Commoners - not obliged to register for corvée duty:
A.
The Sangha (Buddhist monastic community)
*All classes of men could join the Sangha
** Members of the Sangha = MONKS
*** Monks reside in “Wats” - centres of Thai education and culture
B. The Chinese they were free to move about the kingdom, and engage in commerce.
* By the 16th century, the Chinese:
Controlled Ayutthaya's internal trade, and establish control over the country's economic life
Held important places in the civil and military service
Very important historical anecdote in this phase
•
The first fall of Ayutthaya Kingdom – lost to Burma in B.E.2112 – dependent with Burma for 15 yrs – until B.E. 2127: King Naresuan declaired the Thai independence from Burma. (@Kraeng, then a mon town, now in Myanmar)
The Burmese king:
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta
made his attempt for 11 months in defeating
The Kingdom (October 2111 – August 2112)
Why, though the kingdom was very strong
and withstood/resisted for nearly a year? …
•
Disunity
•
Being credulous (เชื่อง่ายเกินไป)
•
Treason of a Thai aristocrat 18