation with Burma. In 1777, the governor of Nangrong rebelled against Thonburi with support from Champasak . King Taksin ordered Chaophraya Chakri to lead
3535-557: The Burmese, was completely destroyed and burnt to the grounds. Maha Thiha Thura was preparing to march onto Thonburi when he learned of the death of the Burmese King Hsinbyushin in 1776. Maha Thiha Thura was recalled, decided to abruptly abandon the campaign in Siam and quickly return to Burma in order to support his son-in-law Singu Min to the Burmese throne. The remaining Burmese regiments in Siam were thus left disorganized and uncontrolled. Siam nearly succumbed to
3636-622: The Chinese The Customs of Cambodia by Zhou Daguan in 1296–1297, who records that Xiān is on the southwest of Chenla . In the Jinakalamali , a local Pali chronicle of the northern Thai principality of Lan Na ( Chiang Mai ) mentions siam-desa and siam-rattha refer to the "area (desa) or state (rattha) of Siam," which one passage further identifies as the Sukhothai region. Xiān city-states were formed around
3737-461: The Chinese records, the early Xian or Siam probably consisted of at least two main polities, including Phip Phli [ th ] , which sent emissaries to the Yuan dynasty during the late 13th century to the early 14th century, and Su-men-bang ( Suphannabhum ), which later joined Lavo in the Ayutthaya Kingdom formation. Ligor became Siam proper after the preceding Tambralinga fall due to
3838-618: The Late Ayutthaya Period, Siam was a prominent rice exporter to Qing China . After the Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Siamese economy collapsed. Rice production and economic activities ceased. Thonburi period was the time of economic crisis as people died from warfare and starvation and inflation was prevalent. Siam became a rice importer. In 1767, after his reconquest of Ayutthaya, King Taksin donated to over 1,000 desolate people. He also ordered an Ayutthayan bronze cannon to be broken down into pieces to buy rice and distribute to
3939-620: The Late Ayutthaya Period. The Ayutthayan court relied on trade with China under the Chinese tributary system as a source of revenue. The Dutch had earlier abandoned their factory in Ayutthaya and left Siam in 1765 due to the Burmese invasion. The Thonburi court sent a letter to the Supreme Government of Dutch East Indies Company at Batavia in 1769 in efforts to resume the trade but the Dutch were not interested. King Taksin, himself
4040-524: The Late Ayutthaya. Two prime ministers; Samuha Nayok the prime minister and Samuha Kalahom the minister of military, led the central government. In the early years of Thonburi, Chaophraya Chakri Mud the Muslim of Persian descent hold the position of Samuha Nayok until his death in 1774. Chakri Mut was succeeded as prime minister by Chaophraya Chakri Thongduang who later became King Rama I. Below
4141-621: The Ligor regime, an autonomous ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Ligor would enjoy autonomy until the end of Thonburi Period in 1782 when King Rama I curbed the power of the Ligor by demoting the ruler of Ligor to be the 'governor' instead. With the exception of Bunma (later Chao Phraya Surisi and later Maha Sura Singhanat ), a member of the old Ayutthaya artistocracy who had joined Taksin early on in his campaigns of reunification, and later Bunma's brother, Thongduang (later Chao Phraya Chakri and later King Rama I ), high political positions and titles within
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4242-479: The Liphi waterfall and capture Champasak including the king Sayakumane who was taken to Thonburi. Chakri and Surasi then converged on Vientiane. King Surinyavong of Luang Phrabang, who had long been holding grudges against Ong Boun, joined the Siamese side and contributed forces. King Ong Boun assigned his son Nanthasen to lead the defense of Vientiane. Nanthasen managed to resist the Siamese for four months until
4343-681: The Malay sultanates. King Taksin refused, however, stating that the defense of frontiers against Burmese incursions was more of priority. Siam only resumed real political control over the Northern Malay sultanates in 1786 in the Rattanakosin Period. With the exception of the western Tenasserim Coast , the Thonburi Kingdom reconquered most of the land previously held under the Ayutthaya Kingdom and expanded Siam to its greatest territorial extent up to that point. During
