YALA,PATTANI,NARATHIWAT SETIAP BULAN DI BUNUH DAN CEDERA.

Saya sebagai rakyat thai malaysia berasa simpati terhadap nasib di Yala pada setiap bulan mendengar kematian yang tidak berdosa,Saya sungguh terasa terharu nasib keadaan di thailand.Semasa perdana menteri malaysia Datuk seri Dr mahathir memberi cadangan kepada perdana menteri thailand Thaksin memberi autonomi kepada wilayah selatan thailand untuk memajukan ekonomi di selatan,di sebabkan thaksin tidak memberi autonomi kepada selatan thailand,thaksin mengatakan kepada perdana menteri malaysia Dr Mahathir mencampuri negara thailand.Bagi pandangan saya Thaksin harus di tembak atau di hukum kerana meracun negara thailand kerana merosakan harta benda serta tidak menghormati kepada raja thailand.

CINTAKAN NEGARA THAILAND DAN NEGARA GAJAH PUTIH,KUAM RAK SAM KI.

Saya sebagai rakyat thai malaysia yang berketurunan thai saya amat berbangga sekiranya dapat menjadi rakyat thai,Saya memang suka menjadi rakyat dan berpegang teguh kepada negara thailand.Semoga saya mendapat cita-cita menjadi warganegara thailand.

STORY KING BHUMIBOL.

The health of Thailand's hospitalised 82-year-old king has been "normal" for some time, the palace said on Monday, in its first statement about the revered monarch's condition in more than seven weeks.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand's sole unifying figure through decades of political upheaval, has been receiving physical rehabilitation in a Bangkok hospital, where he has been treated since Sept. 19 for a fatigue and lung inflammation.
Uncertainty about his health sparked a steep fall in stock prices .SETI and the baht currency on Oct. 14 and 15. Markets recovered after the palace said the king's health was improving.Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said his politically divided nation would be better off if it stopped relying on the widely revered king to intervene in times of difficulty.
Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, Abhisit said the country had "struggled at times of crisis to solve problems", in which 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej's role had been "critical, crucial, vital".
He noted in particular events of 1992, when the King publicly admonished the then-PM and a protest leader to end bloody clashes in Bangkok. The monarch has also made more recent calls for unity to prevent the country's collapse.
"Now what I'm saying is that it would be better if we can all resolve these issues without having to rely on His Majesty's interventions, even though they are always within the framework of the constitution. It will take time," Abhisit said late Thursday.
(...) Rights activists have criticised a sharp rise in the number of accusations of insulting the monarchy, punishable by up to 15 years in jail under a tough lese majeste law designed to protect the royal family.
But Abhisit said a new advisory board on the law would "create clarity".
"I hope in not too long, perhaps a few months' time, there will be clear guidance and a lot of cases that are sitting with the police and attorney general will be cleared," he said.
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Thailand politics Abhisit Vejjajiva Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej
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His Majesty the King last night said public officials should be strongly determined to perform their duties to the best of their ability, to maintain peace in the country.
His Majesty advised newly appointed Supreme Court judges to serve as good examples and an inspiration for other groups of public officials and members of the public in doing their duty with a strong and clear will.It was HM the King's first public appearance and speech since the red shirts began their anti-government protests in Bangkok on March 14.The group of judges, led by Supreme Court President Sobchoke Sukharom, had an audience with His Majesty at about 5pm at Siriraj Hospital, where the monarch has been staying since being admitted last September 19 with a lung inflammation and high fever.It is customary for new judges of top courts to take an oath in front of His Majesty before starting their duties.His Majesty also said "some people" in this country appeared to have failed to do their duty."Do your job with honesty. In this country there may be some people who forget their duty. You should be an example by working honestly and properly, your job is very important," HM the King said in his speech, which lasted about 15 minutes."It will show there are officials in the country who perform their duties with a strong and clear will and are determined to maintain stability in the country. This will give people the determination to perform their own duties, as well."
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Home Page THAILAND NEWS
The king was "continuing a rehabilitation programme to gain more muscle sThailand’s ailing, revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Saturday called on his 63 million subjects to unite and called for everyone to work to their utmost ability so that the country could advance further and enjoy peace.
In his terse response to members of the royal family, senior government officials and members of parliament who gathered at Bangkok’s Grand Palace to wish him happiness on his 82nd birthday celebrations, His Majesty the King said his happiness could be achieved “if the country prospers, is stable and is at peace.”
The king said this could be realised if every sector in the country is determined to perform its duty with utmost wisdom, understanding and sincerity by upholding the people’s interests rather than themselves.
“I ask all of you present here and holding important positions in key institutions of our country, as well as all Thais (everywhere), to consider thoroughly your duty and determine to perform your duty to your best ability for the success of the country,” said the king.
Saturday marked the third time that the king, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has made a public appearance since being admitted to Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital on September 19 with a lung infection and fever.
The monarch was earlier seen in public twice -- once on October 23, Chulalongkorn Memorial Day, and once on the evening of Loy Krathong on November 2 – both within the hospital grounds after being admitted over two months ago.
Today, he granted a public audience at the Grand Palace's Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall.
After the brief ceremony at the Throne Hall, His Majesty the King returned to Siriraj Hospital.
Dressed in a white royal uniform and accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and members of the royal family later left the Grand Palace to return to the hospital in a motorcade as crowds of people lined the streets cheering “Long Live the King”.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva presided over the mass candle-lighting ceremony to celebrate the life and works of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, as well as to offer blessings to the King.
The premier said on behalf of cabinet members, civil servant and all Thais that the crowds were pleased to gather in the capital to express their well wishes and homage to His Majesty the King.
Meanwhile, people nationwide also joined the auspicious moment at 7.29 pm, when the kingdom was illuminated with a sea of candlelight and fireworks at home or at designated venues in all provinces.
In addition, cultural and art performances were held across the country, particularly in Bangkok’s old city area where a grand series of special activities took place to honour the King’s life and times as well as life-long contributions for the well-being of his subjects.
Celebration events will run through December 7 in three areas of the capital: Sanam Luang; the surrounding area of Dusit Palace; and Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also hosts many activities at the Royal Plaza in Dusit district nightly from 5-9 pm, in particular a spectacular highlight in which a ‘4D’ visual light and sound show in the compound of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall starting from 7 pm.trength," it said in the first statement from the Royal Household Bureau since Oct. 30.
He has made three short appearances in public since being admitted, twice in the grounds of Siriraj hospital and once at the Grand Palace for his birthday ceremony.

