Before ascending the throne of Siam in 1590, King Naresuan the Great, who reigned in the Ayuddhaya period, had been known popularly as the Black Prince. Taken hostage by Burma until he was16, he was renowned for his bravery even before he freed Siam from the chains of Burmese Slavery. In 1584 he returned to Siam renouncing allegiance to Burma on behalf of his father King Maha Tammaraja.

The King of Burma took great exception to losing his Siamese provinces and sent a number of soldiers to fight against the Siamese. Under King Naresuan, the armies of Siam defeated the Burmese in successive battles. Finally, Burma despatched approximately 250,000 men to try and subdue Siam once and for all. History tells many tales of King Naresuan’s courage, but the greatest feat of all was what happened in the Final Battle.

King Naresuan faced overwhelming odds as the Burmese Army far outnumbered the Siamese forces. King Naresuan mounted an armoured war elephant and charged through his army to the Frontline. The Crown Prince of Burma was also seated on a War Elephant, and King Naresuan challenged the Prince to single combat. After a fierce fight the King cut the Crown Prince in half. Seeing their leader killed, the Burmese army fled back to Burma. Through this single act, King Naresuan freed Siam forever.

 
Monument to King Naresuan
King Taskin the Great
King Taskin the Great ruled from 1767 to 1782. The Burmese invaders had looted the city of Ayuddhaya, destroying all of Siam’s historical records. After a great battle, the Burmese took Ayuddhaya. King Taskin managed to escape, travelling East to Rayong. In Rayong he began to build a new army with the renowned warrior Phraya Pichai Daab Hak as his commander in chief.

*Daab Hak means Broken Sword; this nickname was earned by Phraya Pichai during one of the many fierce battles when one of his swords broke in 2. He continued to fight, and led King Taskin’s troops to yet another victory.

King Taskin declared war on Burma, and used guerrilla tactics to continuously attack the Burmese. Throughout his reign, Siam was constantly at War.

King Taskin moved the Siamese capital to Thonburi (now part of Bangkok), because it was easier to defend than Ayuddahaya.