Suriyothai

Suriyothai on her war elephant (middle), between her husband Chakkraphat (right) and the viceroy of Prome (left). Painting by Prince Naris , 1887.

Monument to Queen Suriyothai, northwest of Ayutthaya. The queen is not sitting on the howdah , but on the elephant's neck.

Somdet Phra Si Suriyothai ( Thai สมเด็จ พระ ศรี สุริโย ทั ย even Sri Suriyothai or short Suriyothai ) was a famous queen of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya ( Siam , now Thailand ) in the 16th century. She is known to have been killed in battle during the Siamese-Burmese War of 1548–1549 while defending her royal consort, Maha Chakkraphat .

Less than six months after Chakkraphat's accession to the throne, King Tabinshwehti , the founder of the Burmese Taungu dynasty , invaded Siam to conquer the capital Ayutthaya . The king led the defensive battle personally from his war elephant , women were not allowed to take part in the fighting. Nevertheless, Suriyothai was able to mingle with the soldiers in disguise to protect her husband on her own elephant. During the battle, the king's elephant fell seriously wounded, putting the king in mortal danger. Suriyothai advanced with her elephant to protect her husband, and she was fatally injured by a scythe blow.

In memory of this deed, Chakkraphat had a chedi built for his deceased wife, the Phra Chedi Sisuriyothai ( เจดีย์ ศรี สุริโย ทั ย ), on the banks of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya ( Chao Phraya River ) in 1548 . Today the chedi stands at the bottom of Wat Suanluang Sopsawan at the place where Suriyothai was cremated. In Chakkraphat's time this was the royal garden ( Suan Luang ).

A memorial park, the “Queen Suriyothai Memorial Park” ( พระ ราชา นุ สาว รี ย์ สมเด็จ พระ สุริโย ทั ย ) , was recently opened to the northwest of Ayutthaya near Wat Phu Khao Thong . Here is a large statue of the Queen on her war elephant in the middle of green areas and ponds.

In 2001, Chatrichalerm Yukol directed the film The Legend of Suriyothai , which was funded by Queen Sirikit .

Web links

• Phra Chedi Sri Suriyothai information page
• Introduction to the history of Ayutthaya

literature

• Sunait Chutintaranond: Suriyothai in the Context of Thai-Myanmar History and Historical Perception. In: From Fact to Fiction. History of Thai-Myanmar Relations in Cultural Context. Asian Studies Monographs No. 054. Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 2001.