MAHA THAMMARACHTHIRA

Phra Maha Thammarachathirat (Thai: พระมหาธรรมราชาธิราช) or Somdet Phra Sanphet I (Thai: สมเด็จพระสรรเพ็ชญ์ที่ 1) or formerly known as Khun Phiren Thorathep (Thai: ขุนพิเรนทรเทพ)was the first King of Ayutthaya kingdom of the Sukhothai dynasty ruling from 1569 to 1590. As a powerful Sukhothai noble, Pirenthorathep gradually rose to power. After playing many political turns, he was eventually crowned as the King of Siam.
Contents[hide]
1 A Sukhothai noble
2 King of Phitsanulok
3 King of Ayutthaya
3.1 Cambodian invasions
3.2 Break from Pegu
4 References
//
[edit] A Sukhothai noble
Main article: Sukhothai dynasty
Though the Kingdom of Sukhothai had came under personal union with Ayutthaya since 1448, the royal clan of Sukhothai still held power in their base Phitsanulok and constitutes as one of four political clans of 16th century Ayutthaya (Supannabhum, Uthong, Sukhothai, and Sri Thamnakorn). Chairacha, however, tried to reduce the power of Sukhothai nobles. He ceased to appoint the Upparacha the King of Sukhothai and called the Sukhothai nobles to Ayutthaya to dissolve their base of power at Phitsanulok[1].
Khun Pirenthorathep was one of the Sukhothai nobles at the court of Ayutthaya. In 1548, the kingdom fell under the governance of Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan of the Uthong clan. The Uthong clan rose to power at the expense of other clans.[2] Khun Pirenthorathep then sought alliance with Sri Thamnakorn clan led by Khun Inthrawongse and staged a coup against Vorawongsathirat and Sri Sudachan in 1548, restoring the throne to Supannabhum dynasty.
Maha Chakkrapat made Pirenthorathep (who had staged a coup and put him on the throne) the King of Phitsanulok as Maha Thammarachathirat. The name Maha Thammaracha was the reigning name of Sukhothai kings in the 14th century. Maha Thammarachathirat enjoyed a great power. He married Maha Chakkrapat's daughter, Sawatdirat, as his queen with the name Queen Wisutkasat.
[edit] King of Phitsanulok
In 1548, Tabinshweti of Pegu led Burmese forces and invaded Ayutthaya in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548. The Siamese managed to force the retreat upon the Burmese. However, the Siamese armies under Prince Ramesuan the Uparaja and Maha Thammarachathirat was ambushed and the two was captured. Maha Thammarachathirat was held until Maha Chakkrapat paid the ransom.
In 1563, Tabinshweti's successor, Bayinnaung, led the massive Burmese armies to invade Siam. He laid siege on Phitsanulok. Maha Thammarachathirat, upon seeing the massive Burmese armies, concluded that he should gave up. Maha Thammarachathirat then sued for peace and made Phitsanulok the Burmese tributary. Maha Thammarachathirat had to sent his sons - Naresuan and Ekathotsarot - to Pegu as captives.
With his sons in Burmese captivity, Maha Thammarachathirat was forced to allied himself with Bayinnaung. Mahinthrathirat - son of Maha Chakkrapat - then sought alliance with Setthathirat of Lan Xang to fight Bayinnuang and Maha Thammarachathirat. In 1568, during Maha Thammarachathirat's absence from Phitsanulok to Pegu, Mahinthrathirat made himself King of Phitsanulok and brought Queen Wisutkasat and her daughter Supankanlaya to Ayutthaya. Maha Thammarachathirat urged Bayinnuang to take actions.
In 1568, Bayinnuang marched large Burmese armies to Ayutthaya with supports from Maha Thammarachathirat. Ayutthaya finally fell in 1569 and Maha Thammarachathirat was installed as King of Ayutthaya. Bayinnuang bestowed him the reigning name Sanpet I.
[edit] King of Ayutthaya
Maha Thammarachathirat asked Bayinnuang to return his sons Naresuan and Ekathotsarot to Ayutthaya in exchange for his daughter Supankanlaya as Bayinnuang's concubine. Maha Thammarachathirat made Naresuan the King of Phitsanulok and Uparaja in 1569. Ayutthaya kingdom under Maha Thammarachathirat was tributary to Burma.
[edit] Cambodian invasions
In 1570, the King of Lovek marched Cambodian armies to Ayutthaya and laid siege on the city but failed. In 1574, under the request from Pegu, Maha Thammaracha led the Siamese armies to subjugate Vientiane. The Cambodians took this opportunity to invade Siam but was also repelled.
In 1578, the Cambodians invaded Korat and proceeded further to Saraburi. Naresuan sent Siamese armies to ambush the Cambodians at Chaibadan, halting the invaders from reaching Ayutthaya.
[edit] Break from Pegu
In 1581, Bayinnuang died, succeeded by his son Nanda Bayin. In 1583, the Lord of Ava and the Shans staged a rebellion against Pegu. Nanda Bayin then requested for troops from Ayutthaya. The Siamese armies went slowly to Ava under leadership of Naresuan. Nanda Bayin then suspected of Siamese royalty and secretly ordered his son Minchit Sra the Uparaja to defeat Naresuan's army and kill him upon reaching Pegu. However, Naresuan was forewarned and denounced Burmese tributary in 1583.
In 1584, Nanda Bayin himself led the Peguan armies into Siam but was defeated by Naresuan. [3] For many years the Burmese armies surged into Ayutthaya but was repelled. Maha Thammarachathirat died 1590. He was succeeded by Naresuan.
[edit]