4444-746: The Mon leader to assault Prince Anurak Songkhram in the rear, allowing Phra Suriya Aphai to prevail with Phraya San's army retreated. Chaophraya Chakri, having brokered a truce with the Vietnamese, marched to return to Thonburi. He convened a judicial court to try Taksin and Phraya San of their wrongdoings. Taksin was executed for his "improper and unjust actions that caused great pain for the kingdom". Phraya San, his supporters and Thonburi loyalists, total number of 150 people, were also executed. Taksin's son Inthraphithak, Taksin's nephews Anurak Songkhram and Prince Ramphubet were executed but his other young children were spared and allowed to live. Chaophraya Chakri ascended
4545-515: The Mon refugees. Taksin ordered Chaophraya Chakri to lead the vanguard to Lampang, where Kawila had earlier insurrected against the Burmese. Kawila led the way for the Siamese armies to Chiang Mai. The brothers Chaophraya Chakri and Surasi combined forces to successfully seize Chiang Mai in January 1775. Burmese leaders Thado Mindin and Nemyo Thihapate retreated to Chiang Saen where they reestablished Burmese administrative headquarter. This began
4646-458: The Siamese armies to invade and retaliate against Champasak. After this expedition, Taksin rewarded Chakri with the rank and title of Somdet Chaophraya Maha Kasatsuk. The rank of Somdet Chaophraya was the highest possible a noble could attain with honors equal to a prince. In 1778, Phra Vo, a Lao secessionist figure, sought protection under Siam against Ong Boun of Vientiane. However, Ong Boun managed to send troops to defeat and kill Phra Vo in
4747-656: The Siamese victory at Bangkaeo, in September 1775, the Burmese from Chiang Saen attacked Chiang Mai again. The two Chaophrayas Chakri and Surasi led troops north to defend Chiang Mai. However, Maha Thiha Thura took this opportunity to personally lead the Burmese armies of 35,000 men through the Mae Lamao Pass to invade Hua Mueang Nuea or Northern Siam in October. Chakri and Surasi had to hurriedly return to defend Phitsanulok. Maha Thiha Thura laid siege on Phitsanulok,
4848-706: The Thonburi Kingdom at its height in 1782, to varying degrees of autonomy, included the Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom , the Northern Thai principalities of Chiang Mai , Lampang , Nan , Lamphun , and Phrae , and the Lao Kingdoms of Champasak , Luang Phrabang , and Vientiane . (Ayutthaya) (720 g of silver) (Thonburi) (2,400 g of silver) (Thonburi) (3,600 g of silver) (Thonburi) (600 g of silver) (Rattanakosin) (1,200 g of silver) (Rattanakosin) (420 g of silver) In
4949-663: The Thonburi Kingdom were mainly given to Taksin's early followers, instead of the already established Siamese nobility who survived after the fall of Ayutthaya, many of whom having supported Thepphiphit , the governor of Phitsanulok and an Ayutthaya aristocrat, during the Siamese civil war. In the Northern cities, centered around Sukhothai and Phitsanulok , Taksin installed early supporters of his who had distinguished themselves in battle, many of whom were allowed to establish their own local dynasties afterwards, but elsewhere, several noble families had kept their titles and positions within
5050-510: The Thonburi period, Siam acquired new Prathetsarat s or tributary kingdoms . Thonburi took control of Lanna in 1775, ending the 200 years of Burmese vassalage, which became Northern Thailand today. Taksin appointed his supporters against the Burmese, Phaya Chaban and Kawila, as the governors of Chiang Mai and Lampang respectively in 1775. The princedom of Nan also came under the power of Thonburi in 1775. However, Burma pushed on an intensive campaign to reclaim lost Lanna territories, resulting in
5151-467: The Vietnamese forces of Nguyễn Phúc Ánh to restore Siamese influence in Cambodia and to install his own son Inthraphithak as new King of Cambodia. He burnt a court lady alive, suspecting that she had stolen from his treasury and falsely punished around three hundred people, for their alleged smuggling of rice and salt, at the instigation of two corrupted officials. Chinese merchants had to renounce almost all commerce, some were even killed. In March 1782,
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#17327725086325252-494: The abandonment of Chiang Mai in 1777 and Nan in 1775 due to Burmese threats. Only Lampang under Kawila stood as the forefront citadel against Burmese incursions. After the capture of Vientiane in 1779, all of the three Lao kingdoms of Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak became tributary kingdoms under Siamese suzerainty. King Taksin appointed the Lao prince Nanthasen as the new King of Vientiane in 1781. Vassal ( mandala ) states of
