It says something that the film series The Legend of 'env Naresuan is one of the most expensive movie projects In Thai history. The action-packed, six-part historical epic, which celebrates the larger-than-life conquest of Somdej Phra Naresuan Maharaj —otherwise known as Naresuan the Great — cost more than £142 million ($20 million) to produce.
With financial backing from the Thai state, the movies chronicle how Naresuan a 16th-century warrior king, threw off the shackles of the detested Burmese occupation and established an independent state that was a strong political and military force in Southeast Asia. Imagine George Washington if the American general had ditched his horse for a battle elephant.
To understand the importance of Naresuan in Thai history, you need to appreciate the political dynamics of 16th-century Southeast Asia. First of all, the country we now know as Thailand didn't exist until the 20th century. Instead, the region was made up of a series of Thal kingdoms, known collectively in the West as Siam, the largest and most powerful of which was Ayutthaya.
Dubbed the 'Venice of the Fast. Ayutthaya was a walled city of intersecting canals that floated like a fortified island in between three converging rivers. Its walls and rivers defended It against attack while its culture flourished, producing remarkable Buddhist-themed architecture, as well as art and music that were influenced by both East and West. Fertile rice fields surrounded the dry and Ayutthaya grew rich exporting rice to European traders and China, the reigning superpower of East Asia.
However, the kingdom was literally surrounded by enemies: Burma lay to the northwest, Cambodia and the Khmer to the southeast, and disparate tribal states had made their homes to the east and north. But Burma was by far the most potent threat The ruling Toungoo dynasty had spent the last two generations conquering smaller states to amass an empire.
Regime change
In 1571, when Naresuan turned 16, King Bayinnaung allowed the prince to return home in exchange for his sister's hand in marriage. Young Naresuan was put in charge of the northern city of Phitsanulok as the Uparat, or presumptive heir, to the throne of Ayutthaya.
As you can imagine, Naresuan was in an unusual political position. Raised in Burma as a prisoner-prince, he both resented and respected the Thai people's feudal overlords. Some even claim that Naresuan loved Bayinnaung like a father. If Thailand's champion had early dreams of rebellion he hid them well, biding his time and pledging his continued loyalty to Burma.
Ironically, it was during a show of this loyalty that Naresuan would get himself into trouble. After the death of Bayinnaung, Nanda Bayin became king of Burma in 1581, and Naresuan was sent by his father to pay homage and express the Thai kingdom's unwavering allegiance.
To test this fealty Nanda Bayin recruited Naresuan and his army to help quash a rebellion in the Shan states to the north. When Nanda Bayin and his troops failed to take a key city, Naresuan swept in to conquer it. Instead of encouraging the king that Naresaun could be a trusted ally, the act embarrassed and enraged him.
Naresuan returned to his home in Phitsanulok but he was quickly summoned by Nanda Bayin a second time to help put down another uprising. Naresuan dutifully assembled his troops — but not without his suspicions. Word had reached him that the Burmese had begun constructing a road to the Thai capital of Ayutthaya, a sign that the foreign king was looking for ways to further tighten his grip on the kingdom.
As Naresuan marched towards Pegu, he was intercepted by two Mon warriors. The Mon people had developed close links with the Ayutthaya kingdom, as after their capital had been conquered by the Burmese army, many Mon people had sought refuge there. The two warriors warned Naresuan of Nanda Bayin's secret plan to ambush and kill him.
Naresuan had played the loyal puppet for long enough and now that he knew of the Burmese plot to assassinate him, there was no need for him to retain (or feign) such fealty. The time had come for Naresuan to become the leader that his people so desperately needed.
Hail to the new King
King Nanda Bayin wasted no time answering Naresuans rebellion. He sent his army against Ayutthaya very rapidly, but Naresuan repelled the first attack easily, along with the second and third Burmese attempts in the years that followed. Even the Khmer tried their luck, hoping to capitalise on Thai entanglements with Burma. Incredibly, Naresuan not only held off this offensive, but pursued his attackers all the way back to the walls of Lovek, the Khmer capital. Be only turned back because his supplies had run out.
In 1590, King Maha Thammarachathirat died, making Naresuan the sovereign ruler of Ayutthaya. While he devoted some of his energy to centralising political power and reforming the traditional patronage system enjoyed by princes, he also acted as a diplomat and ambassador, signing trade agreements with Portugal and Spain. But Naresuan's greatest talents were as a savvy military strategist and cunning warrior.
The final showdown Naresuan's greatest moment came during a last-ditch attempt by the Burmese army to crush the rebellious Ayutthaya state in 1593. The warrior king% spies sent word that Nanda Bayin's army was on the move yet again, led by his eldest son, Mingyi Swa. Thai legend likes to suggest that Swa might have been an old rival of Naresuan — that they may have been sparring partners who fought during those hand-to-hand combat lessons of his youth. However, Swa was three years younger than Naresuan and there's no hard evidence that says they fought until this fateful day.
Lasting Legacy
Naresuan was only around 50 years old when he died, potentially from disease during a campaign in the Shan States to Ayutthaya's north. Despite his early death, his heroics on the battlefield cemented the Thai kingdom as the undisputed power in Southeast Asia for the next century. Men his younger brother, Ekamorsarot, took me throne, he continued Naresuan's important work, establishing trade relations with Goa, Japan and the Netherlands for the first time.
Every year on 18 January, the day of Naresuan's victory at Nong Sarai, Thailand celebrates its National Armed Forces Day. Locals will occasionally lay flowers at the feet of Naresuan statues, showing their undying gratitude to him for winning independence. In 1990, a college in Phitsanulok was renamed Naresuan University to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his ascension to the throne. Clearly, the legend of Naresuan the Great is more than a great action-movie plot —it's the story of a people's first taste of freedom and power in the early modern age.