TRAILOKANAT

Somdet Phra Ramesuan Boromma Trailokanat Bopit (Thai: สมเด็จพระราเมศวรบรมไตรโลกนาถบพิตร,1431 – 1488) was the king of Ayutthaya from 1448 to 1488. He was also known as Phra Chao Chang Pueak (Thai: พระเจ้าช้างเผือก) for his gain of auspicious white elephant. His reign was also known for a massive reforms of Siamese bureaucracy and a successful campaign against Lanna. He was also revered as one of the greatest monarchs of Siam.
Contents[hide]
1 King of Sukhothai
2 Reforms
2.1 Class Stratification of Cities
2.2 Expedition to Malacca
3 Wars with Lanna
4 Legacy
//
[edit] King of Sukhothai
Prince Ramesuan was born in 1431 to King Borommaracha Thirat II or Chao Sam Phraya and his queen from the Kingdom of Sukhothai. He became the Uparaja (lit. Vice-king of crown prince) in 1438. When his cousin, Maha Dhammaracha IV of Sukhothai died in 1446, Ramesuan was then technically the king of Sukhothai – though he was too young to be crowned. Upon reaching majority, Borommaracha II sent Ramesuan to Pitsanulok to assume the Sukhothai throne.
[edit] Reforms
Boormmaracha II died in 1448, Prince Ramesuan was then crowned as the king of Ayutthaya – thus a personal union between Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.
Main article: Chatu Sabombh
Trailokanat reformed the Siamese bureaucracy – the system that lasted well into the 19th century. He separated civil and military officials, giving them the titular ranks and feudal ranks to create the hierarchy of nobility. He also established the hierarchy of cities ranging from the Inner Cities, Outer Cities, to Tributaries. Trailokanat also ceased the tradition of appointing royal princes to govern cities and they had always clashed each other in the time of succession crisis. Trailokanat also promulgated the Ayutthayan Law in 1458.
The traditional ministries of Thailand - the Kalahom for the military and the Mahatthai as the civilian duties - were introduced by Trailok.
Also in his reign in 1454, the hierarchies of the nobility were first codified, petty officials having a sakdi na (field power, with one field measuring 1 rai = 0.395 acre) of 50 to 400, extending up to 100,000 for the uparat (heir-apparent). This system continued until the reforms of King Chulalongkorn at the end of the 19th century.
Trailokanat adopted the position of uparaja, translated as "viceroy" or "underking", usually held by the king's senior son or full brother, in an attempt to regularize the succession to the throne -- a particularly difficult feat for a polygamous dynasty. In practice, there was inherent conflict between king and uparaja and frequent disputed successions.
[edit] Class Stratification of Cities
In 1468, Trailok adopted a Palatinate[disambiguation needed] law, re-categorizing the cities of Ayutthaya by class.
Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sri Thamarat were listed among the 8 great first-class cities (Phraya maha nakhon).
Mueang Sing, Mueang In and Mueang Phrom were downgraded to be the level 4 cities (เมืองจัตวา) under Lopburi.
[edit] Expedition to Malacca
In 1455, Trailokanat sent Siamese to the Sultanate of Malacca. The sultanate had been subjected to Siamese suspicions since its conversion to Islam. Thought not of a significance - the expedition was mentioned in Portuguese chronicles (of course, several years after).[1]
[edit] Wars with Lanna
Main article: Ayutthaya-Lanna War
Yuttittira – a Sukhothai royalty and Trailokanat’s relative - was a close childhood friend of Trailokanat. Trailokanat himself promised him the title of Uparaja. However, after Trailokanat’s reformes, Yuttittira ended up in the title of the Governor of Pichit. Yuttittira also claimed to be the rightful king of Sukhothai.
The Lanna kingdom under Tilokaraj was so powerful that he led armies down south to subjugate Ayutthaya. In 1456, Yuttittira sought Tilokaraj’s support and led Lanna armies to capture Sukhothai and proceeded further towards Ayutthaya. Trailokanat, however, led Ayutthayan armies to successfully defeat the Lanna armies.
In 1461, Tilokarat and Yuttittira led the Lanna armies to invade Ayutthaya but without achieving fruitful results and retreated. Trailokanat then took this opportunity to retake Sukhothai. Trailokanat, upon seeing the seriousness of the wars, crowned himself as the king of Pitsanulok in 1463 – thus moving his base from Ayutthaya to Pitsanulok – to be able to cope with Lanna wars.
Trailokanat, accompanied by more than 2,000 followers, was the first Siamese king to be ordained as a monk. The ordination took place at Wat Chula Manee in 1461.
In 1463, the Lanna invaded again. Trailokanat sent his son, Prince Indraracha, to crush the invading armies. Indraracha defeated Yuttittira but was in turn killed during battles against Nagara – Tilokaraj’s uncle.
Lanna then, however, was plunged by her own internal princely conflicts. In 1474, Trailokanat finally expelled the Lanna out of his kingdom. Next year, Tilokaraj sought peace settlements.
In Phitsanulok, Trailokanat ordered the establishment of new temples, as well as the restoration of existing older ones. He ordered the construction a chedi and other buildings on the campus of Wat Ratchaburana, for example.
[edit] Legacy
In 1485, Trailokanat appointed his son Prince Chaiyachetta (later Ramathibodi II) as the Uparaja and King of Sukhothai. The title "King of Sukhothai" then became a title for Ayutthayan Crown Prince. However, upon Trailokanat's death in 1488, his two sons inherited the two kingdoms, thus separating the union once again.
Among the institutions named for Trailokanat include:
Fort Somdetphra Boromma Trailokanat (Royal Thai Army Base) in Samo Khae, Phitsanulok Province.
Preceded byBoromma Ratchathirat II
Kings of Ayutthaya1448-1488
Succeeded byBoromarachathirat III(Intharacha II)
Preceded byMaha Dharmmaracha IV
King of Sukhothai(First Reign)1446-1448
Succeeded byYuttittira
Preceded byYuttittira
King of Sukhothai(Second Reign)1474-1485
Succeeded byPrince Chettathiraj(Ramathibodi II

AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM

Ayutthaya (Thai: อาณาจักรอยุธยา, RTGS: Anachak Ayutthaya, also Ayudhya) was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese (Annamese), Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the city walls. In the sixteenth century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–1688) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris.
Before Ayutthaya fell to a Burmese invasion, its vassals included the Northern Shan states of present-day Myanmar, Lanna (Chiang Mai, Thailand), Yunnan & Shan Sri (China), Lan Xang (Laos), Champa (Vietnam), and some city-states in the Malay Peninsula.[1]
According to foreign accounts, Ayutthaya was officially known as Siam, but many sources also say that the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, and their kingdom Krung Tai or 'the Kingdom of the Tais'.
Contents[hide]
1 Historical overview
1.1 Origins
1.2 Conquests and expansion
2 Kingship of Ayutthaya Kingdom
3 Social and political development
4 Religion
5 Economic development
6 Contacts with the West
7 The final phase
8 Kings of Ayutthaya
8.1 1st Uthong Dynasty (1350-1370)
8.2 1st Suphannaphum Dynasty (1370-1388)
8.3 2nd Uthong Dynasty (1388-1409)
8.4 2nd Suphannaphum Dynasty (1409-1569)
8.5 Sukhothai Dynasty (1569-1629)
8.6 Prasat Thong Dynasty (1630-1688)
8.7 Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty (1688-1767)
9 List of notable foreigners in seventeenth century Ayutthaya
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
13.1 Dissertations retrieved from ProQuest-Dissertations and Theses on Aug.16,2006
13.2 Phongsawadan Krung Si Ayutthaya
13.3 Burmese account
13.4 Western account
14 External links
//
[edit] Historical overview
[edit] Origins

The immense 19 meter high seated bronze Buddha in Wat Phanan Choeng from 1324 pre-dates the founding of the city in 1351
According to the most widely accepted version of its origin, the Siamese state based at Ayutthaya in the valley of the Chao Phraya River rose from the earlier, nearby kingdoms of Lavo and Suphannaphoom (Suvarnabhumi). One source says that, in the mid-fourteenth century, due to the threat of an epidemic, King U Thong moved his court south into the rich floodplain of the Chao Phraya on an island surrounded by rivers, which was the former seaport city of Ayothaya, or Ayothaya Si Raam Thep Nakhon, the Angelic City of Sri Rama. The new city was known as Ayothaya, or Krung Thep Dvaravadi Si Ayothaya. Later it became widely known as Ayutthaya, the Invincible City.[2]
Other sources say that King Uthong was a rich merchant of Chinese origin from Phetchaburi, a coastal city in the south, who moved to seek fortune in Ayothaya city. The name of the city indicates the influence of Hinduism in the region.
[edit] Conquests and expansion
By the end of the fourteenth century, Ayutthaya was regarded as the strongest power in mainland Southeast Asia. Ayutthaya began its hegemony by conquering northern kingdoms and city-states like Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanuloke. Before the end of the fifteenth century, Ayutthaya launched attacks on Angkor, the classical great power of the region. Angkor's influence eventually faded from the Chao Phraya River Plain while Ayutthaya became a new great power.
However, the kingdom of Ayutthaya was not a unified state but rather a patchwork of self-governing principalities and tributary provinces owing allegiance to the king of Ayutthaya under The Circle of Power, or the mandala system, as some scholars suggested .[3] These principalities might be ruled by members of the royal family of Ayutthaya, or by local rulers who had their own independent armies, having a duty to assist the capital when war or invasion occurred. However, it was evident that from time to time local revolts, led by local princes or kings, took place. Ayutthaya had to suppress them.
Due to the lack of succession law and a strong concept of meritocracy, whenever the succession was in dispute, princely governors or powerful dignitaries claiming their merit gathered their forces and moved on the capital to press their claims, culminating in several bloody coups.[4]

