40 Facts About Naresuan

Naresuan, commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and 2nd monarch of the Sukhothai dynasty.

Naresuan was the king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1590 and overlord of Lan Na from 1602 until his death in 1605.

Naresuan is one of Thailand's most revered monarchs as he is known for his campaigns to free Ayutthaya from the vassalage of the Taungoo Empire.

Naresuan was the son of King Mahathammarachathirat of Phitsanulok and his queen consort, Wisutkasat.

Naresuan's mother was a daughter of Maha Chakkraphat and queen consort Suriyothai.

Naresuan's father was a Sukhothai noble who had defeated Worawongsathirat in 1548 and put Maha Chakkraphat on the throne.

Naresuan joined his father and the King of Bago in an expedition to conquer Vientiane, the capital of the restored Lan Xang, but he contracted smallpox and had to return.

Naresuan built Chankasem Palace in Ayutthaya as a residence when he visited his parents.

Naresuan amassed an army of 20,000 men and captured Nakhon Nayok.

In 1574, when the Ayutthayan Army under the command of King Maha Thammarachathirat and King Naresuan was assisting Bayinnaung in his campaign to attack Lanxang, Baraminreachea took the opportunity to attack Ayutthaya again.

Luckily, King Naresuan contracted smallpox and was forced to return to Ayutthaya to recover.

King Naresuan lured the Cambodian navy up the river where they met the Siamese artillery.

Naresuan was allowed to take refuge in Ayutthaya by Maha Thammaracha.

At that time, King Naresuan was 24 years old and was aware that Phraya Chin Chantu was a Cambodian agent who took refuge in Ayutthaya under false pretenses to gather information on the Siamese court.

Naresuan ordered Siamese boats to chase Phraya Chin Chantu's junk.

Naresuan led a force of 3,000 men out of Ayutthaya to engage the Khmer army.

Naresuan called a council, which included priests, Phraya Kiat, Phraya Ram, and other Mons.

Naresuan then held the "ceremony of swearing allegiance" with the people of Sukhothai, drinking water from the sacred pond of Puay Si.

In 1584 Naresuan brought down all of the men from the northern provinces to the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in preparation for the attack of the Bago army.

The Burmese army led by Phra Maha Uparat attacked Siam again, but Naresuan defeated it near Ban Khoi.

King Naresuan is known in Thailand for his 1593 elephant duel with Crown Prince Mingyi Swa.

Naresuan had been planning to attack Cambodia because of its border incursions, but then adjusted to the Burmese threat.

Naresuan formed a battle plan which involved a retreat, allowing the Burmese to follow, and then attack the disordered advance with his main army.

Naresuan built a pagoda on the site of the elephant battle as a victory monument.

Naresuan brought before a council of judges those commanders he thought had disobeyed him or were negligent in their duties; they had been unable to follow him into the middle of the Burmese.

In Terwiel's analysis of the other accounts the Burmese crown prince and Naresuan both fought on their war elephant in the battle, although no formal duel probably ever took place.

Naresuan was "lucky to escape from a very dangerous situation" but quick to take advantage of it.

In 1593, Naresuan sent Chao Phraya Chakri and Phraya Phra Khlang to attack Tanintharyi and Dawei, a Mon city, which fell after 15 and 20 day sieges respectfully.

In 1593, Naresuan then launched a successful campaign to subjugate Cambodia.

Naresuan was said to have executed its king Nakphra Sattha, but this account is unlikely to be true since there is no evidence to support this claim, and historical accounts in Cambodia as well as from Spanish and Portuguese explorers say that Nakphra Sattha escaped to Vientiane where he remained until he died.

Naresuan then brought Khmer families to populate his northern provinces.

Naresuan sent troops to help and the Burmese abandoned their garrison at Martaban.

Naresuan laid siege on the city for three months before retreating when the viceroys of Prome, Taungoo, and Ava sent relief forces.

Naresuan did take back many prisoners of war, lessening the fighting strength of the Burmese.

The Viceroy of Lan Na Chiang Mai then submitted his territory to Siamese control and Naresuan sent Siamese forces to prevent Laotian forces from entering Lan Na.

However, before Naresuan arrived at the city, the forces of Arakan and Taungoo had already invested the city.

Naresuan occupied Bago while Minye Thihathu II, Viceroy of Taungoo, had already taken Nanda Bayin to Taungoo.

Naresuan requested Minye Thihathu send Nanda Bayin back to him but Minye Thihathu refused, stating he was unwell.

When he advanced as far as Theinni, Naresuan raised an army of 200,000 men to counter the threat to his kingdom.

Many Shan believe King Naresuan was cremated and his ashes interred in a stupa in Mongton, in the Daen Lao Range, in the southern part of the Shan State.