King Naresuan : The Great King of Ayutthaya
Phitsanulok was the birthplace of one of the greatest heroes in Thai history - King Naresuan who was born in 1555. His father, King Mahathammaracha was a descendant of the Phra Ruang dynasty of Sukhothai, and his mother was Queen Phra Wisut Kasattri of the Suwannaphum dynasty of Ayutthaya. At the age of nine, he had been taken as hostage to Burma for six years. On his return to Ayutthaya, he was given the principality to govern by his father. He developed his military expertise. When his father died, he was made King of Ayutthaya in 1590 at the age of thirty- five.
During his reign, many armies attacked the city of Ayutthaya. As a great warrior king, he liberated Ayutthaya from Burma. He led the soldiers into battles to defend the country against Burmese invasions several times. With courage, he declared the independence of Ayutthaya at Muang Kraeng in May, 1584. In the most famous combat, King Naresuan had a duel on elephants with the Burmese Crown Prince at Nong Sa Rai near Suphanburi Province in January, 1593. He won and killed the Burmese Crown Prince in combat on elephant back. King Naresuan succeeded in his offensive against both Burmese and Cambodians who made a series of raids. During his reign, King Naresuan restored national independence and extended Ayutthaya's territory to include Lanna, Lanchang, Cambodia and some parts of Burma. He also made Ayutthaya such a powerful country that no enemy threatened the walls of Ayutthaya again for a period of one hundred seventy three years.
King Naresuan died of smallpox in 1605 at Muang Hang at the age of fifty while leading his army against the Burmese. King Naresuan deserves the honor of being "the Great". He is also widely known among the Thais nowadays for his heroic efforts