Ekkathat

Ekkathat 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 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 (), 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 an older half-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 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, uniting Upper and Lower Burma under the new Burmese dynasty after seventeen years of internal warfare. == Ascension ==

Brief reign of Uthumphon In 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, Year 1120 of Culāsakaraj Era, 29 April 1758, 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 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, earning Uthumphon the epithet Khun Luang Hawat (), meaning the King Who Sought Temple. Enthronement Ekkathat, 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 (癬王), while Vietnamese sources called Ekkathat Phong Vương (chữ hán: 瘋王) or 'Leper King'. The new king Ekkathat made his mother Queen Phiphitmontri the Dowager Queen with title Kromphra Thephamat (). 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 was known as Khamen Padong () or "Forest Cambodia", pertaining the non-state nature of the Northern Khmer people, along with the brethren Austroasiatic Kuy people, in the area. These Northern Khmer people had lived during the days of Angkor and remained in the area after the collapse. Ekkathat sent officials to retrieve the white elephant with cooperation from local Northern Khmer-Kuy community leaders. To repay their gratitude, King Ekkathat granted them Siamese noble titles; • Takacha of Khukhan was appointed as Luang Suwan. • Chiangkha of Sangkha was appointed as Luang Phet. • Chiangpum of Banteay Sman or Pathai Saman (modern Surin) was appointed as Luang Surin Phakdi. • Chiangsi of Rattanaburi was appointed as Luang Si Nakhontai. These Northern Khmer-Kuy settlements were raised into Mueang or towns under loose control of Siam. Through these new-established connections, Siam exerted control over Khamen Padong or Northern Khmer-Kuy area. This area yielded valuable forest products sent to Ayutthaya as Suay tributes. These local leaders paid at least nominal respect to Siam. Submission of these Kuy leaders was later confirmed and strengthened in 1777 during the Thonburi Period. == Burmese Invasion of 1760 ==

Cause of the War The Burmese Second Inwa dynasty was toppled by the Mons of the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom by the conquest of Ava the Burmese royal capital in 1752. The new Burmese leader Aung Zeiya emerged at Shwebo to fight the Mons. Aung Zeiya was enthroned as King Alaungpaya and founded the new Burmese Konbaung dynasty in 1752. The new militaristic Burmese dynasty emerged powerful. After the Burmese conquest of the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom by King Alaungpaya in 1757 and subsequent persecutions by the Burmese, a large number of Mon people fled to take refuge in Siam. The new Burmese regime then viewed Siam as being supportive of the Mon resistance against Burma. In late 1758, King Alaungpaya of Burma went on his campaign to invade Manipur. However, simultaneously, the Mons of Lower Burma rebelled during the Burmese king's absence. The Mon rebellion was quickly suppressed by the local Burmese authorities in early 1759. A French ship carrying the Mon rebels took off from Syriam and landed at the Siamese port of Mergui on the Tenasserim Coast. After returning from his campaign in Manipur, King Alaungpaya departed from his royal capital of Shwebo in July 1759, along with his entire family and entourage, to take a religious pilgrimage to Rangoon in Lower Burma to dedicate a Zayat pavilion and to make other Buddhist merits at the Shwedagon Pagoda. (modern Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan district) against the Burmese, Siamese commanders simply retreated to Ayutthaya. Alaungpaya and his vanguard quickly swept through the Western Siamese towns of Kuiburi, Pranburi, Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi The Chinese–Siamese mercenary forces, however, were quickly defeated by the Burmese under Minkhaung Nawrahta. This Siamese defeat allowed Minkhaung Nawrahta to approach the northern section of Ayutthaya's city walls at Phaniat or the elephant khedda. , just off the northern walls of Ayutthaya, was the place where the Burmese stationed their cannons to fire onto Ayutthaya in April 1760. Chaophraya Aphairacha the Chief Minister told Ekkathat and Uthumphon that they should not send out Siamese forces against the besieging Burmese but rather waited for the rainy season to arrive, then the Burmese would be obliged to retreat. On April 9, a fire broke out in Ayutthaya. Ekkathat and Uthumphon suspected of possible foul play. Chaophraya Phrakhlang, Ekkathat's Chief Minister, was imprisoned for his alleged collaboration with the Burmese. On 13 April 1760, Burmese forces attacked the southern moat of Ayutthaya, where a great number of populace had taken refuge. The Burmese indiscriminately massacred Ayutthayan people on the southern moat, their bodies piling up and filling the moat. Nicolaas Bang, the Dutch opperhoofd of Ayutthaya, was killed during this violent attack. On 16 April 1760, the Burmese stationed their cannons at Wat Na Phramen temple just off the northern wall to fire onto Ayutthaya. Suriyat Amarin Throne Hall, the royal residence of Ekkathat, was hit by Burmese cannon fires, causing the palace spire to collapse. King Alaungpaya at Ban Kum suddenly fell ill on April 16. His son Prince Myedu and his vanguard commander Minkhaung Nawrahta convinced the Burmese king to retreat. Alaungpaya and his Burmese forces left Ban Kum to retreat next day on 17 April 1760, thus prematurely ending the war. Sudden departure of the Burmese caused some Siamese chroniclers to speculate that King Alaungpaya himself was injured by a cannon explosion at Wat Na Phramen temple but, in fact, Alaungpaya likely stayed at his base at Ban Kum. The ailing Burmese king Alaungpaya eventually died on his way back to Burma in May 1760. Ayutthaya was thus saved from Burmese conquest and destruction for one last time. == Interbellum Events ==