1686 French Map of Siam
From the fifteenth century, Ayutthaya showed an interest in the Malay Peninsula, where the great trading port of Malacca contested its claims to sovereignty. Ayutthaya launched several abortive conquests on Malacca. Due to the military support of Ming China, Malacca was diplomatically and economically fortified. In the early fifteenth century the Ming Admiral Zheng He had established one of his bases of operation in the port city, so the Chinese could not afford to lose such a strategic position to the Siamese. Under this protection, Malacca flourished into one of Ayutthaya's great foes, until its conquest in 1511 by the Portuguese.[5]
However, in the mid-sixteenth century, the Burmese Kingdom of Taungoo or Toungoo became stronger. It then began its 'imperial expansion' and kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung attacked Ayutthaya. The beginning of the long conflict began in 1548, with an invasion by Tabinshwehti. In 1569 Ayutthaya eventually fell and became Toungoo's vassal. The royal princes and high officials were taken back to Taungoo. One of those princes was Prince Naret.[6]
Ayutthaya became a great power again after Prince Naret returned to Ayutthaya. He started gathering troops to resist the Burmese. Naret, now King Naresuan, finally defeated the Burmese forces in a famous elephant battle with Toungoo's heir apparent, who was killed in the battle. Ayutthaya then became one of the most powerful kingdoms in the region, controlling the northern regions of Sukhothai and Lanna, as well as the maritime, southern peninsula. Foreign trade brought Ayutthaya not only luxury items but also new arms and weapons. In the mid-seventeenth century, during King Narai's reign, Ayutthaya became very prosperous.[7]
In the eighteenth century, Ayutthaya gradually lost control over its provinces. Provincial governors exerted their power independently, and rebellions against the capital began. In the mid-eighteenth century, Ayutthaya was in contact with the Mons waging wars with the Burmese in the western coastal cities. The Mons were defeated and fled to Ayutthaya. The Burmese then considered Ayutthaya their enemy, and finally invaded. After months of siege, Ayutthaya surrendered in April 1767. The city was sacked and totally destroyed. The Kingdom of Ayutthaya was finally annihilated.[8]
[edit] Kingship of Ayutthaya Kingdom
See also: Monarchy of Thailand

