Kromluang Yothathep: King Narai’s Daughter and Ayutthaya Court Intrigue

Abstract

Princess Yothathep is one of very few royal women who made a mark in the history of Ayutthaya. She lived across four reigns as royal daughter, queen, and royal mother. In the Thai chronicles, the account of her is minimal. French and Dutch residents in Siam, however, were fascinated by her. Although they never saw her in person, they recorded fragments of information. Though the resulting record is fragmentary and fragile, it shows how the elite women of Ayutthaya suffered the limitations of their position and yet explored the possibilities of their access to wealth, knowledge, and power.