Resumption of Power After the Burmese retreat, the two kings Ekkathat and his younger brother Uthumphon seemed to peacefully coexist for a while in the royal court. In order to reduce the influence of Ekkathat's two consorts, Uthumphon ordered Princess Maengmao, a daughter of King Borommakot born to a secondary consort, who had been a Buddhist nun, to leave her nunnery to become a consort of King Ekkathat in 1760. Ekkathat made his half-sister Princess Maengmao his chief queen with title Kromma Khun Wimonphat (), given her high birth status as a royal princess. Queen Wimonphat bore a princess, Princess Si Chanthathewi. Things took a negative turn when, on one day in the waxing of the eighth month this group of Mon refugee men at Nakhon Nayok, called Mon Mai or the "New Mons", arose in rebellion due to oppression by local Siamese officials. The Mon rebels took position of Khao Nangbuat Mountain in modern Sarika, Mueang Nakhon Nayok district to the northeast of Nakhon Nayok town. Lacking modern firearms, the Mon rebels armed themselves only with melee wooden sticks. King Ekkathat and Ayutthayan royal court responded by sending the royal forces of 2,000 men In 1718, James Collison, a representative of Joseph Colett the British governor of Madras, arrived in Ayutthaya in the reign of King Thaisa to settle some trade disputes. After the death of Alaungpaya in 1760, his son and successor the new Burmese king Naungdawgyi sent Burmese forces of 7,500 men under Abaya Kamani and Minhla Thiri (who later became Maha Nawrahta) in October 1762 to attack and conquer Chiang Mai and Lamphun. Facing an overwhelming Burmese invasion, in December 1762, the ruler of Lamphun and his Northern Thai subjects fled their town to take refuge at Phichai, a Siamese frontier town to the southeast of Lamphun. King Ekkathat then ordered the ruler of Lamphun and other Northern Thai refugees to move down south to take shelter at Banglang the northern Khanon or riverine duty checkpoint on the Lopburi River in the Phosamton neighborhood about five kilometers to the north of Ayutthaya in modern Bang Pahan district. King Ong Chan of Chiang Mai sent a request to Ayutthaya for military aid against the Burmese invaders. King Ekkathat of Ayutthaya responded by sending Northern Siamese forces of 5,000 men under Chaophraya Phitsanulok Rueang the governor of Phitsanulok to aid Chiang Mai. However, Chaing Mai fell to the Burmese in August 1763 before the Siamese relief forces could reach Chiang Mai. King Ong Chan of Chiang Mai, along with his Northern Thai subjects, were deported wholesale to Burma. The Siamese, who had already reached Tak, did not engage with the Burmese and simply returned. Burmese conquest of Lanna was detrimental to Siam's geopolitical situation as Lanna would become the base for Burmese military operations in the region, providing the Burmese with vast manpower, supplies and other resources. Submission of Tavoy Burmese king Naungdawgyi died in December 1763, succeeded by his younger brother Prince Myedu, who ascended the throne as the new Burmese king Hsinbyushin. Hsinbyushin, formerly Prince Myedu, led the vanguard force of his father Alaungpaya during the Burmese invasion of Siam in 1760 and had an opportunity to learn about Siamese geography and military tactics. His experience in Siam would affect and influence the Burmese strategy on the upcoming Burmese invasion of Siam in 1765 that would eventually led to the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. The Burmese gained control of Tavoy in December 1759 or January 1760 during Alaungpaya's campaign. Tavoy had been under attack by rebels since 1761, according to the writings of Pierre Brigot the vicar apostolic of Siam. Udaungza, a Burmese official, seized control of Tavoy some time after and killed the Konbaung-appointed governor there. After the demise of the Burmese king Naungdawgyi, in December 1763 or early 1764, Udaungza the self-proclaimed ruler of Tavoy sent tributes to submit to Ayutthaya. Siam then assumed control over the whole Tenasserim Coast from Tavoy to Mergui, though this control would be short-lived. == Burmese Invasion of 1765 ==