Ruins of the old city, Ayutthaya, after the Burmese invasion.
The kings of Ayutthaya were absolute monarchs with semi-religious status. Their authority derived from the ideologies of Hinduism and Buddhism as well as from natural leadership. The king of Sukhotai was the moral inspiration of the Inscription Number 1 found in Sukhothai, which stated that King Ramkhamhaeng would hear the petition of any subject who rang the bell at the palace gate. The king was thus considered as a father by his people.
At Ayutthaya, however, the paternal aspects of kingship disappeared. The king was considered chakkraphat, the Sanskrit-Pali term for the Chakravartin who through his adherence to the law made all the world revolve around him.[9]. According to Hindu tradition, the king is the avatar of God Vishnu, the Destroyer of Demons, who was born to be the defender of the people. The Buddhist belief in the king is as the ruler of merit or Dhammaraja, aiming at the well-being of the people, who strictly follows the teaching of the Buddha.
The kings' official names were reflections of those religions: Hinduism and Buddhism. They were considered as the incarnation of various Hindu gods: Indra, Shiva or Vishnu (Rama). The coronation ceremony was directed by Brahmin as the Hindu god Shiva was "lord of the universe". However, according to the codes, the king had the ultimate duty as protector of the people and the annihilator of evil.
On the other hand, according to Buddhism's influence in place of Hinduism, the king was also believed to be a 'Bodhisattava' or 'Buddha'-like. He followed and respected the Dharma Law of Buddha, and sometimes was called 'Dhammaraja'. One of the most important duties of the king was to build a temple or a Buddha statue as a symbol of prosperity and peace.[9]
For locals, another aspect of the kingship was also the analogy of "The Lord of the Land", (Phra Chao Phaendin), or He who Rules the Earth. According to the court etiquette, a special language, Rachasap (Sanskrit: rājāśabda), was used to communicate with or about royalty. In Ayutthaya, the king was said to grant land to his subjects, from nobles to commoners, even monks and beggars, according to the rule of Sakna or Sakdina. However, there is no concrete evidence of Ayutthaya's land management system. The Sakna or Sakdina system is unlikely the same as 'feudalism' in Europe.[10]
The French Abbé de Choisy, who came to Ayutthaya in 1685, wrote that, "the king has absolute power. He is truly the god of the Siamese: no-one dares to utter his name." Another 17th-century writer, the Dutchman Van Vliet, remarked that the King of Siam was "honoured and worshipped by his subjects second to god." Laws and orders were issued by the king. For sometimes the king himself was also the highest judge who judged and punished important criminals such as traitors or rebels.[11]
One of the numerous institutional innovations of King Trailokanat (1448–88) was to adopt the position of uparaja, translated as "viceroy" or "underking", usually held by the king's senior son or full brother, in an attempt to regularize the succession to the throne—a particularly difficult feat for a polygamous dynasty. In practice, there was inherent conflict between king and uparaja and frequent disputed successions.[12]. However, it is evident that the power of the Throne of Ayutthaya had its limit. The hegemony of the Ayutthaya king was always based on his charisma in terms of his age and supporters. Without supporters, bloody coups took place from time to time. The most powerful figures of the capital were always generals, or the Minister of Military Department, Kalahom. During the last century of Ayutthaya, the bloody fighting among princes and generals, aiming at the throne, plagued the court.
[edit] Social and political development
The king stood at the apex of a highly stratified social and political hierarchy that extended throughout the society. Desipte a lack of evidence, it is believed that in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the basic unit of social organization was the village community composed of extended family households. Title to land resided with the headman, who held it in the name of the community, although peasant proprietors enjoyed the use of land as long as they cultivated it.[13]
With ample reserves of land available for cultivation, the state depended on the acquisition and control of adequate manpower for farm labor and defense. The dramatic rise of Ayutthaya had entailed constant warfare and, as none of the parties in the region possessed a technological advantage, the outcome of battles was usually determined by the size of the armies. After each victorious campaign, Ayutthaya carried away a number of conquered people to its own territory, where they were assimilated and added to the labor force.[13]
Every freeman had to be registered as a servant, or phrai, with the local lords. When war broke out, male phrai were recruited. The lords gradually became court officials and provincial governors. The king ultimately came to be recognized as the earthly incarnation of Shiva or Vishnu, and became the sacred object of a politico-religious cult officiated over by a corps of royal Brahmans who were part of the Buddhist court retinue. In the Buddhist context, the devaraja was a bodhisattva (an enlightened being who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to aid others). The belief in divine kingship prevailed into the eighteenth century, although by that time its religious implications had limited impact. Above the phrai was a nai, who was responsible for military service and corvee labor on public works and on the land of the official to whom he was assigned. The phrai could also meet his labor obligation by paying a tax. If he found the forced labor under his nai repugnant, he could sell himself into slavery to a more attractive nai or lord, who then paid a fee to the government in compensation for the loss of corvee labor. As much as one-third of the manpower supply into the nineteenth century was composed of phrai.[13]
