Page 199 - A History of Siam
P. 199

CHAPTER XIII


         REIGNS OF KING  JAI,  KING SRI  SUT*AMMARAJA,  AND KING
                                  NARAI

         ON the death of          Prasat         his eldest son,
                            King         T'ong,
         Chao Fa  Jai,  seized  l  the  throne, though  it would  appear
         that the late               brother had been
                      King's younger                  appointed
                   Chao Fa                             for a few
         Uparat.            Jai, however, only reigned
                His                                          the
         days.       younger brother,  Prince Narai, joined
         party  of his  uncle,  and he was  captured  and executed.
           Prince  Sri                         brother of
                       Sut'ammaraja, younger               King
         Prasat        now became         and Prince Narai was
                T'ong,              King,
         made
               Uparat.
           From the little we know about       Sri
                                         King     Sut'ammaraja,
         we  may  conclude that he was as villainous a character
         as his brother.             for      he         for less
                         Fortunately    Siam,    reigned
         than  three months.   In November     1657  he became
         enamoured of his        the sister of Prince  Narai,  and
                           niece,
         made overtures to her which she resented.      She was
         smuggled   out of the  palace  hidden  in a  book-case,  1
         and went to            to her brother of the  unseemly
                      complain
         treatment  to which she had been     subjected.  Prince
         Narai  decided  to  dethrone  his  uncle.  Calling  his
         followers round  him, he attacked    the  palace.  The
           1                                                 The
           The P'ongsawadan states that he was appointed King by his father.
         Council of Dutch East India Company at Batavia, writing in the following
                        "
         January, said that he  with armed men seized the Court."
           *
            One of the large square cupboards in which religious books are kept.
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