5353-517: The administrative center of Northern Siam. King Taksin led the royal armies from Thonburi to the north and stationed at Pakphing near Phitsanulok in efforts to relieve the siege of the city. Maha Thiha Thura managed to attack the Siamese supply line at Nakhon Sawan and Uthaithani . He also defeated King Taksin in the Battle of Pakphing in March 1776, compelling the Siamese king to retreat south to Phichit . Chaophrayas Chakri and Surasi then decided to abandon and evacuate Phitsanulok. Phitsanulok fell to
5454-573: The armies to seize control of Phnom Penh and Cambodia in July 1772, prompting Ang Non to move to Kampot . However, this Siamese-Vietnamese War coincided with the uprising of the Tây Sơn , which began in 1771, against the Nguyen Lord's regime. Instability at home made the Nguyen Lord order Mạc Thiên Tứ to make peace with Siam in 1773. Taksin then realized that the Siamese control over Cambodia and Hà Tiên
5555-560: The best goods imported at a very low price and selling them again to the merchants of the town at 100 percent interest". During the early years of Thonburi, a Teochew Chinese Phraya Phiphit Chen Lian was the acting Phrakhlang or the Minister of Trade. Chen Lian was appointed as the governor of Hà Tiên in 1771 and was succeeded as Phrakhlang by another Chinese Phraya Phichai Aisawan Yang Jinzong (楊進宗). Siamese economic conditions improved over time as trade and production resumed. After
5656-517: The body to preserve. The people, both men and women, dress in the same way as the Lavo (tire hair in a bun, wrap it with a cotton turban, and wear a long shirt) and use shell coins as currency. At the end of the 13th century, an emerging Xian seems to have started a southward advance to the cost of the Malay peninsular . The well-known Chinese imperial admonition issued in the year 1295 well reflects such
5757-573: The brothers Chaophraya Chakri and Chaophraya Surasi so powers shifted away from him as he focused on religious pursuits. Chaophraya Chakri emerged as the most powerful courtier and came to represent old Ayutthayan elite. King Taksin persecuted French missionaries in 1775 for their refusals to participate in a ceremony and ended up expelling them from Siam in 1779. A decade of strenuous warfare had taken toll on him. In late 1776, Taksin began to obsess with Buddhist Kammaṭṭhāna meditations. In 1777, Taksin declared before Sangha council that he had become
5858-668: The capital from Ayutthaya to Thonburi, making it easier for commerce. Six months after the Fall of Ayutthaya, Taksin managed to reconquer and establish his powers in Central Siam. A Burmese force from Tavoy arrived to attack the Chinese encampment of Bangkung in Samut Songkhram . King Taksin repelled the Burmese in the Battle of Bangkung in 1768. King Taksin then went on his campaigns against other competing rival regimes to unify Siam. He first moved against Phitsanulok in
5959-511: The causes of the decline of the initial states in this area. The region, as well as Junk Ceylon ( Phuket ) and Tambralinga , were once raid by the Mau Shans from Shan States in his Indo-China raid campaign between 1220 and 1230. Prince Damrong , who constructed a unilinear system of Thai history that was previously generally acknowledged in school textbooks, proposed in 1914 that the history of Thais in Siam proper began with establishing
6060-467: The common folk by partaking in public activities and traditional festivities, thereby abandoning the shroud of mysticism as adopted by many Ayutthaya monarchs. Also similar to Naresuan, Taksin was known for being a cruel and authoritarian monarch. Taksin reigned rather plainly, doing little to emphasize his new capital as the spiritual successor to Ayutthaya and adopted an existing wat besides his palace, Wat Jaeng (also spelled Wat Chaeng, later Wat Arun ), as
6161-513: The devastation of Central Siam by the Burmese invasion of 1775–1776, however, Siam was again plunged into another economic downturn. King Taksin ordered his high-ranking ministers to supervise the rice production in the outskirts of Thonburi and had to postpone tributary mission to China. During the Burmese Invasion of Ayutthaya, the elites of Ayutthaya found no way to protect their wealth and belongings other than by simply burying them in