Wealth, status, and political influence were interrelated. The king allotted rice fields to court officials, provincial governors, military commanders, in payment for their services to the crown, according to the sakdi na system. The size of each official's allotment was determined by the number of commoners or phrai he could command to work it. The amount of manpower a particular headman, or official, could command determined his status relative to others in the hierarchy and his wealth. At the apex of the hierarchy, the king, who was symbolically the realm's largest landholder, theoretically commanded the services of the largest number of phrai, called phrai luang (royal servants), who paid taxes, served in the royal army, and worked on the crown lands.[13]
However, the recruitment of the armed forces depended on nai, or mun nai, literally meaning 'lord', officials who commanded their own phrai som, or subjects. These officials had to submit to the king's command when war broke out. Officials thus became the key figures to the kingdom's politics. At least two officials staged coups, taking the throne themselves while bloody struggles between the king and his officials, followed by purges of court officials, were always seen.[13]
King Trailok, in the early sixteenth century, established definite allotments of land and phrai for the royal officials at each rung in the hierarchy, thus determining the country's social structure until the introduction of salaries for government officials in the nineteenth century.[13]
Outside this system to some extent were the Buddhist monkhood, or sangha, which all classes of Siamese men could join, and the Chinese. Buddhist monasteries (wats) became the centres of Siamese education and culture, while during this period the Chinese first began to settle in Siam, and soon began to establish control over the country's economic life: another long-standing social problem.[13]
The Chinese were not obliged to register for corvee duty, so they were free to move about the kingdom at will and engage in commerce. By the sixteenth century, the Chinese controlled Ayutthaya's internal trade and had found important places in the civil and military service. Most of these men took Thai wives because few women left China to accompany the men.[13]
Ramathibodi I was responsible for the compilation of the Dharmashastra, a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom. The Dharmashastra remained a tool of Thai law until late in the 19th century. A bureaucracy based on a hierarchy of ranked and titled officials was introduced, and society was organised in a related manner. Yet the Hindu caste system was not adopted.[14]
The sixteenth century witnessed the rise of Burma which, under an aggressive dynasty, had overrun Chiang Mai and Laos and made war on the Thai. In 1569 Burmese forces joined by Thai rebels, mostly royal family members of Siam, captured the city of Ayutthaya and carried off the whole royal family to Burma. Dhammaraja (1569–90), a Thai governor who had aided the Burmese, was installed as vassal king at Ayutthaya. Thai independence was restored by his son, King Naresuan (1590–1605), who turned on the Burmese and by 1600 had driven them from the country.[15]
Determined to prevent another treason like his father's, Naresuan set about unifying the country's administration directly under the royal court at Ayutthaya. He ended the practice of nominating royal princes to govern Ayutthaya's provinces, assigning instead court officials who were expected to execute policies handed down by the king. Thereafter royal princes were confined to the capital. Their power struggles continued, but at court under the king's watchful eye.[16]
In order to ensure his control over the new class of governors, Naresuan decreed that all freemen subject to phrai service had become phrai luang, bound directly to the king, who distributed the use of their services to his officials. This measure gave the king a theoretical monopoly on all manpower, and the idea developed that since the king owned the services of all the people, he also possessed all the land. Ministerial offices and governorships—-and the sakdina that went with them—-were usually inherited positions dominated by a few families often connected to the king by marriage. Indeed, marriage was frequently used by Thai kings to cement alliances between themselves and powerful families, a custom prevailing through the nineteenth century. As a result of this policy, the king's wives usually numbered in the dozens.[16]
Even with Naresuan's reforms, the effectiveness of the royal government over the next 150 years was unstable. Royal power outside the crown lands-—although in theory absolute—was in practice limited by the looseness of the civil administration. The influence of central government and the king was not extensive beyond the capital. When war with the Burmese broke out in late eighteenth century, provinces easily abandoned the capital. As the enforcing troops were not easily rallied to defend the capital, the City of Ayutthaya could not stand against the Burmese aggressors.[16]
[edit] Religion