Burmese preparation The new Burmese king Hsinbyushin inherited his father Alaungpaya's energy and military talent. bringing the two Lao kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane under Burmese suzerainty. Burmese conquests of Lanna and Laos enabled the Burmese to access vast manpower resources, swelling up the Burmese-Lanna army of Nemyo Thihapate to 43,000 men The Siamese put up substantial resistances at Sawankhalok and Phitsanulok but were overwhelmed by the downpouring and more resilient Burmese. Most of Northern Siamese towns offered little resistance. With Phitsanulok resisting strong, Nemyo Thihapate's vanguard under Satpagyon Bo went down in the less-defended pathway through Tak and Kamphaeng Phet. Nemyo Thihapate then proceeded to take position at Nakhon Sawan north of Ayutthaya. Three months later, in October 1765, Maha Nawrahta himself led his main Tavoy column of 20,000 men to enter Central Siam from the west. Ekkathat had commanded the governors of Phitsanulok and Nakhon Ratchasima, two major Siamese peripheral cities, to bring their forces to defend Ayutthaya. However, Chaophraya Phitsanulok Rueang the governor of Phitsanulok told the king that he had to return to attend the funeral of his mother at his hometown of Phitsanulok. Ekkathat could do nothing with this powerful governor who simply deserted the war to return to Phitsanulok. Upon realizing the perils of deadly Burmese invasion, Abraham Werndlij the Dutch opperhoofd of Ayutthaya decided to pack up and left Ayutthaya in October 1765 without the approval of the Siamese king, ending Ayutthaya–Dutch relations. During this tumultuous time, Prince Chaofa Chit, who had been imprisoned in Ayutthaya for political reasons, broke the prison and fled to visit Uthumphon the temple king at Wat Pradu temple, apparently to persuade Uthumphon to rise against Ekkathat. This event put Ayutthayan royal court in turmoil as the Siamese king seemed to be bothered more by internal princely struggles than by external Burmese threats. When Uthumphon refused to comply, Prince Chaofa Chit fled north to Phitsanulok, where he was soon executed by Chaophraya Phitsanulok Rueang. In late 1765, William Powney the British merchant arrived in Ayutthaya to trade his imported Indian textiles but was instead asked by Chaophraya Phrakhlang, Ekkathat's Chief Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to help Ayutthaya repelling the Burmese invaders. Powney agreed and anchored his war brigantine at Thonburi, speculating the Burmese attack. The Burmese indeed attacked Powney at Thonburi in December 1765, prompting Powney to retreat to Nonthaburi. Realizing the Burmese military competency, Powney asked for more Siamese weapons and put up a tougher resistance. In the climactic Battle of Nonthaburi in December 1765, the Burmese feigned retreat as Powney brought his British–Siamese forces to occupy Nonthaburi. However, Powney soon realized he was surrounded by the Burmese who closed in to massacre the British. Humiliated by defeat and the Siamese court uncomplacent, Powney and his remaining British crew decided to take their ship to leave Siam. == Burmese Siege of Ayutthaya: 1766–1767 ==