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#17327725086326262-529: The eastern coast stretching from Bang Plasoi ( Chonburi ) to Trat . Ayutthaya fell in April 1767. Due to the intervening Sino-Burmese War , Burma was obliged to divert most of its forces from Ayutthaya to the Chinese front. The Burmese had left a garrison at Phosamton to the north of Ayutthaya under the command of the Mon Thugyi. The Burmese were in control only in Lower Central Siam as
6363-537: The establishment of Ayutthaya , which was said to be formed by the merging of Lavo and Siam's Suphan Buri . The new polity was recorded by the Chinese as Xiānluó hú 暹羅斛 and was later shortened to Xiānluó 暹羅 . This confederation performed 41 tributary missions to the Chinese court during the Hongwu era, 33 in the name of Xiānluó hú and as Xiānluó for the remaining. During the 1334–1336 Trần dynasty invasion of Ai Lao [ zh ] , Xiān and other countries paid tribute to Đại Việt , as mentioned in
6464-563: The face of Burmese invasion due to numerical inferiority of his forces. Chiang Mai was then abandoned and ceased to exist as a functional city for twenty years until it was restored in 1797. Lampang under Kawila stood as the main frontline citadel against subsequent Burmese incursions. Plan of King Hsinbyushin to invade Siam from two directions was foiled by the Mon Rebellion and the Siamese capture of Chiang Mai. Maha Thiha Thura, who had taken commanding position in Martaban, sent his vanguard force under Satpagyon Bo to invade Western Siam through
6565-409: The following year. In 1297, emissaries from Xian , Luó hú (羅斛, Lavo ), and Jambi ( Srivijaya ) were recorded. In 1299, both Xian and Sù gǔ chí (速古漦, Sukhothai ) sent tribute to China. These last two records indicate that Xian is not Sukhothai and the polities in the Chao Phraya River basin at that time consisted of at least 3 polities, including Lavo , Sukhothai , and Xian . In 1304,
6666-440: The future king Anouvong , were deported to settle in Thonburi and various places in Central Siam . All three Lao kingdoms of Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak became the tributary kingdoms of Siam on this occasion. Taksin's ruling style differed from traditional Ayutthayan mystic kingship in the aspect that it was based on personal charisma and merits rather than exquisite grandeur. Initially, Taksin's energy in fighting
6767-407: The kingdom was already renamed to Xian , as the quote below. 暹古名赤土，羅斛古名婆羅剎也。暹國土瘠不宜耕種，羅斛土田平衍而多稼。 The ancient name of Xiān is Chì Tǔ , and the ancient name of Luó Hú is Póluó Shā . The land in Xiān is barren and unsuitable for farming, but the fields of Luó Hú are flat and full of crops. According to the Daoyi Zhilüe , Luó hú ( Lavo ) annexed Xiān in 1349; this was consistent with
6868-451: The last one in 1323. As described in Daoyi Zhilüe (1351), the export items of Xian included sappanwood , tin, chaulmoorgra , ivory, and kingfisher feathers. Xian appearing in Chinese dynastic history is found in the biography of Chen-yi-zhong in the Sung-shi . It reads, “In the 19th year of the Zhi-yuan 至元 era (1282–83) the Great Army attacked Champa and [Chen] Yi-zhong fled to Xian , where he died eventually.” Chen-yi-zhong
6969-424: The local Lanna nobles. King Taksin marched against the Burmese-held Chiang Mai in 1771 but failed to take the city. In Chiang Mai, Thado Mindin faced opposition from Phaya Chaban Boonma, the native Lanna noble who led the resistance against Burmese domination. In 1772, King Hsinbyushin of the Burmese Konbaung dynasty realized that Siam had recovered and arose powerful under Thonburi regime. Hsinbyushin initiated
7070-489: The locals, they engage in silk production . The mulberry trees they grow and the silkworms they raise all come from Siam. (They have no ramie , either, only hemp .) They themselves weave the silk into clothes made of a black, patterned satiny silk. Siamese women do know how to stitch and darn, so when local people have torn or damaged clothing they ask them to do the mending. The term Siam , whose origin remains disputed, first occurs as syam in Old Khmer inscriptions of
7171-405: The losses in the 1247–70 wars in Sri Lanka , the 1268–69 invasion of the Javanese Singhasari , and the 1270 plague. It was revived by the Siam people from Phip Phli [ th ] and evolved to the Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom . Although archaeological studies specify that the region was once a vibrant trading spot controlling long-distance maritime trade between the Indian Ocean and
