Thon Buri – The rein of Taksin

Thon Buri is a section of the Metro Bangkok, which is Thailand’s capital and biggest city. Thon Buri is on the west side of the Chao Phraya River. Thon Buri City was the capital from the year 1767 – 1782. It was then merged with the city Phra Nakhon to form Krung Thep Mahanakon, which means Bangkok Metropolitan City. The best known structure of the city is a temple called Wat Arun that lies along the riverfront.

Taksin’s rise to power

A new era in Thai history began here with Taksin’s rise to power. Taksin was a military commander and general who later turned king and reunited Thailand, or Siam, after it was defeated at the hands of Myanmar in 1767.

Of Chinese – Thai parents in Thon Buri, Taksin became the protégé of a nobleman who put him inside the royal service. In 1764 he became Phraya as the governor of Tak, and to not get him confused with the ones before him his name was changed to Phraya Taksin.

Taksin and his troops were besieged in Ayutthaya by the Myanmar in 1767. Before the city fell he left the city and went southwest of the kingdom. There he raised more troops, with whom he regained power of the Chao Phraya River Valley. He moved his capital then to Thon Buri opposite of Bangkok. He stopped wave after wave of Myanmar attacks and defeated others for the throne by 1770. In 1776 he had kicked all of the Myanmar from Chiang Mai and the north. Power then extended into Laos, Cambodia and the Malaysian states.

Taksin, the emperor or Taksin, the politician?

Taksin was a horrible politician. His ruling was starting to become arbitrary and he told himself that he was far advanced toward Buddhahood. He attempted to force the Buddhist monks and his subjects to accept and practice his religious pretensions and this led to a rebellion against him. This rebellion was organized by minor officials near the capital. After they removed him from the throne and executed him, they invited the chief among all the generals, Rama I, to succeed him on the throne. Some historians believe that Taksin actually was secretly spirited away to a mountain retreat away from Thon Buri in 1782 and he stayed there until 1825.

Taksin was a better conqueror than a politician. His rule grew arbitrary, and he convinced himself that he was well advanced for Buddhahood. His attempts to force the Buddhist monk hood and his subjects to accept his religious pretensions led to a rebellion organized by minor officials near the capital. After deposing and executing him, they invited the chief among his generals, then campaigning in Cambodia, to succeed him, as Rama I. Some historians believe that Taksin was secretly spirited away from Thon Buri in 1782 and lived in a mountain retreat in southern Thailand until 1825.

The final verdict

Whether Taksin was murdered or just vanished into the hills is a mystery that only those living in that time would know. What is known about Taksin is that he changed the capital to Thon Buri after fleeing there to revitalize his army, he clearly was a great military commander, he was a bad politician and that he tried to change the rules and sacred practices of Buddhism, which in turn probably ultimately got him executed.