Taksin's reunification of Siam

Prince Thepphiphit (เทพพิพิธ) [th] of Ban Phlu Luang, the last ruling Ayutthaya dynasty, had set himself up as the ruler of Phimai after the Fall of Ayutthaya, holding sway over a large swathe of land in Isan (then known as Khorat). A son of King Borommakot (r. 1733-1758) of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thepphiphit returned to Siam after being in exile in Sri Lanka to fight in the Burmese-Siamese War (1765-1767), unsuccessfully performing a diversionary action against the Burmese forces during the Siege of Ayutthaya in 1766. Out of the five newly established independent rulers, only Thepphitphit would claim legitimacy to the former Ayutthaya Kingdom.[5][6]

Rueang Rojanakun (เรือง โรจนกุล) [th], the governor of Phitsanulok, had proclaimed himself independent, with the territory under his control extending from Tak to Nakhon Sawan. Largely supported by the surviving Ayutthaya nobles who remained in Siam after the Fall of Ayutthaya.

Chao Phra Fang (เจ้าพระฝาง) [th], an influential monk, established his own state with the capital set in the town of Sawangburi, 10 km east of Uttaradit city. His territory extended from Uttaradit to Nan.

Phra Chao Khattiyarachanikhom (พระเจ้าขัตติยราชนิคม) [th], the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat, declared his independence and raised himself to princely rank.[7] His territory covered most of what is now southern Thailand.

Phraya Taksin, the governor of Tak, of Teochew and possibly of Thai ancestry, established his new capital at Thonburi, after initially basing his operations out of Chanthaburi.[8] His following was a varied assortment of Chinese merchants, adventurers, and minor nobles,[9] and would go on to successfully reunify Siam in the next few years.

Ruins of the city of Ayutthaya. Due to the nature of its destruction by the Burmese, Taksin abandoned the city and moved his capital to Thonburi, on the opposite bank of what is today Bangkok.

On 3 January 1767, 3 months before the fall of Ayutthaya,[10] Taksin made his way out of the city at the head of 500 followers to Rayong, on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand.[11] This action was never adequately explained, as the royal compound and Ayutthaya proper was on an island. How Taksin and his followers fought their way out of the Burmese encirclement remains a mystery. He travelled first to Chonburi, a town on the Gulf of Thailand's eastern coast, and then to Rayong, where he raised a small army and his supporters began to address him as Prince Tak.[12] He planned to attack and capture Chanthaburi, according to a popular version of oral history, he said, "We are going to attack Chanthaburi tonight. Destroy all the food and utensils we have, for we will have our food in Chanthaburi tomorrow morning."[13]

On 7 April 1767, Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese. After the destruction of Ayutthaya and the death of the Thai king, the country was split into six parts, with Taksin controlling the east coast. Together with Thongduang, now Chao Phraya Chakri, he eventually managed to drive back the Burmese, defeat his rivals and reunify the country.[14]

With his soldiers he moved to Chanthaburi, and being rebuffed by the governor of the town, he made a surprise night attack and captured Chanthaburi on 15 June 1767, only two months after the sack of Ayutthaya.[15] His army was rapidly increasing in numbers, as men of Chanthaburi and Trat, which had not been plundered and depopulated by the Burmese,[16] naturally constituted a suitable base for him to make preparations for the liberation of his motherland.[17]

Having thoroughly looted Ayutthaya, the Burmese did not seem to show serious interest in holding the capital of Siam, since they left around 3,000 troops under General Suki to control the shattered city. They turned their attention to the north of their own country, which was soon threatened with four massive Chinese invasion.

