Chairachathirat ( th, ไชยราชาธิราช, ), or ''Chai'' reigned 1534–1546 as King of the Ayutthaya kingdom 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 ...

. His reign was remarkable for the influx of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

traders, mercenaries, and early Modern warfare technology.

Birth

The evidence regarding his father is not yet clear; the Royal Chronicle by the Venerable Vanarata of Pakaeo Temple and the Royal Chronicle (Rattanakosin edition) only state that King Chairachathirat is of the royal family of King Ramathibodi. The

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'' Buddh ...

text "Sangitiyavansa", authored in the reign 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 T ...

by the Venerable Vanarata of Pho Temple, state that he is the nephew (son of the sister) of Ramathibodi.

Coup

In 1533, following the death of King Borommaracha IV, Prince Ratsadathirat (Borommaracha IV's son) succeeded to the Ayutthayan throne. Governmental authority under five-year-old Ratsadathirat proved to be weak. In 1534, only five months after his nephew's ascension, Chairacha marched to Ayutthaya to stage a coup, killed his nephew, and took the throne of Ayutthaya.

King of Ayutthaya

Burmese invasion of Muang Chiang Kran

In 1539, King

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 kin ...

attacked the

Mon people The Mon ( mnw, ဂကူမည်; my, မွန်လူမျိုး‌, ; th, มอญ, ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and se ...

inhabiting Chiang Kran, which was under Siamese rule. Chairachathirat "marched against Chiang Kran" with the aid of 120 Portuguese traders in AyutthayaChakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited and drove the Burmese back. The Portuguese were then allowed to build a church near the Takhian Canal to practice their religion.Rajanubhab, D., 2001, Our Wars With the Burmese, Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd.,

Sukhothai nobles

Chairacha appointed his brother Prince Thianracha (later Maha Chakkrapat) as the ''Uparaja'' but did not grant him the title of King of Sukhothai as Chairacha was trying to unite the two kingdoms by reducing the power of Sukhothai nobles.บทสนทนาอันไม่รู้จบระหว่างปัจจุบันกับอดีต
/ref> He also called the Sukhothai nobles to Ayutthaya to move them from their base at

Pitsanulok 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 as ...

and made Ayutthaya the sole center of authority.

Mysterious death

Though not having a son by a queen, Chai did have one, Yodfa, from Lady Sudachan, his favorite

Chao Chom Chao may refer to: People * Chao (surname), various Chinese surnames (including 晁 and 巢, as well as non-Pinyin spellings) * Zhou (surname) (周), may also be spelled Chao * Zhao (surname) (趙/赵), may also be spelled Chao in Taiwan and Hon ...

. However, she had a secret lover,

Worawongsathirat Worawongsathirat ( th, วรวงศาธิราช, ) was a usurper in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, ruling for only 42 days in 1548 before being assassinated. Siamese chronicles relate that Worawongsathirat attainted the crown — his kingship is ...

, an officer of the Guards. Returning from the north, Chai became ill and died, and suspicion fell on Lady Sudachan. Her eleven-year-old son, Yodfa, became king in 1546. Chai's half brother, Prince Thianracha, became regent but entered a monastery to escape the ensuing power struggle. Sudachan became pregnant by Worawongsathirat and Yodfa was soon murdered. Khun Worawongsa assumed power. Khun Piren, and other retired officers, then ambushed the king and queen, and placed Thianracha on the throne in 1549.

Ancestry

References

{{Front Palace and Rear Palace 1546 deaths Suphannaphum dynasty Kings of Ayutthaya Year of birth unknown 16th-century monarchs in Asia Princes of Ayutthaya 16th-century Thai people