The kingdom of Thailand traces its history to the 13th-century kingdom of Sukhothai. Sukhothai reached its zenith under King Ramkhamhaeng, the inventor of the Thai script. During the 14th century, Sukhothai was eclipsed by the kingdom of Ayutthaya, a major regional trading center. Expanded by King Trailok, restored by King Naresuan, and reaching commercial heights under King Narai, Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese in 1767. King Taksin reunified the Siamese Kingdom through his conquests, laying the foundations for the current Chakri Dynasty. Read on to discover more about the kings of Thailand.   1. Ramkhamhaeng Statue of King Ramkhamhaeng at Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand, photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2017. Source: Jimmy Chen   King Ramkhamhaeng was the third ruler of the kingdom of Sukhothai, the earliest independent Thai state. Located in north-central Thailand, Sukhothai had been part of a Dvaravati kingdom centered on present-day Lopburi, which was, in turn, subject to cultural and political influence from the Khmer Empire in Cambodia. From the 9th century onwards, the area was settled by the Tai people (ancestors of modern Thai) from southern China. As the Lopburi Kingdom declined, the Tai took control of the city in the 11th century but were, in turn, subjugated by the Khmer.   In 1238, a Tai chief named Bang Klang Hao rebelled against the Khmer and ruled over Sukhothai and nearby Si Satchanalai under the name Si Inthrathit. By the end of his reign in 1270, his realm encompassed the upper valley of the Chao Phraya River. Si Inthrathit was succeeded by his son Ban Mueang, who ruled for a decade. In 1280, Si Inthrathit’s youngest son became King Ramkhamhaeng.   The name Ramkhamhaeng means “Rama the Bold.” The Kingdom of Sukhothai is believed to have reached its greatest territorial extent during his reign, though the “kingdom” resembled a network of city-states rather than a centralized entity. In 1287, Ramkhamhaeng formed an alliance with two kings in northern Thailand: Ngam Mueang of Phayao and King Mangrai of Lanna, the founder of the city of Chiang Mai.   Ramkhamhaeng is best known in Thailand as the inventor of the Thai script, which was adapted from the Khmer script. The so-called “Sukhothai” script made its first appearance on the Ramkhamhaeng Stele, discovered at Sukhothai by the future King Mongkut in 1833 and dated to 1292. The inscription gives a brief account of the king’s life and reign, including his military exploits and patronage of Buddhist monasteries.   2. Trailok Statue of King Trailok. Source: Gavroche Thaïlande   The power of the Kingdom of Sukhothai waned in the century after Ramkhamhaeng’s death in 1298. As the political center of gravity moved south, Ramkhamkhaeng’s descendants shifted their power base to Phitsanulok. During the second half of the 14th century, Sukhothai was eclipsed by Ayutthaya, which became wealthy through trade with China.   Ayutthaya owed its name to Ayodhya in India, a city associated with both the Buddha and the Hindu god Rama (a manifestation of Vishnu), who plays a major role in Thai royal culture. Ayutthaya was officially founded in 1351 by a man named U Thong, known by his regnal name of Ramathibodi I. U Thong expanded his realm by marrying into the royal families of Suphanburi and Lopburi. A power struggle ensued after his death, and by the 15th century, the lords of Suphanburi gained control of the throne of Ayutthaya (Baker and Pasuk, p. 56).   The kings of Ayutthaya formed close marriage ties with the rulers of Sukhothai, creating a political culture that combined elements from north and south. King Boromaracha II of Ayutthaya (r. 1424-1448) married a Sukhothai princess. When his brother-in-law, King Maha Thammaracha IV of Sukhothai, died in 1438, Boromaracha named his seven-year-old son, Prince Ramesuan, as viceroy of Sukhothai, marking the end of Sukhothai’s independence.   Wat Phra Si Sanphet, one of the most iconic temples in Ayutthaya, Thailand. King Trailok’s ashes are believed to be interred in one of the three chedis pictured, photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2017. Source: Jimmy Chen   Prince Ramesuan succeeded his father in 1448 under the name King Trailokkanat (or Trailok). He was the first king of Ayutthaya to be descended from the royal house of Sukhothai. After Trailok reneged on a promise to appoint his cousin Prince Yuthisthira (a male line descendant of the house of Sukhothai) as viceroy in Phitsanulok, the latter escaped to Lanna and encouraged King Tilokarat to go to war against Ayutthaya.   King Trailok spent much of his reign fighting against Lanna. In order to supervise military operations more effectively, he moved his capital to Phitsanulok in 1463 after appointing his eldest son as junior king in Ayutthaya. Many northern cities remained under the control of Lanna until Ayutthaya secured a crucial victory at Si Satchanalai in 1474, which is commemorated in the epic poem Yuan phai. Although hostilities continued for many decades, the victory ensured that Ayutthaya re-established its influence over the northern cities.   