Burmese&ndash;Siamese War (1767&ndash;1775)

Burmese–Siamese War (1767–1775)

The Burmese-Siamese War (1767-1775) was the first military conflict between the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) and the Thonburi Kingdom of Siam (Thailand). After the Fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, Taksin fought to .
Campaigns of 1767
Having thoroughly looted Ayutthaya, the Burmese did not seem to show serious interest in holding the capital of Siam, since they left only a handful of troops under General Suki to control the shattered city. They turned their attention to the north of their own country which was soon threatened with Chinese invasion. On 6 November 1767, having amassed 5,000 troops, Taksin sailed up the Chao Phraya River and seized Thonburi opposite present day Bangkok. He executed the puppet Thai governor, Thong-in, whom the Burmese had placed in charge. He followed up his victory quickly by attacking the main Burmese camp in the Battle of Pho Sam Ton near Ayutthaya. The Burmese were defeated and Taksin won back Ayutthaya from the enemy within seven months of its destruction.
After seeing the successes of Taksin, Hsinbyushin of Burma sent an army under the command of the Governor of Tavoy to deal with him in 1767. The Burmese Army advanced to the district of Bang Kung in the province of Samut Songkram to the west of the new capital, but was routed by the Thai king in the Battle of Bang Kung in 1767, which is also the site of Wat Bang Kung. When more Chinese troops invaded Burma, Hsinbyushin was forced to recall most of his troops back to resist the Chinese.
Campaigns of 1770
After the Sino-Burmese War ended in 1769, Burma was heavily devastated due to the lost of manpower and had to regroup forces, however, Hsinbyushin still sent minor raids into Siam.
In Taksin's opinion, so long as Chiang Mai was ruled by the Burmese, the north of Siam would be constantly subjected to their incursions. A prerequisite for the maintenance of peace in that region would therefore be the complete expulsion of the Burmese from Chiang Mai. In 1770, Taksin started his first expedition to capture Chiang Mai, but he was pushed back.
Campaigns of 1771
In 1771, the Burmese governor Chiang Mai moved his army southwards and attacked the city of Phichai. He was defeated and driven out in the First Battle of Phichai. After the victory, Taksin pursued the Burmese army with a view to studying their strength. His army reached Chiang Mai, but wasn't prepared for a direct assault on its city walls. After meeting stubborn resistance from the garrison, he retreated, presumably believing in an ancient prophesy to the effect that two attempts were required for the capture of Chiang Mai. King Narai had tried twice to seize it before it fell into his hands.
Campaigns of 1773
In 1773, a Burmese army was sent to capture Phichai again. Phraya Phichai, the governor of Phichai, engaged the Burmese in a hand-to-hand fight until his two long swords were broken, winning him the epithet "Broken Sword." The Burmese were eventually routed in the Second Battle of Phichai.
Campaigns of 1775
In 1774, rebellion flared up in Lan Na mainly due to the repressive rule of Thado Mindin, the Burmese governor there. His contemptuous treatment of the local chiefs earned him their indignation. Taksin decided to perform his second expedition to Chiang Mai in 1775. When a Siam army under the command of Chao Phraya Chakri and Chao Phraya Surasi reached Lampang, Phraya Chaban, Phraya Vaiwongsa and Phraya Kawila, the three local chiefs who had deserted Chiang Mai joined him in laying siege to Chiang Mai. The city fell to the Siam armies in January 1775.
In 1775, the Burmese king sent another small army of 5,000 to attack Siam, but it was completely surrounded by the Thais at the Battle of Bangkaeo in Ratchaburi, and eventually starvation compelled the Burmese to capitulate to Taksin. He could have massacred all of them had he wished to do so, but he took them alive to promote the morale of the Thai people. Burmese reinforcements in Kanchanaburi were then mopped up.
Aftermath
After the multiple Burmese defeats in the hands of the Siamese, King Hsinbyushin ordered a full-scale invasion of Siam in October 1775.

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