Borommarachathirat IV ( th, บรมราชาธิราชที่ ๔; also spelt Borom Rachathirat IV), also known as Borommaracha No Phutthangkun ( th, บรมราชาหน่อพุทธางกูร; also spelt Borom Racha No Buddhakura), born Athittayawong ( th, อาทิตยวงศ์), was the short-reigning king of Ayutthaya from 1529 to 1533.

Life and reign

Borommarachathirat was born Prince Athittayawong to

Ramathibodi II Chettathirat ( th, เชษฐาธิราช, ) or (upon accession to the Ayutthayan throne) Ramathibodi II ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๒; 1472/73 – July/10 October 1529) was the King of Sukhothai from 1485 and King of Ay ...

in 1488. He was named ''uparaja'' (

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

and

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

) at

Phitsanulok Phitsanulok ( th, พิษณุโลก, ) is an important, historic city in lower northern Thailand and is the capital of Phitsanulok Province. Phitsanulok is home to Naresuan University and Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, as well a ...

in 1515. Following his father's death, Athittayawong succeeded the throne as Borommarachathirat IV. He appointed his brother, Prince

Chairachathirat Chairachathirat ( th, ไชยราชาธิราช, ), or ''Chai'' reigned 1534–1546 as King of the Ayutthaya kingdom of Siam. His reign was remarkable for the influx of Portuguese traders, mercenaries, and early Modern warfare tech ...

, as ''uparaja''. Borommarachathirat died abruptly in 1533 due to a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

; however, counter to the tradition established by the

Front Palace Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon , colloquially known as the Front Palace ( th, วังหน้า, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as ...

system, the throne passed not to the ''uparaja'' but to Borommarachathirat's five-year-old son, who would rule as Ratsadathirat.Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited

Ancestry

References

16th-century Thai people 16th-century monarchs in Asia Kings of Ayutthaya Princes of Ayutthaya Suphannaphum dynasty 1533 deaths Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in Thailand {{Asia-royal-stub