7272-494: The new kingdom (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Lan Na), (the ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat that Taksin defeated during the civil war was reinstated as its ruler) whose personal connections made them a formidable force within the Thonburi court. The Thonburi period saw the return of 'personal kingship', a style of ruling that was used by Naresuan but was abandoned by Naresuan's successors after his death. Taksin, similar to Naresuan, personally led armies into battle and often revealed himself to
7373-442: The new pro-Siamese King of Cambodia. With the Ayutthayan princes gone, the Qing court had improved attitudes towards Taksin.The Qing finally recognized Taksin as Wang (王) or King or the ruler of Siam in 1777 in the Chinese tributary system. After the Burmese conquest of Lanna (modern Northern Thailand ) in 1763, Lanna including Chiang Mai returned to the Burmese rule. Thado Mindin the Burmese governor of Chiang Mai oppressed
7474-583: The north in 1768 but was defeated at Koeichai with Taksin himself got shot at his leg. Thonburi went on to conquer the Phimai regime in the northeast in 1768 and the Nakhon Si Thammarat regime in October 1769. Prince Thepphiphit was executed but Nakhon Nu of Ligor was allowed to live in custody. In the north, Chao Phra Fang conquered and incorporated the Phitsanulok regime in 1768, becoming
7575-499: The north once and for all by conducting an expedition to seize the Burmese-held Chiang Mai in December 1774. This expedition to the north coincided with the Mon refugee situation. Phaya Chaban of Chiang Mai, upon learning of the Siamese invasion, joined with Kawila of Lampang to overthrow the Burmese. Phaya Chaban, under the guise of navigation, ran to submit to Taksin. King Taksin marched to Tak where he received
7676-452: The present Suphanburi Province as some tributary missions sent to the Chinese in the Hongwu era were done under the name of King of Su-men-bang 蘇門邦 of Xiānluó hú , in which the term Su-men-bang has been identified with Suphanburi . In 1295, an envoy led by Xian's king Gan-mu-ding from Pi-ch'a-pu-li , which identified with Phetchaburi , visit the Chinese court. These correspond with
7777-402: The prime minister were the four ministers of Chatusadom . Like in Ayutthaya, the regional government was organized in the hierarchy of cities, in which smaller towns were under jurisdiction of larger cities. The provincial government was an association of local lords tied by personal ties to the king. The regional administrative center of Northern Siam was Phitsanulok, while for Southern Siam
7878-483: The principal temple of his kingdom. Taksin largely emphasized the building of moats and defensive walls in Thonburi, all while only building a modest Chinese-style residence and adding a pavilion to house the Emerald Buddha and Phra Bang images at Wat Jaeng, recently taken in 1778 from the Lao states ( Vientiane and Luang Prabang , respectively). After the Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Siamese mandala system
7979-620: The renowned general from the Sino-Burmese War, to be the supreme commander of the new campaigns and assigned Nemyo Thihapate , the Burmese general who had previously conquered Ayutthaya in 1767, to be in charge of Burmese forces in Lanna. The Burmese forces from Chiang Mai attacked the Northern Siamese border towns of Sawankhalok in 1771 and Phichai in 1772-1773. Taksin was then resolved to extinguish Burmese threat from
8080-697: The rest of Siam fell into the hands of various warlord regimes that sprang up. In the northeast, Prince Kromma Muen Thepphiphit established himself in Phimai . To the north, Chaophraya Phitsanulok Rueang made his base in Phitsanulok , while the heterodox monk Chao Phra Fang founded a theocratic regime in Sawangkhaburi . To the south, Phra Palat Nu or Chao Nakhon became the leader of Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor) regime. In October 1767, Phraya Tak left Chanthaburi and took his fleet of 5,000 men to
8181-663: The royal revenue. Prominent royal merchants of King Taksin included Phra Aphaiwanit Ong Mua-seng (王満盛, a grandson of Ong Heng-Chuan 王興全 the Hokkien Chinese Phrakhlang of the Late Ayutthaya) and Phra Phichaiwari Lin Ngou (林伍). J. G. Koenig, the Danish botanist who visited Siam in 1779, observed that Siam "was amply provided with all sorts of articles from China" and that King Taksin made fortunes by "buying
