King Naresuan (นเรศวร) the Great, was the ruler of Ayutthaya (อยุธยา), who reigned from 1590 until 1605 AD. He was born in Phitsanulok (พิษณุโลก) in 1555, a son to King Mahadhammaracha (มหาธรรมราชา) and his principal wife and Queen Wisutikasat (วิสุทธิกษัตรีย์), the daughter of King Chakraphad (จักรพรรดิ). He was taken to Burma as a hostage, so that his father, who had been put on the throne by the Burmese after they had conquered Ayutthaya in 1569, would be a loyal vassal to Burma. Naresuan stayed in Burma for seven years what probably made him the only Siamese King who ever could speak Burmese. In 1571, the Burmese King Bayinnaung allowed him to return home in exchange for his sister, Princess Suphankanlaya (สุพรรณกัลยา). Despite his young age of just 16, his father sent him to the northern town of Phitsanulok to govern the region whilst also making him heir to the throne of Ayutthaya. He played a key role in the defense of Ayutthaya, against both Burmese and Khmer attacks. These Khmer invasions gave the Siamese an excuse to mobilize troops and increase their weaponry, without arousing suspicion with the Burmese and allowing the Siamese-Burmese conflict to escalate into a war of independence. In a duel on elephants during the 1593 Battle of Nong Sarai (หนองสาหร่าย), he defeated Minchit Sra or Mingyi Swa (มีนจีซวา), whom in Thai-Burmese is referred to by the names Mangsahmkiat (มังสามเกียด) or Mangkayohtchawa (มังกะยอชวา), the Burmese crown prince and a grandson of Bayinnuang, the King of Pegu, and in doing so liberated Ayutthaya from the yoke of Burma. During his reign he consolidated his kingdom and tried to expand its borders. He died age 50 at Meuang Hang (เมืองแหง) in the Shan states while leading a campaign to forestall the Burmese takeover of that region in 1605. He is considered one of the Great Kings in Thai history referred to as a Maha Raj (มหาราช), and hence also called Phra Naresuan Maha Raj (พระนเรศวรมหาราช) or Somdet Phra Chao Naresuan Maha Raj (สมเด็จพระเจ้านเรศวรมหาราช). As such, his statue is included in the monument at Uthayaan Rachaphak (อุทยานราชภักดิ์). He is further immortalized in several statues and memorials, such as the King Naresuan Memorial in Ayutthaya, and this one in Nong Bua Lamphu (หนองบัวลำภู). He was a huge enthusiast of cock fighting, known in Thai as kaanchon kai (การชนไก่) and at shrines devoted to him one will generally find stone sculptures of cocks, often placed there as offerings. 回