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The chronicles of Thonburi: which documents King Taksin's story comes from, and why they disagree
The story of King Taksin that Thais know, from the breakout from Ayutthaya to the last day of his reign, comes from several kinds of document: the royal chronicles revised in the Rattanakosin period, astrologers' records, the memoirs of a princess, the Burmese chronicle and the letters of foreigners. Each was written at a different time, from a different viewpoint and for a different purpose. This page introduces the main documents one by one, then sets them side by side for each event, so that you can see where they agree and what is still disputed.
Compare them event by event
Why read more than one version
Every royal chronicle that tells the story of Thonburi was revised after King Taksin's reign had ended. The revisers worked for the Rattanakosin court, which came to the throne after the end of his reign. Historians therefore read the chronicles alongside other evidence, especially on matters with political consequences, such as why Phraya Tak left the capital and the king's condition at the end of the reign.
The foreign evidence, for its part, has limits too. Some French priests wrote from news they had heard; the Burmese chronicle was written to glorify the Burmese kings; and official letters to a trading company had diplomatic aims. Reading the sources side by side is therefore not a matter of finding the one that is right about everything, but of seeing which details agree from several directions.
The Phan Chanthanumat version and the Royal Autograph version
The Phan Chanthanumat (Choem) version is one of the oldest and most detailed chronicles of Thonburi. It was revised in the early Rattanakosin period and printed in Collected Chronicles, Part 65. The Royal Autograph version was revised in the reign of King Rama IV (King Mongkut) from several older texts, and the king then checked and corrected it himself. It is the version most textbooks and media use, because it reads continuously and is widely printed.
The two versions tell almost the same outline, but differ in several important details, such as when Phraya Tak first thought of recovering the capital and how the last scene of the reign unfolded. The table for each event below therefore always keeps the two apart.
How to read the comparison tables on this site
On each event page the left-hand column names the document and the right-hand column is a summary in modern language, not a transcription of the original. If you need to cite a source in academic work, consult the original or the Fine Arts Department's printed edition. Below the table are the narrative and the points of debate, with the sources we used. Years on this site follow the modern reckoning, with the new year on 1 January. Old documents that began the year in the fifth lunar month may therefore give events of January to March a year one lower than this site does: the breakout of January 1767 (BE 2310), for example, is written as BE 2309 in the old documents.
Chronicles and records compared on this site
| Version | Written / revised | Highlights and caveats | Read the original |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Chronicle of Thonburi, Phan Chanthanumat (Choem) version | Revised in the early Rattanakosin period, in the reign of King Rama I | One of the oldest and most detailed accounts of Thonburi. It gives lunar dates and times in many passages, and was printed in Collected Chronicles, Part 65. Some passages differ from the Royal Autograph version, such as the scene of the end of the reign. | — |
| Royal Chronicles, Royal Autograph version | Revised in the reign of King Rama IV; first printed in 1912 | Prince Wongsathirat Sanit revised it from several older texts, and King Rama IV checked and corrected it himself. The second printing, of 1914, was checked by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab. It is the most widely used version, but it was revised about 70 years after the events. | — |
| Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, Somdet Phra Phonnarat version (Wat Phra Chetuphon) | Revised in the reign of King Rama I | Covers late Ayutthaya down to the fall of the capital. Its language is blunt: it describes Phraya Tak's departure from the capital, for example, as desertion from royal service. | — |
| The Astrologers' Records (Chotmaihet Hon) | Astrologers' notes, kept continuously over several reigns | Very brief entries giving the day, month and year by the lunar calendar. They are good for checking the dates in the chronicles, but give no detail. | — |
| Memoirs of Princess Narinthewi | Covers Chula Sakarat 1129–1182 (1767–1820) | The author was a younger sister of King Rama I and lived through the Thonburi years. She tells of events at court in detail, in places quoting speech directly, but she belonged to the side that took the throne afterwards. King Rama V added his own commentary in the printed edition. | — |
| Testimony of the Old Capital's People (Khamhaikan Chao Krung Kao) | Recorded in Burma after the fall of the capital; translated into Thai in the reign of King Rama V | Taken down from the accounts of Ayutthaya people carried off to Burma. It gives information not found in the Thai chronicles, such as Phraya Tak's part in the army sent to meet the Burmese at Mergui and Tenasserim. But it is memory passed on by word of mouth, and its dates are often out. | — |
| Succession of the Kings of the Old Capital, in verse (Lamdap Kasat Krung Kao Kham Chan) | Composed by Phraya Thatsada Chaturong, an official of the Rear Palace, in the reign of King Rama I | A poem in chan metre, not a chronicle. Its dates are wrong in many places, but the author may have lived through the last days of Thonburi, and he tells the end of the reign differently from the other versions. | — |
| The Burmese chronicle (Maha Yazawin) | Compiled at the Burmese court in the early 19th century; translated into Thai later | Tells of the siege from the Burmese side. Some passages show the Ayutthaya court fighting harder than it does in the Thai chronicles, and it tells the death of King Ekkathat differently. | — |
| Okphra Phiphat Kosa's letter to the Dutch East India Company | Dated 13 January 1769 (BE 2312) | Written in the Thonburi period itself and kept in the National Archives in The Hague. The Thai original is lost; what survives is the Dutch version, translated back into Thai by Dhiravat na Pombejra. It is a diplomatic letter, so it tells the story in a way that favours King Taksin. | — |
| Records of the French missionaries | Contemporary letters, 1768–1782, printed in the Collected Chronicles | Priests living in Thonburi wrote to their society. The letters give a picture of life at court and of the king's condition at the end of the reign. Some were written from news the writers had heard, not from what they saw themselves. | — |
Where historians still disagree
- The value of the chronicles revised in the Rattanakosin period: some think they are biased against King Taksin; others think they are still the most detailed evidence and should be read critically, not thrown out.
Frequently asked questions
Which chronicle of Thonburi is the oldest?
The Phan Chanthanumat (Choem) version is regarded as one of the old versions that tell the story of Thonburi in most detail. It was revised in the early Rattanakosin period.
Why do years in old documents differ by one from those on this site?
Old documents began the year in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, so events from January to March still counted in the old year. This site uses years in the modern way.
- Testimony on the day "King Taksin" was executed, the last scene of Thonburi – Silpa Wattanatham (in Thai)
- They say (or allege?) that "King Taksin" was mad! A look at the records and evidence – Silpa Wattanatham (in Thai)
- Foreign evidence on the last days of Ayutthaya: Phraya Tak broke out "on orders" – Silpa Wattanatham (in Thai)
Last updated 13 November 2026