King Borommarachathirat I (), also known as Khunluang Pha Ngua (; "King Pha Ngua"; r. 1370–1388), was the third king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom.Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited He was the elder brother of King Ramathibodi I's consort, and so his brother-in-law, and the maternal uncle of King Ramesuan. Before taking the throne at Ayutthaya he ruled Suphan Buri under Ramathibodi I. Less than a year after King Uthong's death, he forced King Ramesuan from power and seized the throne. After his death in 1388, his son Thong Lan reigned for only a week before Ramesuan, who had retreated to Lavo, returned and overthrew him. Ramesuan later reclaimed the throne for a second reign.
Biography It is hypothesized that Borommarachathirat I was the fifth son of his family, as the name "Ngua" () traditionally refers to the fifth-born child in archaic Thai numbering. He was also the elder brother of the consort of Ramathibodi I. Consequently, King Ramathibodi I formally addressed him as an elder brother.
When Ramathibodi I established the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1350, he appointed Khun Luang Pha Ngua as "Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat" and sent him to rule the city of Suphan Buri. Following the death of Ramathibodi I, his son, Ramesuan, traveled from Lopburi to ascend the throne in Ayutthaya, while Borommarachathirat I continued his governance over Suphan Buri.
Accession Following the death of Ramathibodi I in 1369, his son, Ramesuan, who was then the ruler of Lopburi, ascended the throne as the second monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. In 1370, Borommarachathirat I, then the ruler of Suphan Buri, marched his army to Ayutthaya. Upon learning of his arrival, Ramesuan came out to welcome his maternal uncle into the capital. Ramesuan subsequently abdicated the throne in favor of Borommarachathirat I and returned to govern Lopburi as before.
Historians read this transition as a shift in the political balance between the Lopburi faction (the Uthong Dynasty) and the Suphan Buri faction (the Suphannaphum Dynasty). While traditional chronicles describe a peaceful abdication, the arrival of Borommarachathirat I with a military force has been interpreted as the decisive pressure on Ramesuan to step down. The accession of Borommarachathirat I marked the beginning of the Suphannaphum dynasty's dominance over Ayutthaya, which lasted for several decades.
Royal campaigns and duties His reign marked Ayutthaya's expansion to the north. He campaigned against the Sukhothai Kingdom between 1371 and 1378 and took major northern centres such as Phitsanulok. When he invaded Chiang Mai, his forces were defeated and repulsed at the Battle of Sen Sanuk, near Chiang Mai.Dupuy, T. N., & Dupuy, R. E. (1993). The Collins Encyclopedia of Military History (4th ed., p. 431). Khwanmueang Chantarochanee, as reported by Chaipong Samnieng, suggested that the northern towns became part of Ayutthaya only in this reign. On that reading, their description as tributaries under Ramathibodi I in 1350 may rest on a misunderstanding. The Royal Chronicles record six expeditions into Sukhothai's domain during the reign. The entry for 1371/72 has the king go to the cities in the north and obtain all the northern cities, a phrase Chris Baker cautions does not amount to submission. Ayutthaya sent eighteen tribute missions to the Ming court in his eighteen-year reign. In 1373 the Hongwu Emperor rejected two Siamese embassies at once, one sent for him and one on behalf of the deposed Ramesuan's mother. His significant campaigns include the following:
Khmer campaign In 1353, while still the ruler of Suphan Buri, he marched his army to Angkor Thom in the Khmer Empire to support Ramesuan's prior invasion. This conflict was sparked by the defection of the Khmer king. Consequently, King Ramathibodi I ordered Ramesuan to suppress the rebellion. However, the Khmer forces managed to rout the Ayutthayan vanguard and subsequently engaged the main army. Ramathibodi I then sent royal emissaries to summon Borommarachathirat I, who was residing in Suphan Buri, to assist Ramesuan. The campaign lasted for approximately one year, culminating in Ayutthaya's victory and the forced relocation of a large number of Khmer captives to Ayutthaya.
Wars with Chakangrao Following his accession at Ayutthaya, Borommarachathirat I campaigned against several northern city-states from 1374, among them Chakangrao, Phitsanulok, Chiang Mai and Lampang, and these northern conflicts ran to the end of his reign. The chronicle entries for the individual expeditions against Chakangrao (modern-day Kamphaeng Phet), a frontier city of the Sukhothai Kingdom, begin two years later, and the King launched four of them.
First campaign (1376): Phraya Sai Kaeo and Phraya Khamhaeng, the rulers of Chakangrao, rode out to defend the city. The battle resulted in the death of Phraya Sai Kaeo, while Phraya Khamhaeng managed to retreat into the city walls. The Ayutthayan army subsequently withdrew.
Second campaign (1378): Phraya Khamhaeng and Thao Pha Khong realized they could not withstand the royal army. Thao Pha Khong attempted to flee but was pursued and routed by Borommarachathirat I's forces, resulting in the capture of numerous nobles and commanders before the Ayutthayan army returned to the capital.
Third campaign (1381): Maha Thammaracha II, the seventh monarch of Sukhothai, personally led the defense. Realizing he was outmatched by the Ayutthayan forces, he ultimately surrendered. Borommarachathirat I allowed Maha Thammaracha II to continue ruling Sukhothai as a vassal state of Ayutthaya before withdrawing his army to the capital. Siroch Sittisombut instead places that homage in 1378 and at Phitsanulok, which the Ayutthayan army had taken.
Fourth campaign (1388): The King marched on Chakangrao once more, though historical records do not specify the cause of this expedition.
Religious patronage In 1375 the King consulted with Phra Maha Thera Thammakanyan and commissioned the construction of Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in the eastern quarter of the city (present-day Wat Mahathat). The central reliquary tower (prang) measured 19 wa (approximately 38 meters) in height, with its finial (Nopphasun) reaching an additional 3 wa (approximately 6 meters).
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