In April 1767 Ayutthaya fell after a long Burmese siege, ending a kingdom that had lasted more than four centuries. The city was destroyed and its courtly archives, temples and artistic institutions suffered severe loss. Siamese authority soon shifted towards Thonburi and then Bangkok.

The fall of Ayutthaya was a major rupture in Thai literary history because manuscripts, court poems and performance traditions were lost or scattered. Later retellings and restorations depended heavily on memory, recitation and the rebuilding of cultural archives.