HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Burmese-Siamese War of 1563–1564, also known as the War over the White Elephants (), was a war between the
Toungoo dynasty , conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty , common_name = Taungoo dynasty , era = , status = Empire , event_start = Independence from Ava , year_start ...
of
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and the
Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is consi ...
of
Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. It was the second of twenty wars fought between the Burmese and Siamese that lasted well into the
19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...
. The cause of the war was an attempt by the Toungoo king
Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
to force the Ayutthaya kingdom into submission under his rule, as part of his campaign that later created the largest empire ever to exist in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
. 13 years into Bayinnaung's reign, his second attempt at invasion of Siam and first as king succeeded after an extensive siege of the city of Ayutthaya. Siam became a vassal of the
Toungoo dynasty , conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty , common_name = Taungoo dynasty , era = , status = Empire , event_start = Independence from Ava , year_start ...
, this status lasting until a 1568 revolt by Ayutthaya resulting in a short-lived independence.


Prelude to conflict

Following the 1547–49 war with the
Toungoo Taungoo (, ''Tauñngu myoú''; ; also spelled Toungoo) is a district-level city in the Bago Region of Myanmar, 220 km from Yangon, towards the north-eastern end of the division, with mountain ranges to the east and west. The main industry ...
, Ayutthaya king
Maha Chakkraphat Maha Chakkraphat ( th, มหาจักรพรรดิ, ; lit.: 'The Great Emperor'; 1509 – 1569) was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1548 to 1564 and 1568 to 1569. Originally called Prince Thianracha, or Prince Tien, he was put on the t ...
built up his capital city's defenses in preparation for a later war with the Burmese. The 1547–49 war ended in a Siamese defensive victory and preserved Siamese independence. However, Bayinnaung's territorial ambitions prompted Chakkraphat to prepare for another invasion. These preparations included a census that prepared all able men to go to war. Arms and livestock were taken by the government in preparation for a large-scale war effort, and seven white elephants were captured by Chakkraphat for good luck. News of the Ayutthayan king's preparation spread quickly, eventually reaching the Burmese. Meanwhile, an attack on the city of
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...
in the nearby
Lan Na The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...
kingdom by Bayinnaung succeeded in taking the city in 1556. Subsequent efforts left most of northern Siam under Burmese control. This successful invasion resulted in Bayinnaung being given the nickname "Conqueror of Ten Directions". This left Chakkraphat's kingdom in a precarious position, faced with enemy territory to the north and the west.


Invasion


Initial invasion

Bayinnaung, with his quick rise to power and influence, subsequently demanded two of King Chakkraphat's white elephants as tribute to the rising Toungoo Dynasty. Chakkraphat refused, leading to Burma's second invasion of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. King Bayinnaung, familiar with the terrain of Siam due to his prior expeditions with the late
Tabinshwehti Tabinshwehti ( my, တပင်‌ရွှေထီး, ; 16 April 1516 – 30 April 1550) was king of Burma (Myanmar) from 1530 to 1550, and the founder of the First Toungoo Empire. His military campaigns (1534–1549) created the largest ki ...
, entered Siam through what is now known as
Three Pagodas Pass Three Pagodas Pass ( Phlone ; my, ဘုရားသုံးဆူ တောင်ကြားလမ်း, ''Paya Thon Zu Taung Za Lang'', ; th, ด่านเจดีย์สามองค์, , ) is a pass in the Tenasserim Hills on the ...
in Kanchanaburi Province. A separate Burmese army entered through Mae Lamao Pass in what is now
Tak Province Tak ( th, ตาก, , Burmese: တာ့ခ် pronounced ak is one of Thailand's seventy-seven provinces (''changwat'') and lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, ...
.


Capture of Phitsanulok

Bayinnaung's army consisted of 60,000 men, 2,400 horses, 360 elephants, and another army from Lan Na These forces marched towards the capital city Ayutthaya, but first faced forces at the city of
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 ...
. The governor of Phitsanulok,
Mahathammarachathirat Maha Thammaracha ( th, มหาธรรมราชา, ; pi, Mahā Dhammarājā; sa, Mahā Dharmarājā; literally "Great Dharmic King"), or the extended version Maha Thammarachathirat ( th, มหาธรรมราชาธิราช, ; ...
, faced with a large opposing force, betrayed the Siamese cause and signed a treaty of friendship with Bayinnaung, contributing forces to Bayinnaung's now even larger army.


Capture of Sukhothai

Next, the Burmese army faced the
Kingdom of Sukhothai The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was fo ...
, which by then was in its declining years, having been submitted to Ayutthayan authority as a vassal state for more than 200 years. The Burmese marched into Sukhothai territory, and their ruler,
Mahathammarachathirat Maha Thammaracha ( th, มหาธรรมราชา, ; pi, Mahā Dhammarājā; sa, Mahā Dharmarājā; literally "Great Dharmic King"), or the extended version Maha Thammarachathirat ( th, มหาธรรมราชาธิราช, ; ...
, soon realized that defending the kingdom was hopeless and also switched allegiance to
Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
in 1563.


