Siamese-Burmese War 1775–1776
Wat Chiang Man in Chiang Mai (7th century)
| date | 1775 to 1776 |
|---|---|
| place | Northern Thailand |
| Casus Belli | The Siamese King Taksin sought control of Chiang Mai , which was occupied by the Burmese |
| output | The Siamese forces captured Chiang Mai and kept it occupied |
| Territorial changes | Chiang Mai |
| consequences | This dispute was one of the last between the peoples who had warred for centuries |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
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| Commander | |
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Taksin (r. 1769 to 1782) |
Hsinbyushin (ruled 1763 to 1776)
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The Siamese-Burmese War 1775-1776 was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Thonburi under Taksin and the Kingdom of Ava , which ruled Burma under Hsinbyushin of the Konbaung dynasty .
prehistory
After the devastating defeat of the Siamese of Ayutthaya in the Siamese-Burmese War (1764–1769), King Taksin (1734–1782) brought the empire back together after driving Ava's troops from Siam, and later even expanded it to form the Kingdom of Thonburi . He not only fought restlessly against the armies of the Burmese and Khmer rulers, who saw a favorable opportunity to take territories from the weakened Siamese, but he also organized the administration and social cohesion at the pre-war level.
The kingdom of Lan Na had been Ava's vassal since the 17th century. Its inhabitants were used as labor by the Burmese rulers and had to supply their troops with supplies. Lan Na was therefore an important forward base for Burmese attacks on Siam. That is why Taksin tried to drive the Burmese away from there as well.
course
King Taksin moved against Chiang Mai. Troops of the Burmese vassal states in Lan Na under Phraya Chaban from Chiang Mai and Chao Kavila from Lampang overran to him. Together with those of Thonburi they conquered Chiang Mai in 1775 against fierce Burmese resistance from the troops of King Hsinbyushin of Ava. Hsinbyushin's troops began a counter-offensive in the spring of 1776, which led them to Phitsanulok. However, they were repulsed by the Siamese armies, which retook Chiang Mai in late 1776.
consequences
The kingdom of Lan Na became a vassal state of Siam. However, after several wars that took place on its territory, it was devastated and largely depopulated. Its capital, Chiang Mai, was abandoned for the next twenty years. Ava herself was not disturbed by this loss, but the appetite of his rulers for Siamese territory was dampened. Although there was still an attack by the Burmese under King Bodawpaya in 1785, he was only able to conduct weak sporadic fighting against Siam, see Siamese-Burmese War 1785–1792 .
literature
- GE Harvey: A History of Burma . London: Frank Cass 1967.
- Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod: Encyclopedia of Wars . 3 Vols. New York: Facts on File 2004. ISBN 9780816028511 .
- WAR Wood : A History of Siam: from the earliest times to the year Ad 1781, with a supplement dealing with more recent events . New York: AMS 1974.