Maha Surasinghanat

Statue of Maha Sura Singhanat in Wat Mahathat of Bangkok

Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Surasinghanat ( Thai สมเด็จ พระ บวร ราช เจ้า มหา สุร สิงหนาท ; * 1744 as Bunma; †  1803 ) was a leader of the Siamese army of Ayutthaya and Uparat (viceroy) under his older brother, the first king of the Chakri dynasty , Rama I. (1736-1809).

Early days

Bunma was born to Thongdi and Daorueng in 1744 and was Daorueng's youngest child. He had four siblings and two step-siblings. Thongdi was a descendant of the head of the Siamese embassy to France, Kosa Pan , royal secretary in northern Siam and keeper of the royal seal. Like almost all sons of aristocrats, Bunma became royal page in the palace.

Fight against the Burmese

In 1767 the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was faced with the fall when the Burmese marched into Siam in overwhelming numbers. Bunma fled the capital and brought himself to live with his family in Amphawa , Samut Songkhram . His brother, the Luang Yokbat of Ratchaburi, advised him to join the forces of Taksin near Chonburi . After the fall of Ayutthaya, the capital and its surroundings were under the control of the Burmese and the nobles tried to establish their own domains. In 1768 Taksin took Ayutthaya for the Siamese and threw back the Burmese. After founding Thonburi as the new capital, he crowned himself as king and made Bunma Phra Maha Montri (Royal Police Commissioner).

In the same year 1768, Bunma and his older brother joined the troops that went against Pimai in Khorat , one of the many rebels against the old Ayutthaya kingdom . After the fighting he advanced to Phraya Anuchitraja and instigated numerous battles against the remaining Burmese in the old empire. After the defeat of the Gebier von Fang in the north, he was appointed Chaophraya Surasi and Lord of Phitsanulok , which included suzerainty over the forces of Siam. He fought with Phraya Phichai in 1771 in the legendary battle in which Phichai's sword broke. Because of his courageous demeanor, Bunma was called Lord of the Tigers by the Burmese . In 1774 he was able to take the capital of Lan Na , Chiang Mai , with the help of Kawila , the ruler of Lampang . He liked Kawila's sister, Sri Anocha, so much that he took her as his chief wife.

In the years between 1771 and 1781, the Siamese were mainly occupied with taking or securing the empires of Luang Phrabang , Vientiane , Champasak, and Cambodia . Bunma was always at the forefront there. After King Taksin fell mentally ill in 1781, the nobility rebelled and made his brother Rama I the new king. As his brother's right hand man, Bunma became viceroy and heir to the throne.

The front palace

The front palace around 1890

Maha Surasinghanat took care of the construction of the first "front palace" (Wang Na) in Bangkok, the viceroy's apartment. In 1785 the Burmese tried in the course of the Siamese-Burmese War 1785–1792 to regain access to Siamese territory, but were defeated by Maha Surasinghanat despite being numerically inferior. 1786 attacked the old opponents under Bodawpaya again. Maha Surasinghanat placed her in her camp at Ta Din Daeng and ran away a second time.

In 1802 the Burmese invaded what is now northern Thailand near Chiang Mai , and King Rama I again sent his brother to break up the siege of the city. On the way to the north, Maha Surasinghanat fell ill, but was still able to effectively raise his troops. Rama I sent his nephew, Anurak Devesh , to lead the Siamese troops of the Rear Palace. Meanwhile, however, the troops of the Front Palace had broken up the siege of Chiang Mai. As a result, there was a dispute about the effectiveness of the two armies.

death

Maha Surasinghanat died in 1803 after denying his older brother's troops access to the Front Palace when he was visiting him at his sick bed. At his request, his treasures should only be bequeathed to his own offspring.

literature

• Natthawut Sutthisongkhram: สมเด็จ พระ บวร ราช เจ้า มหาสุร สิงหนาท[Somdet Phra Boworaratchao Maha Surasinghanat]. Royal Institute, Bangkok 1990.

Web links

• History and biography of Surah Singhanat. The Royal Institute (Thai)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ topicstock.pantip.com ( Memento of the original from June 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (in Thai) Retrieved March 30, 2012