Despite his absence from Ayutthaya, Trailok introduced important reforms to the Thai bureaucracy by establishing a hierarchy of towns and a corresponding hierarchy of governors or lords for the cities, who were expected to carry out civil and military functions (Chula, pp. 33-34). This system remained in place until King Chulalongkorn’s administrative reforms in the early 20th century. When Trailok died in 1488, Ayutthaya resumed its function as the primary capital, but Phitsanulok remained a secondary capital for the next century.   3. Naresuan Statue of King Naresuan in Ayutthaya, Thailand, photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2027. Source: Jimmy Chen   By the middle of the 16th century, the kingdom of Burma to the west emerged as the main rival to Ayutthaya. A Burmese invasion in 1548 is considered the first of more than 20 Burmese-Siamese conflicts that continued until the early 19th century. The Burmese laid siege to Ayutthaya but were forced to withdraw. However, the war witnessed the dramatic sacrifice of Queen Suriyothai, who rode her elephant into harm’s way to save the life of her husband, King Maha Chakkraphat.   The Burmese returned in 1563 and briefly occupied Ayutthaya, deposing Maha Chakkraphat and installing his son Mahinthra as a vassal in the process. When Mahinthra encouraged his father to resume the kingship in 1568, the Burmese invaded in 1569 and captured Ayutthaya again. The fall of Ayutthaya owed much to Maha Thammaracha of Phitsanulok, who defected to the Burmese. Both Chakkraphat and Mahinthra were killed, and the Burmese made Maha Thammaracha the new vassal king of Ayutthaya.   Maha Thammaracha, a descendant of the House of Sukhothai, was granted considerable powers over the northern cities in 1548 after helping Maha Chakkraphat secure his throne. In a demonstration of his fealty to the Burmese kingdom, Maha Thammaracha was required to send his sons Naresuan and Ekathosarot to the Burmese court at Pegu as hostages in 1569 (or possibly earlier in 1563).   The lines of history and legend become blurred in the figure of Naresuan. According to the Thai chronicles, the young princes received military training at Pegu and enjoyed cockfighting with the Burmese princes. By around 1570, in response to a plot to kill Naresuan, the Siamese princes escaped, and Naresuan established himself as viceroy at Phitsanulok.   Equestrian Statue of King Naresuan in Ayutthaya, Thailand. photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2027. Source: Jimmy Chen   During the 1570s, the young Naresuan distinguished himself in battle by defeating internal uprisings and invasions from Cambodia. In 1584, he made the fateful decision to declare independence from Burma’s vassalage. This led the Burmese army to launch annual campaigns against Ayutthaya between 1584 and 1587. Naresuan evacuated the northern cities, strengthened Ayutthaya’s defenses, and recruited Portuguese and Japanese mercenaries who joined his army to attack the Burmese siege camps and force the enemy to retreat.   When Naresuan became king in 1590, Phitsanulok was downgraded in status, and Ayutthaya became the sole capital. The conflict with Burma climaxed with the Battle of Nong Sarai near Suphanburi in January 1593. The battle is known in Thailand for a legendary elephant duel between Naresuan and the Burmese crown prince Mingyi Swa, his supposed childhood playmate. Despite being mounted on a smaller elephant, Naresuan emerged victorious and killed his adversary. Burmese chronicles and European accounts do not mention the elephant duel and indicate that Mingyi Swa was killed by a gunshot.   In 1599, Naresuan led an invasion of Burma that saw Siamese armies reach the gates of Pegu. While he was unable to subdue the enemy capital, he secured the passes into Siam. Between 1602 and 1604, Naresuan established suzerainty over Cambodia, which lasted a decade. His death in 1605 during a campaign in Lanna brought an end to major hostilities. While Naresuan is venerated as a heroic figure in modern Thailand, contemporary Siamese chroniclers emphasized his cruelty and bloodlust as a conqueror (Baker and Pasuk, pp. 111-118).   4. Narai Statue of King Narai at Lopburi, Thailand, photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2018. Source: Jimmy Chen   Naresuan’s brother and successor, King Ekathotsarot, preferred diplomacy and commerce to war and established trade links with the Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Lucrative trade was also conducted with the Chinese, Japanese, and Muslim Indian merchants. Ayutthaya thus became a major entrepot facilitating trade between Europe and Asia.   In 1628, the ruling house of Ayutthaya was overthrown by an aristocrat named Prasat Thong with the assistance of the head of the Japanese trading colony. Prasat Thong’s reign also witnessed the arrival of a small but influential body of Persians who assumed high office. The Persians played a key role in the accession of Prasat Thong’s younger son Narai, who outmaneuvered a brother and an uncle in the power struggle after his father’s death in 1656.   