Page 112 - A History of Siam

A HISTORY OF SIAM
i io
his resentment in one way or another. K'un Worawongsa
therefore decided to make away with him. The exact
manner of his death is uncertain. The earliest account
"
that to him." Later
merely says something happened
histories that he was executed. The
say probability
is that he was as stated Pinto. Certain
poisoned, by
it is that before the end of the the short
year 1548 reign
and the short life of this unfortunate little King both
came to a sudden end. 1
On November nth, K'un was
1548, Worawongsa
crowned as of and his
publicly King Siam, brother,
Nai Chan, was appointed Uparat.*
It seems that could have
extraordinary anyone imagined
that the and of Siam would submit
nobility people tamely
to this audacious of the throne a worthless
usurpation by
whose sole claim to distinction was that he had
ruffian,
attracted the eye of an abandoned woman. As may
be a was at once hatched
easily supposed, conspiracy
him. The was one K'un P'iren. 1
against ringleader
This young man had royal blood in his veins, his mother
a relative of and his father a descendant
being King P'rajai,
of the of Suk'ot'ai.
Kings
K'un P'iren held a secret meeting with three of his
friends. They determined to kill the usurper and to
on the throne Prince T'ien, who, as we have
place seen,
had taken the wise of the robe
step donning yellow
when he saw the direction in which events were
tending
after his brother's death.
Having ascertained that Prince T'ien was prepared

1 Prince Damrong is unwilling to believe that King Keo Fa's mother was
privy to his murder, as stated both by Pinto and in the P'ongsawadan. But
it seems impossible to set a limit to the bounds of human depravity.
1
Prince Damrong doubts whether it was intended to divert the succession
to such an extent as this, and suggests that Nai Chan was appointed Chao Phya
Maha Uparat, a high title of nobliity sometimes conferred, and quite distinct
from the royal title of Maha Uparat, or Crown Prince.
*
Afterwards King Maha T'ammaraja of Siam.