Taksin

Taksin rose as an aristocrat in Ayutthaya, then became the pivotal military leader after the kingdom's catastrophic fall to Burma in 1767. With Ayutthaya destroyed, he established Thonburi as the new seat of power and spent his reign beating back fresh Burmese invasions while forcing Lanna, Laotian principalities, and Cambodia under his control. Between campaigns he built roads, dug canals, restored temples, and pushed to revive literature, drama, and the arts — issuing regulations to collect texts and promote education. In 1782 his long-time friend Maha Ksatriyaseuk took him in a coup, execut…