King Thong Lan () was a
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
, an ancient kingdom in
Thailand
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 ...
.
A son of
Borommarachathirat I
King Borommarachathirat I or King Borom Rachathirat I ( th, สมเด็จพระบรมราชาธิราชที่ ๑), also known as Khunluang Pha Ngua ( th, ขุนหลวงพะงั่ว); 1370–1388), was the th ...
and member of the
House of Suphannaphum, Thong Lan succeeded his father to the throne of Ayutthaya in 750 LE (1931 BE, 1388/89 CE) at the age of 15. Having reigned for only seven days, he was deposed and executed in a coup by
Ramesuan, his relative from the
House of Uthong.
Thong Lan was the first monarch of Ayutthaya to be executed.
Name
The child king is known as Thong Lan ( th, ทองลัน; ) in most historical sources, including the ''
British Museum Chronicle'', the ''
Luang Prasoet Chronicle'', and the ''
Phan Channumat Chronicle''.
''Thong'' ( th,
ทอง) means "gold". ''Lan'' ( th, ลัน) is an archaic word whose meaning is not known.
Historian Suchit Wongthet ( th, สุจิตต์ วงษ์เทศ) expressed the opinion that ''lan'' here is an old
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
–
Lao term which encyclopediae say refers to "
eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
made of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
". The historian stated that naming a person after an animal trapping device was an ancient practice, citing the personal name of King
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...
, Thong Duang ( th,
ทอง ด้วง), which means "golden
snare
SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells,
and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle fu ...
".
[ Wongthēt, 2014: online.]
The ''
Bradley Chronicle'', however, says the name of the boy king was Thong Lan ( th,
ท้อง ลั่น; ; "cry of stomach").
Thong Lan is known as Thong Chan ( th,
ทอง จันทร์; ; "golden moon" or "moon gold") in the ''
Phonnarat Chronicle'' and the ''
Royal Autograph Chronicle''.
[ ''Phrarātchaphongsāwadān chabap phrarātchahatthalēkhā lem nưng'', 1991: 59.]
In the ''
Minor Wars Chronicle'', he is referred to in
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...
as Suvaṇṇacanda (in
Thai script
The Thai script ( th, อักษรไทย, ) is the abugida used to write Thai, Southern Thai and many other languages spoken in Thailand. The Thai alphabet itself (as used to write Thai) has 44 consonant symbols ( th, พยัญชนะ ...
: สุวณฺณจนฺท; "golden moon").
The ''
Van Vliet Chronicle'', a Dutch document written by
Jeremias Van Vliet
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
in 1640 CE, refers to him as Thong t'Jan.
[ Van Vliet, 2003: 34.]
Family
All historical documents say Thong Lan was a son of
Borommarachathirat I
King Borommarachathirat I or King Borom Rachathirat I ( th, สมเด็จพระบรมราชาธิราชที่ ๑), also known as Khunluang Pha Ngua ( th, ขุนหลวงพะงั่ว); 1370–1388), was the th ...
.
[ Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, 2011: 59.]
Life
Political background
The
Kingdom of Ayutthaya
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 consid ...
was jointly founded by the royal houses of
Uthong
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
and
Suphannaphum, which were related through marriage. The first monarch of Ayutthaya,
Ramathibodi I
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
, was from Uthong. He appointed his son,
Ramesuan, the ruler of
Lop Buri
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
. He also appointed
Boromrachathirat I, his relative from Suphannaphum, the ruler of
Suphan Buri.
[ Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, 2011: 56.]
In 731 LE (1912 BE, 1369/70 CE), Ramathibodi I died. Ramesuan came from Lop Buri and succeeded to the throne of Ayutthaya.
In 732 LE (1913 BE, 1370/71 CE), Borommarachathirat I marched his army from Suphan Buri to Ayutthaya. Ramesuan then "presented" the throne to him and returned to Lop Buri as before.
Reign
In 750 LE (1931 BE, 1388/89 CE),
Boromrachathirat I led his army to attack
Chakangrao. But he fell ill and died en route. His son, Thong Lan, then succeeded to the throne of
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
.
Thai chronicles state that Thong Lan was 15 years of age when he ascended the throne in 750 LE (1931 BE, 1388/89 CE).
Based on this information, Thong Lan was possibly born in 735 LE (1916 BE, 1373/74 CE). But the Dutch document ''
Van Vliet Chronicle'' says he was 17 when ascending the throne.
After Thong Lan had reigned for merely seven days,
Ramesuan came from
Lop Buri
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
with his army and seized the throne. Ramesuan had Thong Lan put to death at a
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
called
Wat Khok Phraya ( th, วัดโคกพระยา).
Thong Lan was killed by hitting his neck with a
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
club, a traditional means for executing a royal person. Ramesuan then became king of Ayutthaya for the second time.
Historian
Damrong Rajanubhab
Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (Thai: ; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธ ...
introduced a theory that Boromrachathirat I brought his army to Ayutthaya in 732 LE because of certain political problems that Ramesuan was unable to deal with. The two might have agreed that Ramesuan would let Boromrachathirat rule Ayutthaya and the latter would declare the former his successor. Ramesuan thus presented the throne of Ayutthaya to Boromrachathirat and returned to his old base, Lop Buri. But when it appeared that the agreement was breached and Boromrachathirat was instead succeeded by his son, Thong Lan, Ramesuan then seized the throne and killed Thong Lan.
Modern scholars believe otherwise. Suchit Wongthet ( th, สุจิตต์ วงษ์เทศ) expressed the opinion that Boromrachathirat's arrival in Ayutthaya with troops was apparently to "seize power by means of military force (called ''
coup'' in our days)" and Ramesuan returned to Lop Buri just to accumulate more power and wait for an opportunity to strike back. Pramin Khrueathong ( th, ปรามินทร์ เครือทอง) also believed that Boromrachathirat used military strength to force Ramesuan out of the throne, saying this was probably why Ramesuan took revenge on Boromrachathirat's young son, Thong Lan, killing the child violently.
These events were part of a series of conflicts between the houses of
Uthong
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
and
Suphannaphum that would continue until Suphannaphum achieved decisive victory over Uthong at the end of
Ramrachathirat
Ramrachathirat ( th, รามราชาธิราช, ) was a king of Ayutthaya, an ancient kingdom in Thailand.
A son of Ramesuan and member of the House of Uthong, he succeeded his father to the throne of Ayutthaya in 1393. He reigned un ...
's reign, allowing Suphannaphum to remain in power over the Kingdom of Ayutthaya for almost the next two centuries.
[ Kasētsiri, 2005: 4–5, 22, 25–26.]
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thong Lan
14th-century monarchs in Asia
Child rulers from Asia
Executed Thai monarchs
Assassinated Thai people
Kings of Ayutthaya
Leaders ousted by a coup
Rulers deposed as children
Rulers who died as children
Suphannaphum dynasty
Princes of Ayutthaya
Executed children
14th-century Thai people
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing