Period Two

Ayuthaya Kingdom

King Narai the Great

The reign of this Great Siamese King was an early period in the history of the country where the King aimed for making his kingdom international. So, Ayuthaya opened its gates to many European nations. This brought a time of important modernization. As an opening of the nation was a risky enterprise, King narai moved during his reign the capital from Ayuthaya to the more secluded Lopburi for more protection.

King Narai was not directly a warrior king as an example Naresuan the Great, his efforts were more in diplomacy and trade. One of the very few Siamese campaigns of his reign was to temporarily capture Chiang Mai but the Burmese won it not even a year later back for themselves. During his reign Ayuthaya opened to many European nations but in the only military conflict with one of the western countries. Siam had to admit Dutch superiority in 1664 AD and sign a treaty which provided the winning party with a monopoly on hides.

In 1673 AD, a French eclectically mission reached the court of Ayuthaya with a letter of Pope Clement IX and Louis XIV. It was welcome by King narai who expected benefits in trade between the two countries and not what the Catholic Church completely misunderstood because he considered to convert from Buddhism. Now, this misconception was shared with the other big religion which tried to expand its domination over the entire world, the Islam. The Persian Shah Suleiman I was extremely interested in a converting Narai who used the situation smartly to establish excellent relations with the Persian Empire. The French Catholics did not give up until his death to make him convert and sent between 1685 and 1688 AD three mission to Siam and with these missions the Jesuits of Loyola came to Siam.

The French were supported at the court of Ayuthaya mainly by a Greek who became known under the name Constantine Phaulcon who came with the English to Siam in 1675 AD. He used his skills in different languages, including English, French, Greece and Portuguese to climb in the royal ranks of Ayuthaya as he very quickly adapted Thai. One of the strategies of Phaulcon to keep the French interested in Siam was providing the ecclesia with property in Lopburi, Ayuthaya, Bangkok and Thonburi. So, very early development took place at the mouth of the Chaophraya.

Phaulcon was not a trained diplomat and so he made himself internally and externally a lot of enemies. His actions led to war with the English East Indian Company as he undercut their monopoly in Eastern English trade and allowed also other English privateers to trade with the kingdom. Nevertheless, he had the trust of King Narai and so he rose to the ranks of Chao Phraya Wichajen and Foreign Minister. His opposition internally was even stronger as they disliked his high rank and saw his limited competency. Phaulcon was a throne in the eyes of many influential people as his lifestyle with his Japanese wife and his promotion of the Jesuits opposed Siamese customs. Phaulcon's opponents formed an anti-foreign faction and asked for his removal. In 1688 AD as King Narai was already on his deathbed, he determines as successor his daughter and names her three consultants.But, one of them, General Phra Phetratcha kills the other two consultants, one of them Phaulcon. King narai the Great was to that time already so weak that he could not do anything to his Greeks's Minister defence. He was also powerless as Phra Phetratcha still to his lifetime murders prospective successors of him and took the French fortification at Bangkok under siege.

King Narai the Great died on July 11, 1688. After his death Phra Phetratcha proclaimed himself as new king of Siam and severed nearly all ties with the West. Siam should not establish as good relations to Europe in the following until the reign of King Rama IV nearly two hundred years later.