Page 201 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM 191

abandoned in 1632. Thomas Cotes was placed in
charge.
Burma was at this time in a disturbed
very state, owing
to difficulties with China. The had been
Ming dynasty
overthrown, and the last Ming Emperor died in 1643.
His son, Yunhli, after maintaining himself for some
as a kind of robber chieftain on the frontiers of
years
Yunnan and the Shan States, was driven in 1658 to seek
a in Burma. As a of the
refuge consequence this,
next a Chinese force invaded Burma and
year large
Ava. 1
besieged
These events were not without their effect upon the
of Siam. P'ra Sen the Prince of
politics Miiang, Chieng-
mai, became panic-stricken on hearing of the Chinese
invasion of Burma, and fearing that his turn would come
next, sent an envoy with a letter to King Narai imploring
the of Siam, Narai welcomed the
protection King eagerly
of and and in
opportunity reuniting Chiengmai Ayut'ia,
November 1660 marched northwards at the head of a
considerable
army.
In the meantime, the Prince of Chiengmai received
that the Chinese had run short of and
tidings supplies
had retired from Ava. in his he
Thinking that, haste,
had laid himself open to the vengeance of the King of
Burma, he secretly ordered all his officers and men who
were with the Siamese army to return at once to Chieng-
mai. that the Prince of
King Narai, seeing Chiengmai
was him on his and
playing false, proceeded march,
occupied Nak'on Lamp'ang and several smaller towns in
the dominions. His was
Chiengmai force, however,
too weak to deal with a hostile Chiengmai. He therefore
returned to in 1661.
Ayut'ia early
1
The King of Burma at this time was Bintale, son of Tado Maha T'ammaraja.
He succeeded in 1648.