Early life[edit]
An Ayutthayan aristocrat[edit]
Thong Duang was born in 1737 in the reign of King Boromakot of Ayutthaya. His father was Thong Dee, a Mon noble serving the royal court (later raised as Somdet Phra Prathom Borom Maha Rajchanok – the grand primordial father) who was "Phra Aksara Sundhornsat" (Royal Secretary of northern Siam, Keeper of the Royal Seal). Aksara Sundhornsat was also a descendant of Kosa Pan, the leader of King Narai's embassy to the French court, and was of Mon descent.[1][2] His mother, Daoreung (original name Yok), was part-Chinese.[3][4][5] Thong Duang had six other siblings.
Thong Duang at a young age entered the Royal Palace as one of the royal pages of King Uthumporn, where he met his childhood friend Taksin. In 1757, aged 21, he became a monk temporarily, in accordance with Siamese custom. In 1760, he married Nak, daughter of a town patron in Samut Sakorn. He was later appointed the Luang Yokkrabat (Governor of) Ratchaburi by King Ekatat in 1758.