Persians, therefore, continued to occupy key government positions during Narai’s reign, and the king relied on Persian and Chinese merchants to resist the Dutch East India Company’s demands for monopolies. In 1666, Narai ordered the construction of a new summer palace in Lopburi, his secondary capital, whose architectural features were inspired by Safavid Persia. Ayutthaya flourished during the reigns of Prasat Thong and Narai, and the city’s wealth was exhibited in newly restored temples with golden Buddha images.   A gate in King Narai’s Palace at Lopburi, photograph by Jimmy Chen. Source: Jimmy Chen   European influence at Narai’s court increased significantly in the late 1670s. The king was curious about European astronomy and had observatories built at Ayutthaya and Lopburi. The most famous European who served Narai was a Greek adventurer named Constantine Phaulkon, who spent much of his life working for the British East India Company. After being introduced to the king in the early 1680s, he quickly became Narai’s chief adviser with the title Chao Phraya Wichayen and used his influence to enrich himself.   Phaulkon organized a Siamese embassy to the King Louis XIV of France which arrived in 1685. The ambassadors made a good impression, and a reciprocal French embassy arrived in 1687, conveying Jesuit scholars and a few hundred French soldiers to garrison a couple of forts near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in what is now Bangkok. Phaulkon’s actions also provoked a brief conflict with his former East India Company masters.   By the late 1680s, Narai was spending most of his year in Lopburi. His health was in steady decline, and during his final illness in 1688 a conservative nobleman named Phetracha launched a coup seeking to eliminate foreign influence at court. Phetracha seized the palace in May 1688, took Phaulkon captive, and executed him a few weeks later. Narai was too weak to protest, and Phetracha claimed the throne upon his death on July 11.   5. Taksin Statue of King Taksin at Rajabhakti Park, Hua Hin, Thailand, photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2020. Source: Jimmy Chen   The kingdom of Ayutthaya was plagued with instability during the 18th century, inviting a Burmese invasion in late 1759. This first attempt was repulsed, but following a second invasion in 1765, the Burmese laid siege to Ayutthaya for 14 months and sacked the city on the night of April 7, 1767.   A few months before the fall of Ayutthaya, a talented Thai-Chinese general named Taksin escaped from the city and began organizing an army. After establishing his base at Chanthaburi in southeastern Thailand, Taksin moved his headquarters to Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, now a district of Bangkok. By early 1768, he managed to retake Ayutthaya from its small Burmese garrison. However, Taksin made no attempt to rebuild Ayutthaya; instead, he retained his headquarters at Thonburi, making him the first (and only) king of Thonburi.   For the next seven years, Taksin personally led campaigns against the Burmese as they sought to reestablish their position in Siam. In the meantime, he brought together former Siamese territories in the north and south through a combination of force and diplomacy. From 1775 onwards, Taksin remained in Thonburi to focus on reviving the economy and restoring trade relations with China.   Monument to Seven Kings of Thailand at Rajabhakti Park, Hua Hin, Thailand (Left to right: Ramkhamhaeng, Naresuan, Narai, Taksin, Rama I, Rama IV, Rama V), photograph by Jimmy Chen, 2020. Source: Jimmy Chen   The military campaigns were left to two brothers who had been given the titles of Chao Phraya Chakri and Chao Phraya Surasi. The brothers repulsed another Burmese invasion in 1776 and secured the submission of Laos before extending Thonburi’s influence into Cambodia.   By the early 1780s, Taksin began behaving erratically, demanding to be worshiped as a Buddha and torturing members of his own family. This behavior inspired a revolt from an official named Phraya San, who quickly occupied Thonburi. Taksin offered no resistance and relinquished the throne. Upon learning of the news, Chao Phraya Chakri hurried back to Thonburi and took control of the government.   While Taksin expressed his wish to become a monk, the official history states that Chao Phraya Chakri executed him and took the throne himself. According to an alternative theory, Chao Phraya Chakri granted Taksin’s wish, and the dethroned king lived out his life in obscurity as a monk in the southern city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The new king, known to history as Phra Phutthayotfa or King Rama I, founded the city of Bangkok on the opposite bank of the Chao Phraya to Thonburi. Today, the Chakri Dynasty, founded by Rama I, continues to reign in Thailand under King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X).   Reference List:   Baker, C. and Pasuk P. (2017). A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World.   Chula C. (1967). Lords of Life: A History of the Kings of Thailand. Alvin Redman Ltd. (Original work published 1960.)