8282-452: The ruler of Siam in Chinese tributary system because Mạc Thiên Tứ had told Beijing that the remaining descendants of the Ayutthayan dynasty were with him in Hà Tiên. In 1769, King Taksin urged the pro-Vietnamese King Ang Ton of Cambodia to send tributes to Siam. Ang Ton refused and Taksin sent armies to invade Cambodia in 1769 but did not meet with success. In 1771, Taksin resumed his campaigns to invade Cambodia and Hà Tiên in order to find
8383-500: The same time (from AD 1120 onwards) in Pagan to the west syam occurs over twenty times in Old Mon and Burmese inscriptions. One syam reference is to Saṁbyaṅ an Old Mon title for a high government official, but the term mainly occurs in lists of temple slaves, both male and female. Some Syaṁ are identified by occupation, such as dancers, weavers, or carpenters. The people in the early Xian proper—based on inscriptions dated to
8484-453: The same year. This provoked Taksin who regarded Phra Vo as his subject. The death of Phra Vo at the hands of Vientiane served as the casus belli for Thonburi to initiate the subjugation of Lao kingdoms in 1778. He ordered Chaophraya Chakri to conduct the invasion of Laos. Chaophraya Chakri commanded his brother Chaophraya Surasi to go to Cambodia to raise troops there and invade Laos from another direction. Surasi led his Cambodian army to cross
8585-506: The scions of former dynasty. Only then the Qing finally recognized Taksin as the King of Siam in the Chinese tributary system in 1777. Even though Siam did not procure successful relation with China until 1777, trade in private sectors flourished. A Chinese document from 1776 suggested a rapid revival of Sino-Siamese trade after the Burmese war. King Taksin employed his own personal Chinese merchants to trade at Guangzhou to acquire wealth into
8686-456: The situation became critical. Ong Boun secretly escaped Vientiane, leaving his son Nanthasen to surrender and open the city gates to the Siamese in 1779. Buddha images of Emerald Buddha and Phra Bang , the palladia of the Vientiane kingdom, were taken by the victorious Siamese to Thonburi to be placed at Wat Arun . Lao inhabitants of Vientiane, including members of royalty Nanthasen and
8787-421: The starving populace, earning him a great popularity. The rice commodity price in Thonburi period was high, reaching apex in 1770 at the price of three Chang per one Kwian of rice. Thonburi court purchased imported rice and distribute it to ease the famine crisis. The port city-state of Hà Tiên was the major rice exporter into Siam before 1771. Qing China and the Dutch were the main trading partners of Siam in
8888-547: The term "Xian 暹 " found in Dade Nanhai-zhi during the era of the Yuan Dynasty (1297–1307) was probably another polity politically superior to Sukhothai . Several modern studies also declined the theory that Sukhothai was the first independent Siam polity. Xiān was first mentioned in Chinese record Yuán Shǐ 元史 in 1278 when Yuan dynasty sent He Zi-zhi 何子志 , a commander with 10,000 households, as an emissary to Xian but they were detained by Champa . Xiān
8989-420: The throne as King Rama I , founding the new and current-ruling Chakri dynasty of the Rattanakosin Kingdom in April 1782. Thonburi government organization was centered around a loose-knit organization of city-states, whose provincial lords were appointed through 'personal ties' to the king, similar to Ayutthaya and, later, Rattanakosin administrations. Thonburi inherited most of the government apparatus from
9090-480: The transfer of Lanna from Burmese rule to Siamese domination after 200 years of Lanna being under Burmese suzerainty, even though northern parts of Lanna including Chiang Saen would remain under Burmese rule for another thirty years until 1804. Phaya Chaban was rewarded with the governorship of Chiang Mai whereas Kawila was made the governor of Lampang. In 1777, the Burmese attacked Chiang Mai in their bid to reclaim Lanna. Phaya Chaban decided to evacuate Chiang Mai in
9191-433: Was Nakhon Si Thammarat. After his conquest of Hua Mueang Nuea or Northern Siam in 1770, King Taksin installed his early followers who had distinguished themselves in battles as the governors of Northern Siamese cities. Governors of Sawankhalok , Nakhon Sawan and Sankhaburi were given exceptionally high rank of Chaophraya , while the central Chatusadom ministers were ranked lower as Phraya . Chaophraya Surasi Boonma
