Worawongsa

Khun Worawongsa (full name: Khun Worawongsathirat , Thai : ขุน วร วงศา ธิ ราช ; died July 23, 1548 ) was the 16th king of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya . He ruled for six weeks from June 11, 1548 to July 23, 1548.

Rise and end

When King Chairacha (he ruled 1534–1547) died, he left two sons, born to him by his royal concubine Thao Si Sudachan ( ท้าว ศรี สุดา จันทร์ ), and a younger half-brother, Prince Thianracha ( พระ เทียร ราชา ). The older of the two sons was named Prince Yot Fa and was eleven years old, the younger Prince Si Sin was five years old. Prince Thianracha, as Uparat (viceroy) the actual heir to the throne, feared for his life and after the king's cremation sought refuge as a Buddhist monk in Wat Ratchapraditsathan ( วัด ราช ประดิษฐาน ), Prince Yot Fa (reigned 1546–1548) became king appointed with his mother Si Sudachan as regent.

The regent had a relationship with the major-domo of the exterior of the palace, Phanbut Si Thep (for some time พัน บุตร ศรีเทพ ). She initially gave him the title Khun Chinnarat ( ขุน ชิน ราช ), and wanted to make him king. She had all the nobles who disapproved of this murdered. Finally, in June 1548, she also had King Yot Fat poisoned in order to put her lover, who now held the title Khun Worawongsa, on the royal throne. However, he only retained the office of King of Siam for six weeks (some chroniclers ascribe him a reign of five months). Four nobles, Khun Phirenthorathep ( ขุน พิ เร น ทร เทพ ), Khun Inthorathep ( ขุน อินทร เทพ ), Muen Ratchasena ( หมื่น ราช เสน่หา ) and Luang Si Yot ( หลวง ศรี ยศ ), saw the country degraded by the robbery of the throne. In a secret meeting they decided to assassinate the king. They first sought advice from Prince Thianracha, who approved their intention after a magical ritual of "candle prophecy". A message was leaked to the king that a white elephant had been sighted in Lopburi . The king did not want to miss the opportunity to capture this status symbol himself. He set off in the royal barge with his entourage across the Ban Pla Mo Canal ( คลอง บ้าน ปลา B ). There they were already awaited by the four conspirators, each in his own boat, even the rowers were armed. In a short fight, Khun Worawongsa was shot together with his lover, Thao Si Sudachan and their child. Their bodies were then exhibited in public.

Prince Thianracha was then picked up from the monastery in a magnificent procession on board the royal barge Chai Suphannahong and taken by water to the capital, where he was crowned King Maha Chakkraphat a short time later .

Description of a chronicler

The Dutch merchant and chronicler Jeremias Van Vliet described in his book "A Brief History of the Kings of Siam until 1640" the reign of Khun Worawongsa without dates. He sets the length of the reign at 40 days. He described his end as follows:

“The wizard empowered himself through the concubine of the royal crown and crowned himself king. This happened against the will of all mandarins and to the displeasure of the citizens. The mandarins planned to murder him. They lured him out of the palace on the pretext of catching a white elephant. The king was shot by the mandarins at the agreed spot. He ruled for 40 days. Then his body was thrown to the dogs to eat. The concubine was executed with a sword and thrown into the river. "

- van Vliet

literature

• Richard D. Cushman (David K. Wyatt Ed.): The Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya . The Siam Society , Bangkok 2000, ISBN 974-8298-48-5 (see also web links)
• David K.Wyatt, Chris Baker, Dhiravat na Pombejra, Alfon van der Kraan: Van Vliet's Siam . Silkworm Books , Chiang Mai 2005, ISBN 974-9575-81-4

Web links

• Royal Chronicles of Ayudhya, 1424-1555 ( Memento of October 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (in English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ This date is written with the year CS 910 ( AD 1548) in the so-called " Chronicle of Luang Prasoet ", one of the "Royal Chronicles Of Ayutthaya". Other chronicles ascribe to Khun Worawongsa a reign that lasted from 890 to 891 ( AD 1528/1529 to 1529/1530). Jeremias Van Vliet writes of a reign of 40 days.