Queen Suriyothai was a wife of King Chakrapat. King Chakrapat ascended to the throne when he was 36 years old.
Just seven months after his coronation, in 1548, King Tabengshweti of Burma attacked Ayuthaya. King Tabengshweti was resentful that his earlier attempt to take over the Siamese city of Chiang Kraan during King Chainarachathiraja's reign had failed.
In the first battle, which was intended to test the strength of the Burmese army, King Chakrapat led the army himself, followed by his sons, Prince Ramesuan and Prince Mahintarathiraj. Worried about her husband, Queen Suriyothai secretly dressed as a soldier and rode out to battle on an elephant with the rest of the army.
When the Ayuthaya army clashed with the Burmese army from Hongsawadee, led by General Brae, King Chakrapat immediately rode towards General Brae to engage him in battle. However, King Chakrapat's elephant stumbled, giving General Brae the advantage. Just as General Brae raided his halberd to stab King Chakrapat, Queen Suriyothai, who was watching from nearby, suddenly decided to intervene to try to save the king. Her elephant also lost its balance, and she was fatally stabbed by General Brae's halberd. She died while still on the elephant's neck. Prince Ramesuan and Prince Mahintarathiraj took her body back to the capital.
From TAT
This pagoda is situated at the original site of the Rear Palace, in the west of the city. It is a memorial to Somdet Phra Suriyothai, who was the royal consort of Phra Mahachakkaraphat and the first heroine in Thai history. When the Burmese army intruded in 1548, Somdet Phra Suriyothai, clad in a warrior's suit, interrupted the fighting between the King and Phrachao Prae of Burma and was cut to death. Her death saved Ayutthaya from another attack from the Burmese.