9292-500: Was a defeated minister of the Southern Sung Dynasty who tried unsuccessfully to find a haven in Champa , which was eventually invaded by the Yuan army. Chen ’s subsequent flight to Xian might suggest that Xian was a commercially flourishing port in the post- Srivijayan Southeast Asian trade order, where the Southern Sung Dynasty minister could find a settlement of compatriots. Another term San-lo 三濼 in
9393-538: Was a major Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi , in Siam or present-day Thailand . The kingdom was founded by Taksin the Great , who reunited Siam following the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom , which saw the country separate into five warring regional states. The Thonburi Kingdom oversaw the rapid reunification and reestablishment of Siam as
9494-573: Was also able to seize control of Oudong and Cambodia. Both Mạc Thiên Tứ and the Cambodian king Ang Ton fled to Cochinchina under the protection from the Nguyen Lord. Taksin appointed Chen Lian as the new governor of Hà Tiên with the title of Phraya Rachasetthi. The Siamese armies continued in search for Mạc Thiên Tứ and Ang Ton but were defeated by Vietnamese forces at Châu Đốc . Taksin put Ang Non in power in Cambodia with himself returning to Thonburi in December 1771, leaving Chen Lian in Hà Tiên and Phraya Yommaraj to be in charge in Cambodia. Prince Chui
9595-559: Was assured and Siam was unified at last. In the eighteenth century, the port city of Hà Tiên , ruled by the Cantonese Mạc Thiên Tứ , arose to become the economic center of the Gulf of Siam . After the fall of Ayutthaya, two Ayutthayan princes: Prince Chao Sisang and Prince Chao Chui, took refuge at Oudong the royal city of Cambodia and Hà Tiên, respectively. The Qing Chinese court at Beijing refused to recognize King Taksin as
9696-500: Was captured and brought to be executed at Thonburi, while Prince Sisang died in 1772. The Nguyen Lord Nguyễn Phúc Thuần organized the Vietnamese counter-offensives in order to restore Mạc Thiên Tứ and Ang Ton to their former positions. Chen Lian, the Siam-appointed governor of Hà Tiên, was defeated and left Hà Tiên for three days until he managed to raise a fleet to retake the city. The Vietnamese commander Nguyễn Cửu Đàm led
9797-490: Was demoted to Rattanakosin 's province in 1782. As described in the Chinese Daoyi Zhilüe , Xiān was surrounded by height mountains and deep valleys and was not located in the infertile land, which made the polities have to depend upon the neighbor Luó hú ( Lavo ) for the rice supply. It supports the people with commerce. Several studies propose that Xiān might refer to the Suphannabhum Kingdom centered in
9898-486: Was in disarray and its former tributary states faced political uncertainties. The Malay sultanates that used to pay bunga mas tributes to Ayutthaya initially nullified their tributary ties and refused any further allegiance. After the establishment of Thonburi and the momentous rebirth of Siam, the sultanates of Pattani , Terengganu and possibly Kedah sent tributes to Thonburi in 1769. Francis Light mentioned that Kedah had sent tributes to Siam but did not specify
9999-420: Was on the list of the entities that Kublai Khan prepared to conquer, together with Lavo and several kingdoms on the Malay peninsular , Sumatra , South India , and Ceylon after his final conquest of China in 1279. Ten years later, the first tribute sent to China by Xian was mentioned in 1292. The Chinese court dispatched emissaries to persuade Xian to submit the following year, but Xian refused. It
10100-401: Was the governor of Phitsanulok during Thonburi times. Phitsanulok and other Northern Siamese towns were devastated by Maha Thiha Thura's invasion in 1775–1776. After his conquest of the Ligor regime in 1769, Taksin made his nephew Prince Nara Suriyawong the ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Prince Nara Suriyawong of Ligor died in 1776 and King Taksin made Chaophraya Nakhon Nu , the former leader of
10201-449: Was untenable. He ordered the withdrawal of Siamese troops from Cambodia and Hà Tiên in 1773 but not before 10,000 Cambodians were taken as captives to Siam. Ang Ton resumed his rule in Cambodia. With the Vietnamese support dwindling due to the Tây Sơn uprising, however, Ang Ton decided to reconcile with his rival Ang Non and with Siam. Ang Ton abdicated in 1775 in favor of Ang Non, who became
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