Uthumphon

Uthumphon ( Thai : สมเด็จ พระเจ้า อุทุมพร ) was the 34th ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya . He ruled as the successor to King Borommakot for almost two months, from April 13, 1758 to May 1758.

Live and act

After the Uparat Thammathibet (Thai: ธร ร มา ธิ เบ ศ ร์ ) was tortured to death for his numerous offenses in April 1756 , King Borommakot had not appointed a new successor. Among his many offspring only two princes were in the rank of Chao Fa , the question came to the throne, namely Anurak Montri (Thai: กรม ขุน อนุรักษ์ มนตรี , later Ekkathat ) and his younger brother Phon PhINIT (Thai: ขุน พร พินิต , later: Uthumphon). Apparently, in the king's opinion, the next in line to the throne, Ekathat, was not really able to continue the kingdom after his death. Historians speak of him as "stupid, gullible and incompetent", he is also said to have been "under the slipper of his harem". He is said to have listened to court gossip and Burmese spies. He killed his best fighters out of jealousy. A few days before his death, his three chief ministers urged Boromakot to appoint Uthumpon as his successor.

Borommakot died on April 13, 1758. Immediately three princes gathered with their allies, armed themselves in the royal armory, and wanted to oppose the appointment of Uthumphon as king by force of arms. However, Uthumphon had the support of the nobility and high dignitaries of the Buddhist Sangha. He managed to advance the prince and had her executed that same day.

Uthumpon was crowned king in late April. In the crisis that followed, both parties tried to annihilate each other in the past. Ekathat had made his home in the royal throne room, the Suriyamarin Hall, and refused to leave the field. However, both brothers soon came to a surprising compromise: since Uthumphon lost the strength to constantly oppose his brother, he abdicated voluntarily and left the throne to him after a reign of a few days. Uthumphon disappeared from public life and retired to a Buddhist monastery. Ekathat was crowned king as Boromaraja V , but he was also known as the Suriyamarin Palace King (Thai: สมเด็จ พระเจ้าอยู่หัว พระที่นั่ง สุริยา ส น์ อมรินทร์ ) due to the circumstances that led to his accession to the throne .

At the beginning of 1760, Burmese troops under the leadership of King Alaungphaya first conquered Martaban , Tavoy and Tenasserim , then they took on the other side of the peninsula Kui Buri , Phetchaburi and Ratchaburi . When they besieged the capital Ayutthaya in April 1760, the king was embarrassed. He asked his brother to give up monastic life and instead to take over the reign and in particular to organize the defense. The Burmese could then be repulsed and Uthumphon took care of the fortification of Ayutthaya for the next two years before he retired to the monastery and Ekathat took over the reign again. Some historians claim that if Uthumphon had continued to rule, he might have been able to save Ayutthaya from ruin.

Nothing is known about Uthumphon's end, it is believed that he did not survive the conquest of Ayutthaya.

literature

• David K. Wyatt: Thailand A Short History . Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 1984, ISBN 974-7047-44-6
• Richard D. Cushman (David K. Wyatt Ed.): The Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya . The Siam Society, Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-8298-48-5
• BJ Terwiel: Thailand's Political History. From the Fall of Ayutthaya to Recent Times. River Books, Bangkok 2005, ISBN 974-9863-08-9

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} M.L. Manich Jumsai: Popular History of Thailand . Chalermnit, Bangkok 2000 (without ISBN) - pages 298-99.