Battle of the outskirts After subjugating and conquering Northern and Western Siamese peripheral cities and towns, the Burmese recruited a large number of surrendered Siamese men into their own ranks, adding to Burmese numerical strength. The Burmese invaders approached the Siamese royal citadel of Ayutthaya in January 1766 in three directions; • Maha Nawrahta and his Burmese–Mon regiments of 'Tavoy column' of about 20,000 men took Suphanburi to the west of Ayutthaya and then approached Ayutthaya from the west, taking position at Siguk in modern Bangban district, ten kilometers to the west of Ayutthaya. Siamese king Ekkathat sent Chaophraya Phollathep the Minister of Agriculture to lead Siamese to repel the Burmese at Siguk but was defeated. • Nemyo Thihapate and his Burmese–Lanna 'Chiang Mai column', absorbing Lanna and Lao men rising up to 43,000 men, and the arrival of wet rainy season to ward off the Burmese. Meanwhile, when the Burmese were besieging Ayutthaya, in February 1766, a local Siamese resistance emerged against Burmese occupation in Bang Rachan, composing of local Siamese fighting men and some venerable monks as spiritual leaders. Bang Rachan defenders, however, fought against a local Burmese garrison in Wiset Chaichan rather than the main Burmese forces. According to Thai chronicles written later in 1795 in Siamese patriotic tone, the Bang Rachan encampment managed to resist the attempts of local Burmese garrison to subjugate them seven times, only falling to the Burmese on the eighth attack on 20 June 1766 (2nd waning of eighth lunar month). Burmese Siege of Ayutthaya For whole seven months, from February to September 1766, there was no major battles between the Burmese besiegers and Ayutthayan defenders as the Siamese resorted to traditional strategy of passive stand inside of the Ayutthaya citadel. Ayutthayan defenders initially flared well as they were blessed with plentiful food resources. French missionaries described the situation in Ayutthaya as "only the beggars suffer from hunger". The Siamese simply waited out for the rainy season to come. When the rainy season arrived in May, the Siamese expected the Burmese to leave but the Burmese had other plans. Maha Nawrahta insisted that the Burmese besiegers should not relinquish their position at the advent of the wet season but rather persevered in the swampy inundated outskirts of Ayutthaya. Maha Nawrahta ordered the Burmese to move their food supplies and resources to unflooded high grounds, constructed boat vessels for transport and even cultivated rice. to leave Ayutthaya to the east in January 1767. The situation became increasingly desperate in Ayutthaya as the food became depleted and Ayutthayan people simply surrendered to the besieging Burmese to escape hunger. Last defenses of Ayutthaya Due to the intervening Qing Chinese invasion of Burma, in January 1767, King Hsinbyushin, who did not set foot into Siam in this campaign, ordered the Burmese besiegers to hasten their conquest of Ayutthaya to surround Ayutthaya and to escalate the siege. Ekkathat recruited Chinese mercenaries under Luang Aphaiphiphat to fight against the Burmese in last resort as the last line of defense. The Chinese mercenaries fortified themselves at Khlong Suan Phlu the Chinatown off the southeastern corner of Ayutthaya and the Portuguese at Ban Portuket nearby. However, some Chinese took this opportunity to go to loot and destroy Wat Phra Phutthabat temple of the Buddha's Footprint at Saraburi – the most sacred religious site of the kingdom. Ekkathat could do nothing against these looters but to simply ask the Chinese to return the gold they had taken from the sacred temple. The Portuguese Catholic defenders initially put up strong resistances against the Burmese besiegers. Ekkathat sent out his delegate Phraya Kalahom the Minister of Military to negotiate with Maha Nawrahta. Maha Nawrahta, however, demanded unconditional surrender. Maha Nawrahta soon died of illness in February 1767, leaving his colleague Nemyo Thihapate as the supreme commander of the Burmese forces besieging Ayutthaya. The Chinese Ayutthayan defenders were defeated by the Burmese in February 1767 and the Portuguese were also defeated in March, with all Portuguese Catholic churches, the Dutch trade factory and Chinese settlements on the southern side all burnt down and destroyed by the Burmese. == Fall of Ayutthaya and demise ==

Fall of Ayutthaya By March 1767, Ayutthaya had depleted all of its defenses. Even local bandits volunteered to fight the Burmese. Nemyo Thihapate at Phosamton, then sole supreme commander of all the besieging Burmese forces, devised a plan to finalize the conquest of Ayutthaya. Nemyo Thihapate ordered the digging of underground tunnels ordered the body of Ekkathat to be exhumed and given proper ceremonies. Ekkathat's body was hurriedly buried by the Burmese at a mound named "Khok Phra Men" (), in front of a revered Siamese temple called "Phra Wihan Phra Mongkhonlabophit" (). After the Burmese conquest of Ayutthaya, Nemyo Thihapate the supreme Burmese commander left Ayutthaya about two months later in June 1767 in November 1767. Ekkathat's younger brother Uthumphon survived as a Buddhist monk and spent about thirty years in exile in Ava and Amarapura, Burma until his eventual death in 1796. ==Issue==