Songtham
Encyclopedia
Somdet Phra Boromma Trailokanat Songtham (full Thai
title: สมเด็จพระเจ้าทรงธรรม; RTGS
: Somdet Phra Chao Songtham) was the King of Ayutthaya from 1611 to 1628 of the House of Sukhōday. His reign was marked as prosperity after the First Fall of Ayutthaya and saw the commencement of trade with foreign nations especially the Dutch and the Japanese. Songtham filled his guards with foreign mercenaries most notably the Japanese – Yamada Nagamasa
.
Sources varied in Songtham’s origin. The Royal Secretariat’s Chronicles (1912) named him Prince Si Sin but other chronicles named him Prince Inthraracha. The prince was a minor prince born to Ekatotsarot with one of his concubines. As a minor prince, Inthraracha pursed religious ordination and became a respectful monk with the name Pimol Anantapreecha.
Ekatotsarot died in 1610, to be succeeded by incapable and one-eyed Sri Saowapak. Sri Saowapak’s weak rule gave opportunities for the nobility to usurp the throne. Here the Royal Chronicles told that Songtham’s adoptive son Chameun Sri Sorarak conspired a rebellion and marched to the palace in 1611 and held a ceremony for Sri Saowapak’s execution at Wat Kok Phraya. However, other chronicles said that it was Songtham’s younger brother Si Sin who did this. Nevertheless, as a popular religious prince, Songtham was given the Ayutthayan throne. Songtham appointed Sri Soralak the Uparaja but he died only a week after.
Not long after the coronation, in 1612 the Ayutthaya Palace was sacked by Japanese samurai
s who took the king away as a captive. Certain Siamese noblemen had cheated the Japanese merchants in trade agreements and their master Ok Krom Nai Wai (a title for Japanese mercenary commander) had been executed by the king in 1610. King Songtham was attending a Buddhist audience when the Japanese stormed the palace. They called for the life of Siamese mandarins responsible for their vengeance. Songtham managed to claim the attackers down and sent them off the Menam valley but the Japanese rebels captured Phetchaburi
so Songtham sent an army to pursue and suppress them.
Songtham was said to be very religious - both by the Siamese and van Vliet - as for his religious youth. His name Songtham was a posthumous reverence that means "maintaining the virtues". His reign was the glamorous time for Siamese peasants who were free from though wars and suppression. The most prominent achievement in his reign was the discovery of Buddha's Footprint
at Saraburi
. Songtham ordered the construction of a temple over the footprint - the footprint itself can still be seen today. From Songtham onwards, Ayutthayan kings paid annual respect to the Buddha's Footprint in a grand river procession.
On martial affairs, however, King Songhtam was less successful. In 1621 himself led Siamese armies into Cambodia to bring the kingdom under control but was repelled by King Sri Suriyopor of Oudong
. Songtham sent his brother Uparaja Si Sin to invade again in 1622 and failed. Also in 1622 King Anaukpetlun
of Pegu
took Tavoy away from the Siamese.
Songtham's reign was marked by the foreign activities in Siam. The Dutch and the Japanese (with their Red seal ship) were the most frequent visitors who received the royal supports. Songtham sent four embassies (about 20 people each) to the Japanese Shogun in 1621, 1623, 1626, 1629, to Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada
and Iemitsu
.
In 1624, Fernando de Silva
led a Spanish fleet to sack a Dutch ship near the Siamese shoreline. This enraged Songtham who held the Dutch in great preference and ordered the attacks and seizures of all the Spaniards. The Portuguese, however, were treated alike and the Iberians were technically disgraced from Siam after nearly a hundred years of royal support.
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
title: สมเด็จพระเจ้าทรงธรรม; RTGS
Royal Thai General System of Transcription
The Royal Thai General System of Transcription is the official system for rendering Thai language words in the Latin alphabet, published by the Royal Institute of Thailand...
: Somdet Phra Chao Songtham) was the King of Ayutthaya from 1611 to 1628 of the House of Sukhōday. His reign was marked as prosperity after the First Fall of Ayutthaya and saw the commencement of trade with foreign nations especially the Dutch and the Japanese. Songtham filled his guards with foreign mercenaries most notably the Japanese – Yamada Nagamasa
Yamada Nagamasa
was a Japanese adventurer who gained considerable influence in Ayutthaya kingdom at the beginning of the 17th century and became the governor of the Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand....
.
