Taksin (, , ) or the
King of Thonburi (, ; ;
Teochew: Dên Chao;
Vietnamese:
Trịnh Quốc Anh) (April 17, 1734 – April 7, 1782) was the only
King of the
Thonburi Kingdom and was of
Thai Chinese heritage. He was a leader in the liberation of Siam from Burmese occupation after the Second Fall of
Ayutthaya in 1767, and the subsequent unification of Siam after it fell under various warlords. He established the city
Thonburi as the new capital, as the city Ayutthaya had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders. His reign was characterized by numerous wars, fought to repel new Burmese invasions and to subjugate the northern Thai kingdom of
Lanna, the Laotian principalities, and a threatening
Cambodia. He was executed and succeeded by his long-time friend
Maha Ksatriyaseuk who then assumed the throne, founding the
Rattanakosin Kingdom and the
Chakri dynasty, which rules Thailand to this day.