In the footsteps ofKing Naresuan

Follow King Naresuan’s campaigns

From his declaration of independence at Mueang Khraeng to his death at Mueang Hang, King Naresuan led 11 major campaigns. On this map we trace the route of each one, show how the different chronicles record it, and point out where historians still disagree.

• 1
  Declaring Independence at Mueang Khraeng and the Battle on the Sittaung River

  1584
• 2
  The Phraya Phasim Campaign and the Chiang Mai Army, Late 1584

  1584
• 3
  The Battle of Ban Sa Ket: Routing the King of Chiang Mai's Army, 1586

  1586
• 4
  King Nanda Bayin's Siege of Ayutthaya, 1586–1587

  1586–1587

See all 11 campaigns

Start with his life story

Places linked to King Naresuan

A star ★ marks places tied to King Naresuan’s life. Every page tells the place’s story across all 5 eras.

PalaceChandra Kasem Palace★The palace built as King Naresuan's residence, and his command post for defending the capitalPalaceAncient Royal Palace★The centre of power in Ayutthaya, where Naresuan came to the throneTempleWat Na Phra Men★Where the truce of the War of the White Elephant was negotiated, the start of Naresuan's journey to HanthawaddyTempleWat Phu Khao Thong★The chedi King Bayinnaung built after the first fall of Ayutthaya, in the middle of a former battlefieldTempleSuriyothai Chedi★A memorial to Queen Suriyothai, King Naresuan's grandmotherTempleWat Worachettharam★The temple believed to have been built where King Naresuan was crematedTempleWat Yai Chai Mongkhon★King U Thong's Wat Pa Kaeo, with the Chai Mongkhon chedi linked to the elephant duelForeign settlementBaan Hollanda★Site of the Dutch trading post, a relationship that began when VOC merchants were received by NaresuanForeign settlementPortuguese Settlement★Ayutthaya's first European community, home of musketeers who served Siam from before Naresuan's timeTempleWat Thammikarat★A temple older than Ayutthaya itself, with a chedi ringed by 52 lions and a role in the chronicles' story of Phra Si Sin's revolt.TempleWat Sop Sawan★A temple born of Queen Suriyothai's funeral, and one of the places where King Naresuan may have been cremated.TempleWat Worachet (outside the island)★A great prang in the middle of Thung Prachet, and one of the temples that may have been King Naresuan's cremation siteTempleWat Suwan Dararam★The temple of the Chakri dynasty's ancestors, whose wihan walls are painted with the life of King Naresuan and the elephant duelTempleWat Mae Nang Pluem★A temple north of the city island with a lion-ringed chedi and the legend of an old woman who gave King Naresuan shelterTempleWat Phutthaisawan★A riverside prang on the site of the Wiang Lek residence; one old text says King Naresuan built itTempleWat Maheyong★A chedi ringed by some 80 elephants, and the site of King Bayinnaung's royal camp when Ayutthaya first fell in 1569Foreign settlementJapanese Village★Site of the Japanese community on the Chao Phraya: traders and volunteer soldiers who began to appear in the late years of Naresuan's eraFortPhet Fortress★A corner fort of the capital where the rivers meet, guarding the foreign-ship landing; one of only two surviving forts of Ayutthaya

417 years of Ayutthaya history

33 kings and 5 dynasties. Start with the overview, then read one dynasty at a time; each page shows which historic sites on the map date from that era.

What the chronicles say

The chronicles tell the same events in different ways. We set them side by side, one event at a time, with links to the original texts.

What are the chronicles, and which versions exist? →

Travel and food in King Naresuan’s footsteps

Other major historic sites on the map

TempleWat Phra Si SanphetThe temple within the palace grounds, whose three chedis are Ayutthaya's iconic imageTempleWat MahathatThe royal temple at the heart of the capital, home of the famous Buddha head in the tree rootsTempleWat RatchaburanaThe temple built where two royal brothers were cremated, with a crypt of gold treasures found in 1957TempleWat ChaiwatthanaramKing Prasat Thong's riverside temple on the Chao Phraya, built 25 years after Naresuan's deathTempleWat LokayasutharamThe largest open-air reclining Buddha on the city island, lying just behind the Ancient Royal Palace.TempleWat Phra RamThe temple built on King U Thong's cremation site, its main prang rising beside Bueng Phra Ram in the middle of the city island.TempleWihan Phra Mongkhon BophitA seated Buddha about 9.5 metres across the lap that survived lightning and the fires of war, and is still worshipped today.TempleWat SenasanaramAyutthaya's first Thammayut temple, revived by King Rama IV from the ruined Wat Suea behind Chandra Kasem PalaceTempleWat KasattrathiratA riverside temple on the west bank facing the city island, with a stout main prang and an old ubosot still in useTempleWat Phanan ChoengA temple older than Ayutthaya itself, home of the great Luang Pho To, revered by Thai and Chinese worshippers alikeTempleWat Kudi DaoAn abandoned temple in the eastern fields, restored by King Borommakot, who was also ordained here while he was still the Front Palace princeTempleWat AyothayaA temple that legend ties to the city of Ayothaya before Ayutthaya, with a large cracked chedi in a still-active templeTempleWat Tha Ka RongA riverside temple on the Chao Phraya where the Burmese set up a camp and positioned cannon to besiege the capital during the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.TempleWat Samana KotA temple off the island to the east with an unusual five-spired chedi, said to be the temple of the family of Kosa Lek and Kosa PanTempleWat Choeng ThaThe 'waiting at the landing' temple opposite the Royal Palace, with a legend of a rich man's runaway daughter and the story that King Taksin once studied here

King Naresuan’s life on the Ayutthaya map

Tap an event to jump to that spot on the map. Years are CE, with the Buddhist Era (BE) year used in Thai books shown beneath.

1. 1548BE 2091

   Queen Suriyothai, Naresuan's grandmother, dies on the back of her war elephant

   View Suriyothai Chedi on the map
2. 1555BE 2098

   Naresuan is born at Chan Palace, Phitsanulok

   Outside this map
3. 1563–64BE 2106–07

   War of the White Elephant: truce talks in front of Wat Na Phra Men; Naresuan is taken to Hanthawaddy as a hostage

   View Wat Na Phra Men on the map
4. 1569BE 2112

   First fall of Ayutthaya; King Bayinnaung builds a chedi at Wat Phu Khao Thong

   View Wat Phu Khao Thong on the map
5. 1571BE 2114

   Naresuan returns to Siam, then goes to govern Phitsanulok

   Outside this map
6. c.1577BE c. 2120

   Chandra Kasem Palace (the Front Palace) is built as Naresuan's residence

   View Chandra Kasem Palace on the map
7. 1584BE 2127

   Declaration of independence at Mueang Khraeng

   Outside this map
8. 1586BE 2129

   King Nanda Bayin besieges Ayutthaya; Naresuan commands from the Front Palace

   View Chandra Kasem Palace on the map
9. 1590BE 2133

   Naresuan comes to the throne at the Ancient Royal Palace

   View Ancient Royal Palace on the map
10. 1593BE 2135

    Victory in the elephant duel at Nong Sarai; according to the chronicles, he has a chedi built at Wat Pa Kaeo

    View Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon on the map
11. 1604BE 2147

    Dutch VOC merchants are received at court, the start of Thai–Dutch relations

    View Baan Hollanda on the map
12. 1605BE 2148

    Naresuan dies; his body is cremated in Ayutthaya

    View Wat Worachettharam on the map

How this map works