- Ekathotsarot
King Ekathotsarot ( _th. สมเด็จพระเอกาทศรถ), also known as Sanpet III or the White Prince (in contrast to his darker skinned older brother and predecessor), was the ruler of Ayutthaya (Siam) from 1605 until his death in 1610.
He was born in
Phitsanulok some time after 1556, a son of KingMaha Thammaracha and Queen Visutkasattri. He was a full brother of KingNaresuan the Great. During King Naresuan's reign, Ekhathotsarot served asUparaja (vice-king), but with authority equal to the king. Following Naresuan's death in 1605, he succeeded to the throne, reigning for 5 years.During the reign of Ekathotsarot, a Siamese embassy reached the Dutch city of
The Hague , in 1608. [Smithies 2002, p.182] The embassy of 16 was brought to Holland by AdmiralMatelief onboard "L'Orange", leavingBantam on January 28, 1608. ["English intercourse with Siam in the seventeenth century", p.38 [http://books.google.com/books?id=-3M82RmDjC0C&pg=PA38&dq=Siam+Hague+1608&lr=&sig=FKaUfeKCopb0Ep2VyQUyrU9ipfw] ] The embassy arrived in The Hague on September 10, 1608, and met withMaurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange . ["Galileo's Instruments of Credit: Telescopes, Images, Secrecy", Page 96,by Mario Biagioli [http://books.google.com/books?id=k4Sh22PGym0C&pg=PA96&dq=Siam+Hague+1608&sig=tm_u_O__6xlhip_iFV-8F08LHZY] ] . This visit coincided with the first recorded mention of the observation of the heavens with a spyglass: ["Sidereus Nuncius, Or, The Sidereal Messenger", Page 9, by Galileo Galilei, Albert Van Helden [http://books.google.com/books?id=jGNz4X1UmkUC&pg=PA9&dq=Siam+Hague+1608&sig=ARiUmdL7KKLc6A-mCuOrf4EIG2E] ] the application of a patent by the inventor of thetelescope , the DutchHans Lippershey , was mentionned at the end of a diplomatic report on the Siamese Embassy, "Ambassades du Roy de Siam envoyé à l'Excellence du Prince Maurice, arrive a La Haye, le 10. septembr. 1608" ("Embassy of the King of Siam sent to his Excellence Prince Maurice, September 10, 1608"), which soon diffused acrossEurope . ["Measuring the Universe: Cosmic Dimensions from Aristarchus to Halley" Page 65, by Albert Van Helden [http://books.google.com/books?id=L-yb7GX9mQIC&pg=PA65&dq=Siam+Hague+Telescope&sig=Qio14TSfEgLftMHXohSGv2L27qY] ]Following the embassy, a treaty was concluded between Holland and Siam in 1617. ["Southeast Asia: Its Historical Development", John Frank Cady, p.213]
Notes
References
* Smithies, Michael (2002), "Three military acounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam", Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, ISBN 9745240052
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