Naresuan (redirected from Naresuen)

Naresuan 

(also Naresuen). Born 1555; died 1605. King of Siam from 1590 to 1605.

Before ascending the throne, Naresuan was known as Prince Phra Naret. He led a struggle to liberate Siam from Burmese domination. He inflicted a series of defeats upon the Burmese army (in 1584, 1586, 1587, and 1592) and proclaimed Siam’s independence. He repulsed an invasion by the forces of the Cambodian king and later, in 1593, initiated a war with Cambodia in which he vanquished the Cambodian troops.

After becoming king of Siam, Naresuan worked to centralize the feudal Siamese monarchy. He eliminated the dominions of the appanage princes and divided the country into provinces governed by administrators appointed by the king. Under Naresuan, Siam experienced a rapid growth of commodity-money relations. In 1602, Naresuan concluded a trade agreement with the sultanate of Atjeh; he also conducted trade with the Dutch.