Taksin

Not to be confused with Thaksin (disambiguation) or Taksim.

  • Taksin the Great
  • ตากสินมหาราช
King of Thonburi
Statue of Taksin the Great at Hat-Sung Palace (Wat Khung Taphao), Uttaradit province
King of Siam
Reign28 December 1767 – 1 April 1782[1][2][a]
Coronation28 December 1767
PredecessorEkkathat (as King of Ayutthaya)
SuccessorPhutthayotfachulalok (Rama I) (as King of Rattanakosin)
ViceroyInthraphithak
BornDên Chao/Sin (Zheng Zhao)
(1734-04-17)17 April 1734
Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya
Died7 April 1782(1782-04-07) (aged 47)[b]
Bangkok, Siam
Burial
Wat Intharam, Bangkok
Spouse
  • Batboricha (Son)
  • Boricha Phakdi (Chim)
  • Consort Prang
Issue21 sons and 9 daughters,[4] including:
HouseThonburi dynasty
FatherYong Saetae (Zheng Yong)[5]
MotherNok-lang (later Princess Phithak Thephamat)
ReligionTheravada Buddhism

King Taksin the Great (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, RTGS: Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat,[c] listenⓘ) or the King of Thonburi (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, RTGS: Somdet Phra Chao Krung Thon Buri;[d] simplified Chinese: 郑昭; traditional Chinese: 鄭昭; pinyin: Zhèng Zhāo; Teochew: Dên Chao;[6] 17 April 1734 – 7 April 1782) was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom that ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1782. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and then was a major leader during the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city of Thonburi as the new capital, as the city of Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars; he fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Thai kingdom of Lanna, the Laotian principalities, and threatening Cambodia.

Although warfare occupied most of Taksin's reign, he paid a great deal of attention to politics, administration, economy, and the welfare of the country. He promoted trade and fostered relations with foreign countries. He had roads built and canals dug. Apart from restoring and renovating temples, the king attempted to revive literature, and various branches of the arts such as drama, painting, architecture and handicrafts. He also issued regulations for the collection and arrangement of various texts to promote education and religious studies.

He was taken in a coup d'état and executed, and succeeded by his long-time friend Maha Ksatriyaseuk, who then assumed the throne, founding the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the Chakri dynasty, which has since ruled Thailand. In recognition for his deeds, he was later awarded the title of Maharaj (The Great).

  1. ^ Terwiel, B. J. (Barend Jan) (1983). A history of modern Thailand, 1767–1942. St. Lucia; New York : University of Queensland Press. ISBN 978-0-7022-1892-7. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ chinese society in thailand: an analytical history. cornell university press. 1957.
  3. ^ "ว่าด้วยพระเจ้าตาก ตอน 5: สองคน สองประวัติศาสตร์ EP.50". YouTube. 27 July 2022. 3:41–3:55
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ธำรงศักดิ์ อายุวัฒนะ 490 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Lintner, p. 112
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference tran6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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