According to French missionaries, Taksin had imprisoned or tortured or flogged his wife, his children, and various high officials.
A minor rebellion in a nearby town turned into a palace coup.
One story: He was beheaded 7 April 1782 in the fortress Wichaiprasit, a very unroyal method of execution. Another story: he was executed by a method limited to royalty – beaten with sandalwood clubs while bound in a cloth sack.