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1905 - The steamer "Hilda" sinks in the English Channel (100 people drown) 1919 - US Senate rejects the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 to 39; Congress two years later approves resolution ending hostilities with Germany and Austria-Hungary 1942 - Joseph Goebbels visits "German Theatre in the Netherlands" 1969 - Apollo 12's Charles Conrad and Alan Bean become the 3rd and 4th humans on the Moon 1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrives in Israel 1983 - Robert Whitney (79) conducts his final concert, leading the Louisville Orchestra at the opening of the Whitney Concert Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky 1994 - Aishwarya Rai, 21, of India, crowned 44th Miss World 2023 - Brazil records its highest-ever temperature - 44.8C (112.6F) in Araçuaí, Minas Gerais state More Historical Events »

The House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led effort to strip Democratic U.S. Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett of her prime spot on the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday evening, after a splinter group of Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the measure. Lawmakers voted 209 to 214 against formally censuring Plaskett, a nonvoting delegate, after recently revealed text messages […]

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Wikimedia CommonsCrown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shot and killed multiple members of the royal family. June 1, 2001 is an infamous date in the history of Nepal. During a party on the grounds of the Narayanhiti Royal Palace that night, 29-year-old Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed his mother, father, and seven other members of the royal family, before shooting himself in the head. With the king dead, the crown fell to Dipendra, who survived for a few days in a coma before dying on June 4. For this reason, he’s known as Nepal’s “Ghost King.” And with his death, Dipendra’s uncle, Gyanendra, took power. So why did Dipendra murder his entire family? This is the strange story of the Nepalese royal massacre, from the mystery surrounding Dipendra’s motives to the fate of the Nepalese monarchy itself. The Royal Upbringing Of Crown Prince Dipendra Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was born on June 27, 1971. The first son of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, Dipendra was the crown prince and next in line to the Nepalese throne. As such, he enjoyed a privileged upbringing. Wikimedia CommonsThe then-Prime Minister of Nepal carrying Prince Dipendra. After attending school in Nepal, Dipendra later attended Eton College in the United Kingdom. He then earned a PhD at Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and also received military training from the Academy of Royal Nepalese Gurkha Army, as well as pilot training from the Civil Aviation Department. Out of school, the crown prince also enjoyed sports, guns, and parties, and showing off the trappings of his royal lifestyle. When Princess Diana visited Nepal in 1993, for example, Dipendra closed the roads so that they could cruise around Kathmandu at night in his sports car. But the crown prince had a darker side as well. “He was kind of a dual character. Outside, he was very much gentle, very much liked by everyone,” Lt. Gen. Vivek Kumar Shah, an aide-de-camp at the royal palace for 26 years, remarked to The World in 2013. “But inside, from the beginning — probably, he didn’t get the love he should have as a child. That’s what my belief is. He had a kind of sadistic nature. He would burn a cat or a mouse. He would enjoy that.” Wikimedia CommonsPrince Dipendra meets with the President of India in 1994. What’s more, Dipendra was unhappy with how the monarchy in Nepal was changing. In the 1990s, Dipendra’s father, King Birendra, agreed to transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in response to the 1990 People’s Movement uprising. Dipendra was upset with this change. He allegedly broke a door when he heard the news. “If you remember, King Birendra was educated in the West, in Japan,” Kunda Dixit, publisher of the Nepali Times explained to The World. “He believed in a constitutional role for the monarchy, not a dictatorship. But his brother [Gyanendra], who later became king, and his own son, the Crown Prince, totally disagreed. They felt the country was going to the dogs, [that] he gave too much away in the 1990 People Power uprising.” The crown prince was unhappy, but no one predicted what came next. The 2001 Nepalese Royal Massacre Wikimedia CommonsThe Narayanhiti Royal Palace, which is now a museum. Nepalese royal massacre took place on June 1, 2001. That night, there was a private family party held at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace