Taksin's reunification of Siam
| Taksin's reunification of Siam | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Map of the five Siamese states (including their capital cities) that emerged following the dissolution of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Thonburi Kingdom |
Phimai Kingdom Phitsanulok Kingdom Sawangkhaburi Kingdom Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom Principality of Banteay Mas Konbaung Dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Taksin Buddha Chulaloke Maha Singhanat Phraya Phichai Phraya Chaban Phraya Kawila Phraya Vaiwongsa |
Thepphiphit Chaophraya Phitsanulok † Chao Fang (MIA) Chaophraya Nakhon (POW) Mạc Thiên Tứ Maengki Manya | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Following the Sack of Ayutthaya and the collapse of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767) during the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), a power vacuum left Siam divided into 5 autonomous cliques (self-proclaimed kingdoms)—Phimai, Phitsanulok, Sawangkhaburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Thonburi. The Burmese invasion force, having returned to Burma off their successful sack of Ayutthaya and to defend its homeland against an imposing Chinese invasion of Ava, were too preoccupied to take advantage of the power vacuum in Siam.
The Thonburi kingdom, led by Taksin, prevailed, subjugating its rivals to successfully reunify Siam under the Thonburi Kingdom (1767–1782) by 1770/71.
To defend his flanks against a future Burmese invasion, Taksin later invaded Lan Na while Hsinbyushin sent small invasion forces to counter Taksin's military operations. Taksin, however, succeeded in driving back the small Burmese invasions and captured Lan Na in 1775, leading to the dying Hsinbyushin to send one last major military expedition to destroy Thonburi in 1775-76.
This second wave of Burmese-Siamese warfare would not end until the early 19th century, depopulating much of Siam while Taksin secured a militaristic Siamese successor state to the Ayutthaya Kingdom at the new Siamese capital of Thonburi (later known as Bangkok).