Taksin's coronation as King of Thonburi at Thonburi Palace, Thonburi, 28 Dec 1767

In October 1767, Taksin captured the town of Thonburi, then a small port just 20 km to the Gulf of Thailand, across the Chao Phraya River from present-day Bangkok. Due to its close proximity to the ocean, Taksin established his new capital at the port town.[18]

In December 1767, Taksin underwent a coronation of sorts, declared himself king, and held a symbolic funeral for the deceased King Ekkathat.[19][20]

On 6 November 1767, having amassed 5,000 troops, Taksin sailed up the Chao Phraya River and seized Thonburi an area opposite of present day Bangkok. He executed the puppet Thai governor, Thong-in, whom the Burmese had placed in charge.[21] He followed up his victory quickly by attacking the main Burmese camp in the Battle of Pho Sam Ton near Ayutthaya.[22] The Burmese were defeated and Taksin won back Ayutthaya from the enemy within seven months of its destruction.[17]

Hsinbyushin of Burma had never abandoned his plan to force Siam to its knees, and as soon as he had been informed of the foundation of Thonburi as Taksin's capital, he commanded the Governor of Tavoy, Maengki Manya (Thai: แมงกี้มารหญ้า), to subjugate him in 1767. The Burmese Army numbering 2,000 men advanced to the district of Bang Kung in the province of Samut Songkram to the west of the new capital, but was routed by the Thai king in the Battle of Bang Kung in 1767, which is also the site of Wat Bang Kung.[23][24] When more Chinese troops invaded Burma, Hsinbyushin was forced to recall most of his troops back to resist the Chinese.

Taksin's campaigns of reunification, 1767-71

The independent Siamese states following the Fall of Ayutthaya, 1767

Following Taksin's conquest of Khorat and Chao Phra Fang's conquest of Phitsanulok, 1768

Following Taksin's conquest of Nakhon Si Thammarat, 1769

Following Taksin's conquest of Phitsanulok and Sawangburi, 1770

In 1768, Taksin sent an army to attack Phitsanulok. Taksin was injured during the campaign and had to retreat, however, it was a cadmean victory for the State of Phitsanulok as it was weakened to the point that it was subjugated by the State of Sawangburi. Rueang Rojanakun died on the same year. However, the cause of his death remains unknown. Some scholars speculate that his death was from tuberculosis.

In the same year, Taksin sent two commanders, Thongduang (later Rama I) and Bunma, both brothers, to attack the State of Phimai. The invasion was a success and forced Thepphiphit, the ruler of Phimai to flee to Vientiane. Thepphiphit was later captured and then executed.

In 1769, Thongduang, now Phraya Chakri, attacked Nakhon Si Thammarat, but got bogged down at Chaiya. Taksin sent his army to help capturing Nakhon Si Thammarat and finally won. The governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat was taken prisoner by the governor of Pattani and delivered to Taksin. The governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat was pardoned by Taksin and given a residence at the capital at Thonburi.[25]

In 1770, Chao Phra Fang, the ruler of the State of Sawangburi invaded the State of Thonburi. The Sawangburi forces reached as far as Chai Nat. Taksin saw the invasion as a threat to his rule. He decided to deal with this matter and ordered an invasion of the State of Sawangburi. Taksin was accompanied by Phraya Phichai, who led the west army and Bunma who led the east army. The Thonburi forces easily took Phitsanulok and captured Sawangburi in the next 3 days. Thonburi had finally reunified Siam as one kingdom.[26] Chao Phra Fang's fate is unknown as he disappeared following the capture of Sawangburi.

In 1770, the Burmese army attacked the city of Sawankhalok, but was repulsed.

In 1771, following repeated failed attempts made by the Cantonese merchant ruler of Banteay Mas (Hà Tiên), Mạc Thiên Tứ, to undermine Taksin in a bid to expand his own territory into Siam and Cambodia, Taksin launched a retaliatory land and naval assault on Hà Tiên, which resulted in Mo Thien Tu's flight, thereby ending the last serious threat to Taksin's early rule.[27] Mạc Thiên Tứ would later return and retake Hà Tiên, with Vietnamese assistance, two years later.

• Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2017). A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-19076-4 (Hardback), ISBN 978-1-316-64113-2 (Paperback).
• Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2014). A History of Thailand. 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107420212.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
• Damrong Rajanubhab, Prince (1920). The Thais Fight the Burmese (in Thai). Matichon. ISBN 978-974-02-0177-9.
• Wood, W.A.R. (1924). A History of Siam. London: T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd.