Cannons: Chelsea / Edinburgh / Pattani

[andrew]

The plural of cannon is cannon. There is no letter "s". But I think that sounds silly. I prefer to talk about "cannons".

1. CHELSEA

The Sultan

Sultan Sulaiman Shah was a cool dude. He was a Muslim of Persian descent. His granddaughter was the wife of King Rama 2 and the mother of King Rama 3. From 1620-1668, he ruled the Sultanate of Singora.

His Sultante was actually quite small. It covered an area no greater than about 25 square miles. These days, the area encompassed by the Sultanate corresponds to the town of Singha Nakhon, Songkhla.

Like many great rulers, Sultan Sulaiman had a big ego. He considered himself a great leader and a great soldier. He had a cannon cast in his honor. And it was a work of art. It was inscribed with a series of verses that alternated between Arabic and Malay. Each verse was inlaid with silver.

The demise of the Sultanate

Sultan Sulaiman wanted an independent Sultanate. He didn't want to be a vassal state of Ayuthaya. He didn't want to pay tribute. He wanted what the Sultans of Pattani wanted. He wanted to be free.

But the Siamese up in Ayuthaya were having none of this. They attacked. They restored order and respect. And they stole the Sultan's cannon.

Ayuthaya

Hence it was that the Sultan's magnificent cannon ended up in Ayuthaya.

In the early 1700s, it is estimated that Ayuthaya may have been the most populous city in the world. Early European accounts describe it as a vast, cosmopolitan and beautiful city.

But all good things come to an end.

The demise of Ayuthaya

In the year 1767, the Burmese destroyed Ayuthaya. An entire capital city was wiped out. Thousands and thousands of people must have been killed.

The Burmese seized the cannon which once belonged to Sultan Sulaiman Shah. They took it back to Burma.

General Harry Prendergast

1885 was the year of the third and final Anglo-Burmese war. The British won. Burma became a British colony.

General Harry Prendergast was the man in charge. His instructions were that all captured Burmese ordnance (guns and cannons, etc) was to be destroyed or melted down or cast into the sea. But a few rather magnificent cannons stood out. He ordered them to be sent back to London.

The Royal Chelsea Hospital, London

The painting below shows the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London. It's a truly great building. It was designed hundreds of years ago by a famous British architect (Sir Christopher Wren). Notice the flagpole.

Here is another photo. Notice that this time a cannon is visible right in front of the flagpole.

And here is the sign in front of the cannon.

Sultan Sulaiman's cannon has been on permanent display at the Royal Chelsea Hospital since 1887. For more than 130 years, it has enjoyed one of the most prestigious addresses in central London.

2. SOURCES

This a link to an article published by Chulalongkhorn University's Journal of Humanities. The journal is called MANUSYA. The file is in PDF format. Page 52 discusses Sultan Sulaiman Shah; his Persian ancestry; and his connection with the Thai Royal Family.

http://www.manusya.journals.chula.ac.th/files/essay/Julispong_37-58.pdf

This is a link to a cultural research center in Kuala Lumpur. The article discusses the Sultan and his cannon. The article is in Malay, so you may need to use a browser such as Google Chrome to translate it.

http://nusacentre.wordpress.com/penyelidikan/penyelidikan-2/

3. PHOTOS

The tomb of Sultan Sulaiman Shah is a 5 minute walk from my GF's house. Here is a photo I took last Saturday.

And here is one of the 12 forts in the former Sultanate. The city of Songkhla is visible over on the other side of the lake.

4. COMING NEXT ....

Later, I'll write about the Portuguese cannon in Edinburgh.

Edited May 30, 2013 by andrew

[Sheryl]

OK guys..flamefest and the earlier remarks that led to same have all been deleted. Please refrain from insults and accusations.

[BookMan]

Damn. Missed the action again

[andrew]

OK guys..flamefest and the earlier remarks that led to same have all been deleted. Please refrain from insults and accusations.

Close the thread.

The Scots on this forum are nothing more than born losers.

Collectively, they are an absolute disgrace to their country.

Edited May 30, 2013 by andrew

[metisdead]