Somdet Phra Chaoyuhua Boromakot () or
Somdet Phra Boromaracha Dhiraj III () was the king of
Ayutthaya from 1732 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death.
Prince Porn was the son of
Phra Chao Suea. His elder brother, Prince Petch, succeeded the throne as
Tai Sa in 1708. Porn was then appointed as the
Front Palace. Upon the death of Tai Sa, however, Tai Sa decided to give his throne to his son, Prince Abhay, instead of his brother. In 1732, Tai Sa died and the civil war commenced. Porn led his armies against his newphews, Prince Abhay and Prince Poramet. The civil war was bloodshed and torn Ayutthaya apart. With the victory ensured, Porn executed his newphews and took the throne as King Boromakot.
Because the
Samuha Kalahom had lent the support to Prince Abhay, Boromakot removed the power of
Samuha Kalahom by depriving its authorities over southern Siam and transferred the power to
Krom Tha instead. The
Samuha Kalahom remained as a mere military figurehead.
In spite of the bloodshed that preceded his reign, Boromakot was known for his reconstruction of Buddhist temples and the peace and prosperity Ayutthaya finally enjoyed again. In 1753, Boromakot sent two Siamese monks to rehabitilate
Theravada Buddhism in
Sri Lanka.
In 1741, Boromakot made his son Dharmmadhibet the Front Palace.
Dharmmadhibet proved to be an able prince and was a poet. However, Dharmmadhibet had an affair with one of Boromakot's concubines - a crime of great severity. The lovers got caught in 1746 and both them were executed.
Boromakot then appointed his third son, Duea (later became
Uthumporn), as the Front Palace. Boromakot skipped his second son,
Ekatat, because he thought that Ekatat didn't suitable to be a king. Ekatat always claiming his rights to the throne then and the struggles of princes for the throne would contribute to the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.
Category:1680s birthsCategory:1758 deathsCategory:Thai monarchsCategory:Rulers of Ayutthayade:Borommakotja:ボーロマコートth:สมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวบรมโกศ
