Ratsadathirat was the twelfthking ofAyutthaya, an ancient kingdom in Thailand. He was a son of Borommarachathirat IV and succeeded his father to the throne of Ayutthaya at the age of five in 895 LE. The following year, after having been on the throne for five months, he was put to death by his relative, Chairachathirat, who then assumed the kingship.
Names
According to the and its variant versions, his name is Ratthathirat or Ratthathiratchakuman. But he is better known by the name Ratsadathirat, which is a Sanskrit variant of the Pali name Ratthathirat. In the, written in 1640 CE by Dutch Merchant Jeremias Van Vliet, his name is written as Woo-Rhae Rassa Thae Thieraya.
Life
Birth
All Thai and foreign chronicles say that Ratsadathirat was a son of Borommarachathirat IV, the eleventhking of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, and that Ratsadathirat was five years of age when ascending the throne in 895 LE. Ratsadathirat was possibly born in 890 LE. Modern scholars have suggested that his mother was a daughter of a powerful noble who wanted to be related with the royal household through marriage, because the enthronement of Ratsadathirat appears to have been supported by a group of nobles, despite his minority.
In 895 LE, Borommarachathirat IV died of smallpox and his son, Ratsadathirat, succeeded him as king of Ayutthaya. In 896 LE, after Ratsadathirat had been on the throne for five months, Chairachathirat seized the throne and had Ratsadathirat executed. The execution was done according to the palace law, that is, by covering the young king with a red sack before striking his neck with a Sandalwoodclub.
Relationship with Chairachathirat
Thai and foreign chronicles state that Ratsadathirat and Chairachathirat were relatives. But none of these documents gives enough information that makes clear the relationship between the two. The Buddhist Councils Chronicle says Chairachathirat was a nephew of Ramathibodi II, who was the father of Borommarachathirat IV. The and its variant versions merely say Chairachathirat was a relative of Ramathibodi II, the father of Borommarachathirat IV. The says Chairachathirat was a distant relative of Ratsadathirat and served as the regent during the latter's reign. Historian Damrongrachanuphap made a suggestion that Chairachathirat was the viceroy of Ayutthaya during the reigns of Borommarachathirat IV and Ratsadathirat. That is why it took Chairachathirat five months to arrive in Ayutthaya and seize the throne. Modern scholars have suggested that another reason why Chairachathirat had to wait for five months before launching the coup is his need to check the attitude of each political faction and to await "a good opportunity", because Ratsadathirat was still supported by a group of nobles led by a powerful noble who seemed to be Ratsadathirat's grandfather. Moreover, the enthronement of Ratsadathirat was against tradition, because the viceroy had always been the first in line to succeed to the throne. For that reason, modern scholars are of an opinion that Ratsadathirat's ascension to the throne enraged Chairachathirat and the coup therefore resulted in "unnecessary violence", that is, the execution of the deposed five-year-old king. The coup also made Ratsadathirat the first king from the House of Suphannaphum to be executed.
