Page 238 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM
224
excessive terms. was a stern old
King P'etraja rough,
soldier who found himself forced by circumstances to
assume the of the anti-French and was
leadership party,
led to the throne.
on, step by step, usurp
Even a eminent Siamese has recorded
very authority
"
of that he was a and not allowed
King P'etraja usurper,
an honourable place among the Kings of Siam." But,
after all, the family at whose expense he usurped the
throne were the children of that far more cruel and dis-
honourable usurper, King Prasat T'ong.
Certainly, King P'etraja was not a model character,
"
but neither was he a vile scoundrel," as stated by
Turpin. His name deserves to be respected in Siam,
for he was undoubtedly instrumental in saving the
country from foreign domination.
P'ra P'ijai Surin, who had been nominated heir to the
throne on his death-bed, was a harmless
by King P'etraja
nonentity who had no desire to fight Prince Sarasak for
the crown. On his cousin's death he at once went to the
of the and him to the reins
palace Uparat begged accept
of Government. The after some show of
Uparat,
reluctance, became King. He is known to Siamese
historians as P'rachao SUa, or King Tiger. 1
During the reign of this King, which lasted for just
under seven no event occurred.
years, very important
The was at and
country peace internally externally.
The devoted himself to
King hunting, shooting, fishing,
and other less creditable amusements. In his more serious
moods he erected and the the
repaired temples, notably
temple at P'rabat, and improved the canals, especially
1
He was born at P'ichit in 1662, after the expedition to Chiengmai. In later
times a legend sprang up that he was an unacknowledged son of King Narai by
r
a. daughter of P ya Sen Muang of Chiengmai, who was married to P'ra P'etraja
when pregnant. No contemporary writers mention this story. The compilers
of the Pongsawodan have accepted this myth and embodied it in their book,
but they have not altered other passages to suit it, and repeatedly refer to Prince
Sarasak as the son of King P'etraja.