KING THONG LAN (สมเด็จพระทองลัน)
Text by Tricky Vandenberg - September 2011
accession (as so much other data) is disputed (3). King Thong Lan reigned only for seven days, the time needed for ex-king Ramesuan to gather
an army and to come down from Lopburi. Ramesuan entered the city of Ayutthaya at night and stormed the court. King Thong Lan was seized and
brought away to Wat Khok Phraya for his royal execution. (3) Ramesuan re-assumed the throne, thereby restoring the power of the House of
Lopburi.

Footnotes:

(1) Van Vliet gives the name of Thong Chan (Thong t'Jan) and one chronicle the Royal Autograph - speaks of the same name. [1]
(2) 1388 AD following the oldest Royal Chronical of Luang Prasoet (1680). Chronicles written in the Ratanakosin period give the year 744 of the
Chula Sakarat, being 1382 AD as the date of the throne ascendancy. [2]
(3) Van Vliet states King Thong Chan was 17 years old at the time of accession. The Royal Autograph chronicle mentions 15 years of age. [1] [2]
(4)  A royal execution consisted in tying the victim in a red velvet sack and - in order to avoid that the royal body being directly touched by a
menial hand and the blood touched the soil - clubbing him to death with a club of sandal wood as a mark of respect. Blows were given either on
the thorax and abdomen or on the brain stem, depending the severity of the execution. The body was afterwards thrown in a pit in the vicinity of
the place of execution.

References:

[1] Van Vliet's Siam - Chris Baker, Dhiravat Na Pombejra, Alfons Van Der Kraan & David K. Wyatt. (2005) - page 204 remark 18.
[2] The Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya - Richard D. Cushman (2006) - page 12 / Source: Luang Prasoet, Phan Canthanumat, British Museum,
Reverend Phonnarat, Phra Cakkraphatdiphong & Royal Autograph.