Taksin's reunification of Siam


Following the Sack of Ayutthaya and the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom during the Burmese–Siamese War, a power vacuum left Siam divided into 5 autonomous cliques —Phimai, Phitsanulok, Sawangkhaburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Thonburi. The Burmese invasion force, having returned to Burma off their successful sack of Ayutthaya and to defend its homeland against an imposing Chinese invasion of Ava, were too preoccupied to take advantage of the power vacuum in Siam.
The Thonburi kingdom, led by Taksin, prevailed, subjugating its rivals to successfully reunify Siam under the Thonburi Kingdom by 1770/71.
To defend his flanks against a future Burmese invasion, Taksin later invaded Lan Na while Hsinbyushin sent small invasion forces to counter Taksin's military operations. Taksin, however, succeeded in driving back the small Burmese invasions and captured Lan Na in 1775, leading to the dying Hsinbyushin to send one last major military expedition to destroy Thonburi in 1775-76.
This second wave of Burmese-Siamese warfare would not end until the early 19th century, depopulating much of Siam while Taksin secured a militaristic Siamese successor state to the Ayutthaya Kingdom at the new Siamese capital of Thonburi.

Background

Origin of Taksin

Taksin was born in 1734 with the birth name Sin or Zheng Xin. His father, Zheng Yong, was a Teochew Chinese merchant and tax collector who had earlier immigrated from Huafu village in Chenghai, Guangdong, to serve in Siam. His mother, Nok-iang, was of Siamese-Mon descent. The story of the early formative years of Taksin is mostly drawn from Miraculous Deeds of Ancestors, a work that was officially published in 1930 and may be attributed to the Thai historian K.S.R. Kulap. According to this narrative, Taksin was adopted by a Siamese high-ranking minister and rose through the ranks of Ayutthayan bureaucracy. However, this work was possibly written more than a century after the described events and its historical verifiability is questionable, leading some modern scholars to consider this narrative ahistorical. Most of the sources composed in early Rattanakosin period described Taksin as being originally a simple Chinese caravan merchant who used his wealth to buy the position of governor of Tak from the Ayutthayan court. Nevertheless, Taksin was appointed governor of Tak in 1764, receiving the title of Phraya Tak. By 1765, Taksin was ordered by the Ayutthayan court to help defend the city against the Burmese invasion. Very little was known about Taksin before 1765 as few historical evidences survived.

Burmese Invasions of Ayutthaya

The Mon King Binnya Dala of Hanthawaddy Kingdom seized the Burmese royal city of Ava in 1752, toppling the centuries-old Burmese Toungoo dynasty. The power vacuum left Aung Zeiya, a local Burmese man of Moksobo village, to quickly rise powerful in his resistance against the Mon rule. Aung Zeiya declared himself King Alaungpaya of the newfound Konbaung dynasty in 1752. Alaungpaya consolidated his powers in Upper Burma and invaded Lower Burma, which had been under the rule of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom. In 1757, Alaungpaya destroyed the Mon royal capital of Pegu and dissolved the Mon kingdom, unifying both upper and lower Burma under his rule.
After the death of Prince Thammathibet in 1756 in a political incident, King Borommakot of Ayutthaya decided to skip his second son Ekkathat in favor of his third son Uthumphon born to his principal queens to be appointed as the new heir, citing the incompetency of Ekkathat as the reason of his decision. Borommakot died in April 1758. Three other sons of Borommakot, known as Chao Sam Krom, who were born to Borommakot's secondary consorts, competed for the throne against Uthumphon in May 1758. Even though Uthumphon prevailed and the Three Princes were eventually killed, he sat for barely a month on the throne as he felt the pressure to relinquish the throne to his elder brother Ekkathat. Uthumphon abdicated in June 1758 and became a Buddhist monk, earning him the epithet Khun Luang Hawat. Ekkathat eventually ascended the throne as the last king of Ayutthaya. Prince Kromma Muen Thepphiphit, another son of Borommakot and a political ally of Uthumphon, came up with a conspiracy to overthrow Ekkathat and reinue Uthumphon. However, the seditious plot was leaked and Thepphiphit was exiled to Sri Lanka in 1758.
In January 1760, Burmese King Alaungpaya sent his vanguard army to conquer the Siamese-held cities of Mergui and Tenasserim. He then quickly led his armies to attack Ayutthaya in April 1760. The Ayutthaya Royal City had not been threatened so directly by external invaders since 1587. However, the annual flooding of Ayutthaya, along with Alaungpaya's illness, forced the Burmese to retreat. He died on his way back to Burma on that occasion. After involving in a political conflict in Sri Lanka, Thepphiphit was repatriated to Siam in 1762, arriving at the port city of Tenasserim. Ekkathat was surprised by the return of his half-brother and had him confined in Chanthaburi, on the eastern coast.
Burma conquered Lanna in 1763 and the Lao kingdoms of Luang Phrabang and Vientiane in 1765, securing all of the Siamese northern frontiers. In 1765, the new Burmese king, Hsinbyushin, launched a pincer-movement campaign against Siam by ordering his forces to invade from both the north and the west, with the goal of converging on Ayutthaya. The Siamese peripheral towns offered little to no resistance, as the royal court adopted a defensive strategy by concentrating its forces in Ayutthaya itself. By January 1766, the Burmese had once again reached the outskirts of Ayutthaya and laid siege to the city. In March 1766, Chaophraya Phrakhlang led Siamese forces in an attack against the Burmese general Nemyo Thihapate in the northern suburbs. However, Phrakhlang was defeated and forced to retreat. It was only due to the rear protection provided by Taksin that he was able to withdraw safely. Meanwhile, Thepphiphit, still confined in Chanthaburi, volunteered to lead a resistance against the Burmese and gathered his forces at Prachinburi. However, he was defeated—either by the Burmese or by forces sent by King Ekkathat, who distrusted his half-brother. The prince fled to Nakhon Ratchasima. In November 1766, Taksin and Phraya Phetchaburi Rueang led the Siamese riverine fleet to face the Burmese at Wat Sangkhawat in the southeastern outskirts of Ayutthaya near Wat Yai Chaimongkhon. The Siamese were defeated, and Phraya Phetchaburi Rueang was killed in battle. Taksin was later blamed for the loss of his comrade.

