History
Biography
of King Naresuan the Great (reign:1590-1605)
King Naresuan was born
at Chandra Palace in Phitsanulok in 1555. He was the son of King
Phra Maha Thamma Racha and Phra Wisuttikrasattri. He has one elder
sister named Phra Supan Kanlayanee was born in 1552 and one younger
brother named King Phra Ekatosarot that younger than King Naresuan
3 years. Not long time after that Ayuthya was the dependency of
Burma in 1569.
When he was young about
9 years old The kingdon of Burma invaded Ayuthya Kingdom and Ayuthya
couldn't fight with Burma and signed the armistice contract gave
4 elephants ( the elephant was very important to
honor of the state ) and sent King Naresuan to be the adopter
child of the King of Burma.This made King Naresuan to feel that
one day he would make his own country to be independent. When he
lived in Burma he studied many knowledge that was necessary to be
the head of soldiers.The King of Burma had a son that was the same
age of King Naresuan named Phra Maha Uparat. They are both friends
and also the competitor. One day they played the cock fighting and
the fighting cock of King Naresuan won then he talked to Phra Maha
Uparat that one day he would his own country independent from Burma.
When he was 15 years
old in 1569 Ayuthya was the dependency of Burma. Burma had the condition
that Burma would send King Naresuan back to Ayuthya but Ayuthya
must send the elder sister, Phra Supan Kanlayanee, to live in Burma.
Ayuthya that not willing to do that surrender this contract because
the King of Ayuthya thought that King Naresuan could one day defeat
Burma. When he came back to Ayuthya he was set to be the heir to
the throne by his father,King Phra Maha Thamma Racha, and when he
was 16 years old he governed Phitsanulok as the main city. He helped
his father waged wars many times and he ascended the throne when
he was 35 in 1580.
In 1582 The kingdom of
Burma set the troops to fight with Ayuthya. The general was Phra
Maha Uparat, the son of the King of Burma that was the friend of
King Naresuan. That night King Naresuan dreamt that there were flood
from the West and he fought with the crocodile when he woke up he
told the astrologer the dream and the astrologer predicted that
King Naresuan would fight with Burma soon. Also he was informed
that Burma sent the troops to Ayuthya so he and his brother King
Phra Ekatosarote set the troops and mobilized the troops to the
borderland.
When he reached his destination
he found the general of Burma troops,Phra Maha Uparat his old friend
at Burma. Ayuthya troops was smaller than Burma and at that time
King Naresuan's elephant named Phraya Chaiyanuparp and King Phra
Ekatosarot's elephant named Chao Phraya Praptrichak ran into the
Burma troops so they had no soldiers to help them fight so King
Naresuan made the stratagem that he and Phra Maha Uparat would fight
together on elephant using long pike ( It was one
of the honor fighting at that time ). They fight was ver
seriously, finally King Naresuan could beat the pike on Phra Maha
Uparat then Phra Maha Uparathen died. King Phra Ekatosarot won also
he fought with Burma nobleman. After that there are no invader for
about 150 years. King Naresuan waged wars with many countries and
made Ayuthya Kingdom to be independent and more expansive. He died
in 1605 at Hang Luang when he waged war to Burma.
Thus, Thai people respected
him and recalled him that he saved the country from invader and
dedicate the designation " King Naresuan the Great " and
built the shrine to respect and recall him at Phitsanulok called
" Shrine of King Naresuan the Great " .
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