in Kathmandu. According to reporting from Time in 2001, some witnesses remember that Dipendra was so drunk he had to be escorted to his room about 45 minutes after the party began. Others, however, recall that Dipendra was sober enough to pour drinks. The New York Times additionally reported in 2001 that a government inquest into the massacre found that Dipendra was not only drunk on whiskey, but high on “a special kind of cigarette prepared with a mixture of hashish and another unnamed black substance.” In any case, Dipendra left the party early. When he returned, he was dressed in army fatigues and carrying several weapons. And he went straight into one of the palace’s drawing rooms, where King Birendra was sitting with others. Before his father could react, Dipendra opened fire. “Dipendra just looked at his father. He said nothing and squeezed the trigger once,” Ravi Shumshere Rana, Dipendra’s uncle, recalled according to Time. “The King stood there for a few seconds after the firing and then slowly he sat down on the ground. It was about this time that the King finally spoke. Kay gardeko? (What have you done?)” Wikimedia CommonsKing Birendra with Ronald Reagan at the White House in the 1980s. The crown prince gave no answer. Instead, he stalked throughout the party, opening fire on his family. When Dipendra’s brother, Prince Nirajan, stood in front of their mother, Queen Aishwarya, Dipendra shot them both. When his sister, Princess Shruti, bent over her injured husband, he shot her. Dipendra moved methodically, ultimately killing nine members of the royal family. “At this point he went wild and started shooting whoever came in front of him,” Dr. Rajiv Shahi, the son-in-law of the youngest brother of the slain King Birendra, recalled to The New York Times. “How many weapons he used, I’m not sure. I didn’t count. It was too fast.” Within just a matter of minutes, the massacre was over. The the crown prince made his way to a nearby footbridge, and shot himself in the head. Why Did Dipendra Kill His Family? At the end of the Nepalese royal massacre, Dipendra had killed his parents, the king and queen, his younger siblings, and five other members of the royal family. The crown automatically passed to him, but Dipendra fell into a coma after shooting himself in the head. He was a “Ghost King” for three days, before he died from his wounds on June 4, 2001, at the age of 29. So, why did he do it? Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka/Wikimedia CommonsA statue of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya. There’s been plenty of speculation over the years as to the possible motive for Dipendra’s violent actions on that fateful night, but no sure answers. However, there are two prevailing theories. The first theory is that Dipendra was furious with the decision his father had made to transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The second is that Dipendra was in love with a woman he couldn’t marry. Dipendra had crossed paths with, woman, Devyani Rana, while studying in England. But his family objected to the match both because of Rana’s mother’s social caste, and because of her father’s political alliances. Rana’s family also had doubts about the match, since their family was wealthier, and Rana had grown up accustomed to a certain lifestyle. On the night of the Nepal royal massacre, Dipendra even called Rana multiple times. She recalled that his speech was so slurred that she asked one of his aides to check on him. But in their last conversation, Dipendra offered no hint of the coming violence. Apparently, he only told her that he was going to bed before he hung up the phone for the final time. Krish Dulal/Wikimedia CommonsDevyani Rana in 2013. That said, some even believe that Dipendra is innocent. They point to oddities in the case, including that Dipendra, who was right-handed, shot himself in the left temple. They also find it suspicious that Prince Gyanendra, the king’s brother who became king himself, was conspicuously absent from the party and that Gyanendra’s son, Paras, was spared. However, in the decades since the tragic event, no evidence has appeared to suggest anyone but Dipendra was to blame. And even Gyanendra didn’t stay king for long — the Nepalese monarchy was abolished in 2008. “What motivated him to do this, I’m not sure, but it was the then-Crown Prince Dipendra who committed the murder,” Shahi reaffirmed. After reading about Dipendra of Nepal, discover the devastating Nepal earthquake of 2015. Then, go inside the crimes of Charles Sobhraj, the French serial killer who was sentenced to life in prison in Nepal. The post The Shocking Story Of Dipendra, The Crown Prince Of Nepal Who Massacred His Family appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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