Sources varied in Songtham’s origin. The Royal Secretariat’s Chronicles (1912) named him Prince Si Sin but other chronicles named him Prince Inthraracha. The prince was a minor prince born to Ekatotsarot with one of his concubines. As a minor prince, Inthraracha pursed religious ordination and became a respectful monk with the name Pimol Anantapreecha.
Ekatotsarot died in 1610, to be succeeded by incapable and one-eyed Sri Saowapak. Sri Saowapak’s weak rule gave opportunities for the nobility to usurp the throne. Here the Royal Chronicles told that Songtham’s adoptive son Chameun Sri Sorarak conspired a rebellion and marched to the palace in 1611 and held a ceremony for Sri Saowapak’s execution at Wat Kok Phraya. However, other chronicles said that it was Songtham’s younger brother Si Sin who did this. Nevertheless, as a popular religious prince, Songtham was given the Ayutthayan throne. Songtham appointed Sri Soralak the Uparaja but he died only a week after.
Not long after the coronation, in 1612 the Ayutthaya Palace was sacked by Japanese samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
s who took the king away as a captive. Certain Siamese noblemen had cheated the Japanese merchants in trade agreements and their master Ok Krom Nai Wai (a title for Japanese mercenary commander) had been executed by the king in 1610. King Songtham was attending a Buddhist audience when the Japanese stormed the palace. They called for the life of Siamese mandarins responsible for their vengeance. Songtham managed to claim the attackers down and sent them off the Menam valley but the Japanese rebels captured Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi , also known as Phetburi, is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means city of diamonds . It is approximately 160km south of Bangkok, at the northern end of the Thai Peninsula...
so Songtham sent an army to pursue and suppress them.
Songtham was said to be very religious - both by the Siamese and van Vliet - as for his religious youth. His name Songtham was a posthumous reverence that means "maintaining the virtues". His reign was the glamorous time for Siamese peasants who were free from though wars and suppression. The most prominent achievement in his reign was the discovery of Buddha's Footprint
Amphoe Phra Phutthabat
Phra Phutthabat is a district located in Saraburi Province, Thailand.The district is named after the Wat Phra Phutthabat, meaning temple of Buddha's footprint. In the 17th century a hunter found a puddle of water which looked like a footprint...
at Saraburi
Saraburi
Saraburi is a town in central Thailand, capital of the Saraburi Province. As of 2005, it has a population of 61,900, and covers the complete tambon Pak Phriao of the Mueang Saraburi district....
. Songtham ordered the construction of a temple over the footprint - the footprint itself can still be seen today. From Songtham onwards, Ayutthayan kings paid annual respect to the Buddha's Footprint in a grand river procession.
On martial affairs, however, King Songhtam was less successful. In 1621 himself led Siamese armies into Cambodia to bring the kingdom under control but was repelled by King Sri Suriyopor of Oudong
Oudong
Udong is a town in Cambodia, situated in the north-western part of Kandal Province. The town is located on top of the mountain Phnom Udong, about 40 km northwest of the capital Phnom Penh...
. Songtham sent his brother Uparaja Si Sin to invade again in 1622 and failed. Also in 1622 King Anaukpetlun
Anaukpetlun
Anaukpetlun was the sixth king of Toungoo dynasty of Burma, and was largely responsible for restoring Burmese kingdom after it had famously collapsed at the end of 16th century. In his 22-year reign between 1606 and 1628, Anaukpetlun completed the reunification efforts of the Burmese kingdom begun...
of Pegu
Toungoo Dynasty
The Toungoo Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Burma from the mid-16th century to 1752. Its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung succeeded in reunifying the Pagan Empire for the first time since 1287, and in incorporating the Shan States for the first time...
took Tavoy away from the Siamese.
Songtham's reign was marked by the foreign activities in Siam. The Dutch and the Japanese (with their Red seal ship) were the most frequent visitors who received the royal supports. Songtham sent four embassies (about 20 people each) to the Japanese Shogun in 1621, 1623, 1626, 1629, to Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...
and Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...
.
In 1624, Fernando de Silva
Fernándo de Silva
Fernándo de Silva was a Spanish diplomat and colonial official. From July 1625 to June 28, 1626 he was interim governor of the Philippines.-Background:...
led a Spanish fleet to sack a Dutch ship near the Siamese shoreline. This enraged Songtham who held the Dutch in great preference and ordered the attacks and seizures of all the Spaniards. The Portuguese, however, were treated alike and the Iberians were technically disgraced from Siam after nearly a hundred years of royal support.