The first record of a large influx of Mon refugees is from the reign of
King Naresuan (1590—1605) during the Ayutthaya period (1350—1767); the
reigns of Kings Prasart Thong (1629—1656) and Narai (1656—1688) similarly
recorded waves of Mon fleeing the Burmese, with most resettling in the
Ayutthaya area. Pathum Thani (then called Samkhok) was founded during
the late Ayutthaya period as a Mon settlement. In 1757,the Mon capital of
Hongsawadi was sacked by the Burmese army, and thousands more Mon
resettled in Samkhok. Ongoing warfare between the Mon and Burmese
resulted in large-scale Mon emigration to the Chao Phraya river area below
Ayutthaya during the reigns of King Taksin (1767—1782) and Rama II
(1809-1824).12