Who they were
Born in 1633, Narai was king of Ayutthaya from 1656 until his death in July 1688. He kept his court at Lopburi for much of the year and is remembered as Narai the Great.
What they did
He expanded crown trade and hosted Persian, Chinese, Dutch and English traders. With Louis XIV’s France he exchanged embassies: French embassies arrived in 1685 and 1687, and the Siamese embassy under Kosa Pan reached Versailles in 1686. He employed the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon as his powerful chief minister. His reign is also remembered as a golden age of Ayutthayan letters.
Legacy
In 1688, as Narai lay dying, Phetracha seized power: Phaulkon was executed, the French garrisons were besieged and expelled, and ties with France were cut, though Asian trade continued. Narai’s palace at Lopburi still stands, and his reign is studied as an early episode of globalization — and of its backlash.