Prince Thepphiphit in Phimai

After his defeat at Prachinburi, Prince Thepphiphit went through the Chong Ruea Taek Pass to Nakhon Ratchasima. He sent gifts to Phraya Nakhon Ratchasima, the governor of the city, seeking an alliance. However, Phraya Nakhon Ratchasima rejected the offer and threatened to arrest the prince. In response, Thepphiphit gathered a force of 450 men and secretly sent his son, Prince Prayong, disguised, into Khorat. On September 17, 1766, Prince Prayong's forces ambushed and assassinated Phraya Nakhon Ratchasima. Thepphiphit then seized control of the city. Luang Phaeng, the younger brother of the slain governor, fled to take refuge in Phimai with Phra Phimai, the governor of the city. Five days later, on September 22, Phra Phimai and Luang Phaeng brought forces to attack Khorat. Luang Phaeng successfully recaptured the city on September 26, avenging his brother's death. Thepphiphit's sons, including Prince Prayong, were executed. Luang Phaeng proposed executing Thepphiphit as well, but Phra Phimai intervened and took the prince with him back to Phimai.
It turned out that Phra Phimai was loyal to Thepphiphit. At Phimai, he declared Thepphiphit a king. From that point, Thepphiphit became known as Chao Phimai. Phra Phimai was appointed Prime Minister with the title Chaophraya Suriyawong. His two sons were granted the noble titles Phraya Mahamontri and Phraya Worawongsa. Phra Phimai then devised a plan to kill Luang Phaeng. He paid a visit to Luang Phaeng in Khorat. Luang Phaeng trusted their friendship, so he did not suspect anything. While they were watching a traditional performance together, Phra Phimai rose up and killed Luang Phaeng with his sword. Phra Phimai then took control of Nakhon Ratchasima and left his son, Phraya Worawongsa, to govern the city. By late 1766, the Phimai kingdom, under the leadership of Prince Thepphiphit, had emerged with authority extending across the Khorat Plateau.

List of kings during the interregnum of the five kingdoms after the fall (1767-1770)

Kingdom of Phitsanulok

Kingdom of Sawangkhalok

Kingdom of Nakhon Si Thammarat

Kingdom of Phimai

Taksin's journey to the east

Departure from Ayutthaya

By January 1767, the situation for Ayutthaya's defenders had become dire, as food supply depleted and more people surrendered to the Burmese besiegers. An earlier incident highlighted this desperation—when Siamese gunpowder was running low, King Ekkathat ordered that every cannon shot had to be pre-permitted by the royal court. Taksin was tried for firing a cannon without permission. These events disheartened him. Realizing that Ayutthaya could not withstand the Burmese assault, Taksin began planning to break through the Burmese encirclement to seek a new position to the east. In the night of January 3, 1767, Taksin gathered about 500 Siamese-Chinese followers from Ayutthaya at Wat Phichai Songkhram, just outside the city's eastern wall. These original followers included:
  • Phra Chiang-ngeon, governor of the Chiang-ngeon near Tak
  • Luang Phichairacha or Luang Phichai-asa, son of Phraya Phetchaburi Rueang
  • Khun Phiphit Wathi, a Teochew Chinese
  • Cambodian Prince Ang Non, who had taken refuge in Ayutthaya in 1758 due to political conflict
Apart from these, Thai chronicles also mentioned several other minor names that cannot be identified with any personalities in subsequent periods. Taksin's followers were mostly adventurous mid-ranking officials. That night, before midnight, Taksin led his followers in a successful breakout through the Burmese line to the east. By midnight, a great fire broke out in Ayutthaya, so illuminated that can be seen by Taksin. On January 4, the Burmese followed and caught up with him at Phosaohan, about twenty kilometers east of Ayutthaya. Taksin led his Chinese-Siamese forces in successfully repelling them—the first victory after his departure.
On January 5, a local leader, Khun Chamnan Phraison, gave six elephants to Taksin and guided him to Ban Dong. There, Taksin encountered local resistance, as the leaders refused to submit. The inhabitants had formed an autonomous encampment with around 1,000 men. On January 6, Taksin led his smaller force in an attack on Ban Dong, defeating the defenders, who surrendered afterward.
Taksin continued his journey through Nakhon Nayok, reaching Prachinburi on January 10. Phra Chiang-ngeon, moving too slowly, was left behind. Taksin punished him with caning for disobedience. A large Burmese army advanced from Paknam Cholo on the Bangpakong River toward Prachinburi. Taksin prepared to defend by positioning his cannons. On January 10, the Burmese reached Taksin at Prachinburi, leading to the Battle of Prachinburi. Taksin ordered all cannons to fire at once—three full rounds—before the Burmese were finally dispersed.
Following this victory, Taksin moved downstream along the Bang Pakong River to the Gulf of Siam. He reach Bang Plasoi on January 19, defeated local resistance at Pattaya, and continued along the eastern coastline through Jomtien and Sattahip. He arrived in Rayong on January 25.