Phraya Phichai
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Phraya Phichai พระยาพิชัย | |
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Rattanakosin Kingdom |
Phraya Phichai (Thai: พระยาพิชัย), or popularly known as Phraya Phichai Dap Hak (th: พระยาพิชัยดาบหัก; lit: Phraya Phichai of the broken sword) (1741 – 1782) was a historic Siamese nobleman of Mon descent[1] who served as a military leader under King Taksin of Thonburi. He legendarily became known for fighting with a sword in each hand until one was broken.
Background
Phraya Phichai was a
In 1782, King Taksin showed signs of
He gained the name Phraya Phichai Dap Hak or Phraya Phichai Broken Sword in a battle in which he kept fighting (and won) even after one of his blades (
Early life
Birth
Phraya Phichai was born in 1741 at Ban Huai Kha,
Childhood
When Choi was a young boy, he loved to practice
One day, Choi left home northernwards and met with a boxing instructor named Thiang (
Career
Serving the Crown
One day, Phraya Tak (later to become King Taksin the Great of the
A famous boxing master of Tak, Nai Hao, who nobody dared to challenge, gladly agreed to take the fight. A huge crowd gathered to see the young boxer Thong Di fight the invincible Nai Hao. Throughout the bout Thong Di showed brilliant Thai boxing style.
Seeing a resounding victory over Nai Hao after witnessing such a formidable display, Phraya Tak showed no hesitation in asking Thong Di to join his army. Phraya Tak was pleased sufficiently to then appoint Thong Di to be his personal bodyguard.
Commander-in-Chief
The Emperor of China
Phraya Tak started off as a guerrilla leader with only five hundred followers. But within a decade the Siamese Kingdom was reborn and grew into an empire that subdued both Laos and Cambodia under its dominion. During the independence war, Phraya Tak managed to escape to Rayong on the East coast of Siam. Here with the help of Thong Di, now his Commander-in-Chief, raised an army and declared all out war on Burma. The action was to eventually regain freedom for the Siamese people.
Thong Di, under the guidance of Phraya Tak and using guerrilla tactics, won back many small towns and villages from the Burmese. It was during one of the many battles, that Thong Di was to become famous. In 1773, a Burmese army under the command of
The One with Broken Sword
In the heat of the battle which Thong Di fought with
As a result of this battle, he was known as "Phraya Phichai Dap Hak". Eventually after fifteen years of war the Siamese under king Taksin had forced the Burmese army back and Siam regained all of its original frontiers.
Death and legacy
When King Taksin died in 1782, the new King Rama I of the Chakri dynasty (the present-day rulers), declared his new capital Bangkok. As a reward for his loyalty and service to his country King Rama asked Phraya Phichai if he would continue his good work as the king's guard. (In these times the law of the land stated that once a King died, his bodyguards and loyal servants should die with him, but King Rama offered to take an exception for Phraya Phichai.)
However, Phraya Phichai was so saddened by the death of his beloved King Taksin that he ordered the executioner to do away with him, despite King Rama's kindness. Such was the loyalty that Phraya Phichai had for King Taksin. Instead, he asked King Rama to raise his son and in time that son could become King's personal bodyguard in his father's place.
Phraya Phichai was executed on his own order when he was 41 years old. A monument built to the memory of Phraya Phichai in 1969. The bronze image of the great warrior stands proudly in front of the Parliament Building in Uttaradit and serves to remind each generation of the amazing man's courage and loyalty to his King and the Thai nation. The epitaph reads "In memory and loving honor for the pride of our nation".
In popular culture
- Thonburi period.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-9814762854.