Capture of Sawankhalok and Phichit

Bayinnaung's army took Sawankhalok and
Phichit Phichit ( th, พิจิตร, เมือง) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, capital of Phichit Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Phichit district, an area of 12.017 km². As of 2005 i ...
without difficulty, finally able to direct their full attention on invading Ayutthaya.


Siege of Ayutthaya


Siege of Ayutthaya

The Bayinnaung armies then marched down to Ayutthaya. There, they were kept at bay for weeks by the Siamese fort, aided by three Portuguese warships and artillery batteries at the harbor. The invaders finally captured the Portuguese ships and batteries on 7 February 1564, after which the fort promptly fell.(Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 353): Monday, 11th waning of Tabodwe 925 ME = 7 February 1564 With a now 60,000 strong force combined with the Phitsanulok army, Bayinnaung reached Ayutthaya's city walls, heavily bombarding the city. Although superior in strength, the Burmese were not able to capture Ayutthaya, but demanded that the Siamese king come out of the city under a flag of truce for peace negotiations. Seeing that his citizens could not take the siege much longer, Chakkraphat negotiated peace, but at a high price.


Siamese surrender terms

In exchange for the retreat of the Burmese army, Bayinnaung took
Prince Ramesuan Prince Ramesuan ( th, ราเมศวร; my, ဗြရာမသွန်; d. November 1564) was a Siamese prince and military commander during the Ayutthaya period in the 16th century. He was a son of Prince Thianracha (later King Maha Chak ...
(Chakkraphat's son),
Phraya Chakri The ''samuhanayok'' ( th, สมุหนายก) was one of the two chief ministers in the historical Chatusadom government system of Siam (now Thailand), originally charged with civil affairs but later overseeing both civil and military affair ...
, and Phraya Sunthorn Songkhram back with him to Burma as a hostage, and four Siamese white elephants. Mahathamraja, although a betrayer, was to be left as ruler of
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 ...
and viceroy of Siam. The
Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is consi ...
became a vassal of the
Toungoo Dynasty , conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty , common_name = Taungoo dynasty , era = , status = Empire , event_start = Independence from Ava , year_start ...
, required to give thirty elephants and three hundred catties of silver to the Burmese yearly. The Burmese were also to be granted access to collect taxes at the port of
Mergui Myeik (, or ; mnw, ဗိက်, ; th, มะริด, , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimat ...
, then Siamese territory. Bayinnaung's demand of two white elephants was increased to four. A peace treaty was signed at Wat Na Phra Men (Monastery in Front of the Funeral Pyre). Chakkraphat's accedence to Bayinnaung's demands led to a four-year peace. Burmese sources say that when
Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
returned to
Pegu Bago (formerly spelt Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon. Etymology The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon langua ...
, he also took Maha Chakkraphat back with him as a hostage, before appointing
Mahinthrathirat Mahinthrathirat ( th, มหินทราธิราช, , ; 1539–1569) was king of Ayutthaya kingdom, Ayutthaya 1564 to 1568 and again in 1569. He ruled his first reign as a vassal of First Toungoo Empire, Toungoo Burma before restoring his ...
, a son of
Maha Chakkraphat Maha Chakkraphat ( th, มหาจักรพรรดิ, ; lit.: 'The Great Emperor'; 1509 – 1569) was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1548 to 1564 and 1568 to 1569. Originally called Prince Thianracha, or Prince Tien, he was put on the t ...
, as vassal king of Ayutthaya, and leaving a garrison of 3,000. Burmese sources continue to say that after having been sent to Pegu for years, Maha Chakkraphat became a monk and Bayinnaung allowed him to return to Ayutthaya. Damrong Rajanubhab, 2012: 20. Thai sources, however, merely say that Mahinthrathirat, the second son of Maha Chakkraphat, ascended the throne because his father abdicated and became a monk after this war.


Aftermath

The peace did not last long. In 1568, the Ayutthayans revolted against their Burmese rulers. After advice by Mahathamraja that the Ayutthaya kingdom was too weak to sustain a revolt,
Bayinnaung , image = File:Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Tou ...
again led Burmese armies into Ayutthaya, resulting in another war with the Siamese.


See also

*
Burmese–Siamese wars The Burmese–Siamese wars also known as the Yodian wars (), were a series of wars fought between Burma and Siam from the 16th to 19th centuries.Harvey, pp. xxviii-xxx.James, p. 302. Toungoo (Burma)–Ayutthaya (Siam) Konbaung (Burma)–Ayutt ...
* Burma–Thailand relations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burmese-Siamese War (1563-1564) Burmese–Siamese wars Wars involving the Ayutthaya Kingdom Conflicts in 1563 Conflicts in 1564 1563 in Asia 1564 in Asia First Toungoo Empire