To say that SE Asia was a wild and whacky place in the 18th century would be an understatement.
Burma and China fought a running border war. Thailand and Burma fought a full-on war. Potentates didn’t conquer for territory but for slaves and tribute. War elephants occasionally wander into the frame. People make words that stack consonants and vowels into uncomfortable, long words.
In 1767, the Burmese took Ayuthaya after a siege that lasted over a year; explosives planted under the walls detonated, soldiers entered, killed a lot of people, took 30,000 (skilled) captives, chopped the heads off of Buddha statues, looted everything of value, and hauled ass back to Burma.
The 30,000 captives infused Thai culture with Burmese. The razed city yielded resurgent Siam relocating to founded Bangkok. Thais are still upset about the whole thing, BTW.
Ayuthaya stands as testimony to those ultra-violent days (not so far from our own). You can almost hear the sound of the battle echoing in the distance. It’s a wonderful place to saunter the fine ruins.
