Siege of Ayutthaya
- When
- 1766–1767
- Where
- outskirts of the Siamese royal capital; Ayutthaya and its outskirts; Ayutthaya city walls; eastern Burmese siege lines around Ayutthaya
- Episodes
- 4
The siege of Ayutthaya began in early 1766 when Burmese armies under King Hsinbyushin's generals Maha Nawrahta and Ne Myo Thihapate converged on the Siamese royal capital during the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767). After victories at Paknam Prasop and Wat Phukhaothong, the Burmese laid siege by February 1766, repelled Siamese sorties, and closed in on the walls by September 1766.
Episodes
- Siamese sorties and battles of 1766
Ekkathat's armies attacked the Burmese at Siguk, Wat Sangkhawat, and Phosamton in 1766 but were defeated, depleting Siamese manpower.
- Burmese convergence and the laying of the siege
Burmese columns converged on Ayutthaya in January 1766 and laid siege by February after victories at Paknam Prasop and Wat Phukhaothong.
- Burmese encirclement of the city walls
In September 1766 the Burmese approached and reached the Ayutthaya city walls on 14 September, encircling the city.
- Phraya Tak's breakout from the siege
On 4 January 1767 Phraya Tak and his followers broke through the less-manned eastern Burmese encirclement to seek a new position in Eastern Siam.
Background and detail
Background. King Hsinbyushin of the Burmese Konbaung dynasty sent his generals Maha Nawrahta and Ne Myo Thihapate to conquer the Siamese Kingdom of Ayutthaya as part of the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767). The armies advanced in a pincer movement through two routes, and after subjugating Siamese peripheral cities, the two columns converged on the royal city in January 1766.
Siege Operations. The Burmese laid siege to Ayutthaya by February 1766, with Maha Nawrahta encamping to the west and Nemyo Thihapate to the north. In November 1766 Phraya Phetchaburi and Phraya Tak sailed their fleet to meet the Burmese fleet near Wat Sangkhawat, and ten days later Ekkathat sent another force against Nemyo Thihapate to the north; in December 1766, as floodwaters receded, Ayutthaya sent two armies of ten thousands of men, though manpower had been depleted to some thousands.
Encirclement. In September 1766 the Burmese approached the city walls, reaching them on 14 September 1766, and encircled the city. By then the Siamese realized the Burmese would not leave, and the surrounding floodwaters peaked in November 1766.
People involved
- King Hsinbyushin · Burmese king who ordered the conquest of Ayutthaya
- Maha Nawrahta · Burmese grand commander encamped west of Ayutthaya
- Ne Myo Thihapate · Burmese grand commander encamped north of Ayutthaya
- King Ekkathat · Siamese king who dispatched forces against the Burmese
- Phraya Tak (Taksin) · Siamese commander, later King Taksin, who led sorties and broke out in January 1767
- William Powney · British merchant who assisted Siam with cannon fire at Nonthaburi
Sources
- Siege of Ayutthaya Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.