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Ayudhyā and the Rearward Part of the World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

O. W. Wolters
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Extract

The Thai kingdom of Ayudhyā endured several periods of crisis during its long history from 1350 to 1767, but the crisis which will concern us here happened in 1592. During that year the king, Nareśvara, was well aware that he lived in a hostile world of unusually wide dimensions. His behaviour will be discussed as a basis for a brief consideration of Ayudhyā's attitude towards the world, a subject of more than diplomatic interest.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 100 , Issue 2 , April 1968 , pp. 166 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1968

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References

1 Their loyalty to Ayudhyā is surely one of the momentous decisions in Thai history. The decision was made in spite of the rivalry between the Thai of the two regions, suggested by Prince Damrong and exploited by the Burmans in 1569: Prince Dhani's review of Damrong's, PrinceThe history of King Nareśvara the Great in J. Siam Soc. (JSS), XXXVIII, 2, 1951, 74.Google Scholar

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13 Ib., 253, 6a.

14 Kuno, op. cit., 157.

15 Kuo-ch‘üeh, vol. 4680. The Shên-tsung shih-lu, 251, 5b–6a, does not mention this.

16 Shên-tsung shih-lu, 250, 2b.

17 Ib., 255, 7b.

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19 Hsia Hsieh, compiler of the Ming T‘ung-chien, notes discrepancies in the evidence for the date of the invasion of Korea and attributes Chinese awareness of the crisis to 23rd August, 1592; Ming T‘ung-chien, vol. 3, 2726 (Chung-hua shu-chü edition). Thus, in spite of inaccuracies attributed to the Shih-lu for this reign, there is general agreement that the Chinese government did not begin to react vigorously to the crisis before August. The forthcoming publication of the Hung-kê text of the Wan-li shih-lu may throw additional light on the events of 1592 and early 1593.

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33 Ming-shih, 322, 17.

34 Shên-tsung shih-lu, 79, 4a–b. Perhaps this event explains why later that year the Thai king was given an imperial seal: ib., 80, 4b. The “black ravens” may refer to the haṃsa or garuḍa on the ships. An excellent contemporary Japanese illustration of a Thai ship can be seen in Spinks, C. N., “Siam and the pottery trade of Asia”, JSS, XLIV, 2, 1956, facing p. 82.Google Scholar

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36 Quoted in Kuo-ch‘üeh, vol. 5, 4276. The Spaniards believed that the Chinese pirate, “Limahong”, had Japanese in his force: Blair, and Robertson, , The Philippines … relating to China, vol. 4, 38.Google Scholar

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41 Ib.

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44 Ib.

45 Ib., 303–4. An “assailable enemy” is defined as “a neighbouring foe of considerable power” who is “involved in calamities or has taken himself to evil ways”: ib., 290.

46 Ib., 304.

47 Ib., 329–30.

48 Pigeaud, T. G. T., Java in the 14th century … The Nagara-kĕrtagama, III, The Hague, 1960, 16–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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54 Mentioned by Wyatt, D. K., The beginnings of modern education in Thailand, 1868–1910, Ph.D. thesis, Cornell University, 1966, 10, n. 24.Google Scholar

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61 For some suggestions on this subject see the present writer's “The Khmer king at Basan (1371–3)”, Asia Major, XII, I, 1966, 83–84.Google Scholar

62 The laws of Manu, VII, 102.Google Scholar

63 For example, U Aung Thein, op. cit., JBRS, XXXVIII, II, 1955, 181, 184.Google Scholar

64 The Khmer-Cham wars of the 12th century may have been accompanied by the expedient of stimulating internal dynastic dissensions in each other's country; on this possibility see Boisselier, J., La statuaire du Champa, Paris, 1963, 316.Google Scholar

65 Khoi, Le Thanh, Le Viet-nam…, Paris, 1955, 364–365.Google Scholar

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68 Ghoshal, U. N., A history of Indian political ideas, Oxford U.P., 1959, 11.Google Scholar

69 Ib., 11; Arthaśāstra, 171.

70 Cœdès, G., IC, I, Hanoi, 1937, 113.Google Scholar

71 Cœdès, G., IC, IV, Paris, 1952, 253.Google Scholar

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73 Cœdès, G., IC, I, 154.Google Scholar

74 Ib., 133.

75 Cœdès, G., IC, IV, 97–98.Google Scholar

76 One instance of an open window has been suggested by Mr. Simmonds. Perhaps some of the stylized imagery in the dawn theme in Thai poetry during the 17th century may be an adaptation of Bengali poetry of the period of Govindadas and Chandidas: Simmonds, E. H. S., in Eos: An enquiry into the theme of lovers' meetings and partings at dawn in poetry, ed. Hatto, Arthur T., 1965, 189.Google Scholar