Page 247 - A History of Siam

CHAPTER XV

REIGN OF KING BOROMOKOT, KING UT'UMP'ON AND KING
EKAT'AT. DESTRUCTION OF AYUT'IA

THE accession of several of the Kings of Ayut'ia had been
but in
accompanied by disturbances, every previous
instance the conflict had been short and sharp, and had
not involved loss of life. The contest which
great
followed the death of King T'ai Sra was of quite a different
kind. It lasted for several and was the cause of
days,
bloodshed and
great suffering.
Prince was than
Ap'ai's party numerically stronger
that of his uncle, the Uparat. He had an army of about
40,000 men, and most of the high officials were with
him. The Uparat had only some 5,000 men, but his
party was united, while that of Prince Ap'ai was torn
asunder by internal jealousies. The Uparat, moreover,
could count on the support of most of the inhabitants
of
Ayut'ia.
After a good deal of firing between the two palaces,
and the
P'ya P'rak'lang P'ya Chakri, principal supporters
of the young Prince, advanced with their forces against
the palace of the Uparat, routing his followers and
them within the walls. The same
driving night, however,
the Uparat made a sortie, drove back the besiegers, and
advanced towards the Grand Palace. The of
troops
Prince now to desert him in
Ap'ai began large numbers,
and and Chakri lost and
P'ya P'rak'lang P'ya courage
from the Prince himself
escaped palace. Ap'ai, finding
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