NARESUAN (1574)

Real name PHRA NARET.
Popularly known as THE BLACK PRINCE (probably because of his dark complexion).

King of Siam in 1590-1605 regarded as a national hero by the Siamese people for having liberated the country from the Burmese.

In 1569 the Burmese king Bayinnaung (reigned 1551-81) conquered Siam placing Naresuan´s father Maha Dhammaraja on the throne as his vassal. The capital Ayutthaya was pillaged, thousands of Siamese were deported to Burma as slaves and Siam the suffered numerous invasions from Cambodia.

At the age of 16 Naresuan was also made a vassal of Burma and appointed governor of the northern province of Phitsanulok where he led numerous campaigns against Cambodia.

In 1584 he renounced his allegiance to Bayinnaung´s son King Nanda Bayin (reigned 1581-99). In a series of brilliant military operations he defeated three Burmese armies that had invaded Siam, frustrated attempts of the Burmese to capture the capital and drove out the Cambodians.

Becoming king in 1590 Naresuan took the offensive. He captured the Cambodian capital of Lovek, made Cambodia a vassal of Siam and established suzerainty over the northern kingdom of Chiang Mai.

He seized the Burmese peninsular provinces of Tavoy and Tenasserim but refrained from attempting to become overlord of all Burma, though he killed the Burmese heir apparent in battle in 1592.

Burma ceased to be a threat to Siam when a civil war broke out between King Nanda Bayin and his brothers, the princess of Prome, Ava and Toungoo. The Arakanese then intervened and sacked the Burmese capital of Pegu in 1599.

Although Naresuan was known primarily as a military commander, he also promoted Siamese commerce, particularly when the annexation of Tavoy and Tenasserim gave him access to the Indian Ocean.

He conducted peaceful relations with the Portuguese in Malacca and the Spanish in Manila and laid the foundation that made Siamese commerce a rich prize for European merchants in the 17th century.

He died on a military campaign in the Shan states in 1605 and was succeeded by his brother Ekathotsarat.