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The factions after the second fall of Ayutthaya: who was where, and how each ended
After Ayutthaya fell and the main Burmese army withdrew, a land without a capital broke up into several factions. Each leader rose from the base he already had: some were nobles, some princes, some monks. Within about three years King Taksin, who started from his base at Rayong and Chanthaburi, had brought every faction back into one.
Why the country broke into factions
Ayutthaya governed its provincial towns through officials appointed by the court. When the capital fell and the king died, the towns had no centre to answer to. Those who had forces in each region therefore set themselves up as rulers, to protect their own people and resources, and some of them hoped to succeed to the throne.
Besides the major factions there were many small local leaders, such as Nai Thong Yu Nok Lek at Chonburi and Khun Ram Muen Song at the Prasae estuary, whom King Taksin had to win over or put down even before he took Chanthaburi.
The factions of the north and the north-east
The faction of Chaophraya Phitsanulok (Rueang) controlled the northern towns and was strong. In 1768 it beat King Taksin's army at Koei Chai, and its leader set himself up as king, but he died soon afterwards. Chao Phra Fang, a monk at Sawangkhaburi, then seized Phitsanulok. At Phimai, Prince Thepphiphit, a son of King Borommakot, set himself up on the strength of his standing as a prince of the old dynasty.
King Taksin put down the Phimai faction in 1768 and Chao Phra Fang's in 1770. After that campaign he had the monastic order of the northern towns, which had taken part in the fighting, purified.
The south, and reunification
In the south, the ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat controlled the southern towns. King Taksin took a fleet down against him in 1769. The ruler of Nakhon fled to Pattani and was handed back; King Taksin spared his life and later let him return to rule the town.
With Chao Phra Fang's faction put down in 1770, the lands that had been under Ayutthaya were together again under Thonburi, within about three years of the fall. Historians see this speed as the result of King Taksin having a power base and a fleet outside the area that had been devastated, and of his using both fighting and persuasion.
Where historians still disagree
- The number of factions: textbooks usually count 5–6, but in reality there were many more small local leaders who are not counted as factions.
Frequently asked questions
Which was the last faction King Taksin put down?
Chao Phra Fang's, at Sawangkhaburi, in 1770.
Last updated 13 November 2026