Ayutthaya history

Ayutthaya’s name derives from ‘Ayodhya’, the sacred town in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. It became one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the Southeast Asia region, and by 1378 the King of Sukhothai had been forced to swear his allegiance. Ultimately, the kingdom stretched from Angkor (Cambodia) in the east to Pegu (Burma) in the west. In 1500 it was reported that the kingdom was exporting 30 junk loads (10,000 tones) of rice to Malacca (Melaka) each year while also being an important source of animal skins and ivory.

The city is situated on an island at the confluence of three rivers: the Chao Phraya, Pasak and Lopburi. Ayutthaya’s strong defensive position proved to be valuable as it was attacked by the Burmese on no less than 24 occasions. Recent research on sea-level changes indicates that in 1351 the coastline was much further north and so the city was considerably close to the sea. Ayutthaya, therefore, would have been able to develop as a trading port unlike the previous Thai capitals of Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai.

One of Ayutthaya’s most famous kings was Boromtrailokant (1448-1488), a model of the benevolent monarch. He is best known for this love of justice and his administrative and legislative reforms. This may seem surprising in view of some of the less than enlightened legal practices employed later in the Ayutthaya period. A plaintiff and defendant might, for example, have had no plunge their hands into molten tin, or their heads into water, to see which party was the guilty one.

A succession struggle in the mid-16^th century led to 20 years of warfare in the Burmese, who managed to seize and occupy Ayutthaya. It wasn’t long before the here-king, Naresuan (1590-1605), recaptured the city and led his country back to independence. Under King Narai (1656-1688), Ayutthaya became a rich, cosmopolitan trading post. Merchants came to the city from Portugal, Spain, Holland, China, Arabia, Persia, Malaya, India and Japan. In the 16^th century Ayutthaya was said to have 40 different nationalities living in and around the city walls, and supported a population larger than London’s.

The city was strongly fortified, with ramparts 20m high and 5m tick, and was protected on all sides by waterways: rivers on three sides and a linking canal on the fourth creating an oriental Venice. The cosmopolitan atmosphere was evident on the waterways where royal barges rubbed shoulders with Chinese junks, Arab dhows and ocean-going schooners. Visitors found endless sources of amusement in the city. There were elephant jousts, tiger fights, Thai boxing (Muay Thai), masked plays and puppet theatre.

It was said that the King of Ayutthaya was so wealthy that the elephants were fed from gold vessels. Indeed, early Western visitors to Ayutthaya often commented on the king’s elephants and the treatment they received. One of the earliest accounts by Jacques de Countres, a merchant from Bruges who resided in the city for eight months in 1596 (during Naresuan’s reign). His son later recorded his father’s experiences: “The palace is surrounded by stables where live the favorite elephants ridden by the king. Each one had its silk cushion, and they slept on it as if they were small dogs. Each one of them had six very large bowls of gold. Some contained oil to grease their skins; other were filled with water for sprinkling; other served for eating; other served for drinking; others for urinating and defecating.

The elephants were indeed so well trained that they got up from their beds when they felt to urge to urinate or defecate. Their attendants understood at once and handed them the bowls. And they kept their lodges always very sweet-smelling and fumigated with benzoic and other fragrant substances. I would not have believed it if I had not seen actually seen it.” (Smithies, Michael Description of Old Siam, Kuala Lumpur, 1995, OUP.)

One European became particularly influential: King Narai’s Greek foreign affairs officer (and later Prime Minister), Constantine Phaulcon. It was at this time the word ‘farang’ – to describe any white foreigner – entered the Thai vocabulary, derived from ‘ferenghi’, the Indian for ‘French’. In 1688, Narai was taken ill and at the same time the French, who Phaulcon had been encouraging, become a serious threat, gaining control of a fortress in Bangkok. An anti-French lobby arrested by the now very unpopular Phaulcon and had him executed for suspected designs on the throne. The French troops were expelled and for the next century Europeans were kept at arm’s length. It was not until the 19^th century that they regain influence in Thai court.

In 1767 the kingdom was again invaded, by the Burmese, who, at the 24^th attempt were finally successful in vanquishing the defenders. The city was sacked and its defaces destroyed, but, unable to consolidate their position, the Burmese left for home, taking with them large numbers of prisoners and leave the city in ruins. The population was reduced from one million to 10,000. Ayutthaya never recovered from this final attack, and the magnificent temples were left to deteriorate.