Buddha head overgrown by fig tree in Wat Mahatat, Ayutthaya historical park
Ayutthaya's main religion was Theravada Buddhism. Many areas of the kingdom also practiced Mahayana Buddhism and, influenced by French Missionaries who arrived through China in the 17th century, some small areas converted to Catholicism.[17]
[edit] Economic development
The Thais never lacked a rich food supply. Peasants planted rice for their own consumption and to pay taxes. Whatever remained was used to support religious institutions. From the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, however, a remarkable transformation took place in Thai rice cultivation. In the highlands, where rainfall had to be supplemented by a system of irrigation that controlled the water level in flooded paddies, the Thais sowed the glutinous rice that is still the staple in the geographical regions of the North and Northeast. But in the floodplain of the Chao Phraya, farmers turned to a different variety of rice—-the so-called floating rice, a slender, non-glutinous grain introduced from Bengal—-that would grow fast enough to keep pace with the rise of the water level in the lowland fields.[18]
The new strain grew easily and abundantly, producing a surplus that could be sold cheaply abroad. Ayutthaya, situated at the southern extremity of the floodplain, thus became the hub of economic activity. Under royal patronage, corvee labor dug canals on which rice was brought from the fields to the king's ships for export to China. In the process, the Chao Phraya Delta—-mud flats between the sea and firm land hitherto considered unsuitable for habitation—-was reclaimed and placed under cultivation. Traditionally the king had a duty to perform a religious ceremony blessing the rice plantation.[18]
Although rice was abundant in Ayutthaya, rice export was banned from time to time when famine occurred because of natural calamity or war. Rice was usually bartered for luxury goods and armaments from westerners, but rice cultivation was mainly for the domestic market and rice export was evidently unreliable. Trade with Europeans was lively in the seventeenth century. In fact European merchants traded their goods, mainly modern arms such as rifles and cannons, with local products from the inland jungle such as sapan woods, deerskin and rice. Tomé Pires, a Portuguese voyager, mentioned in the sixteenth century that Ayutthaya, or Odia, was rich in good merchandise. Most of the foreign merchants coming to Ayutthaya were European and Chinese, and were taxed by the authorities. The kingdom had an abundance of rice, salt, dried fish, arrack and vegetables.[19]
Trade with foreigners, mainly the Dutch, reached its peak in the seventeenth century. Ayutthaya became a main destination for merchants from China and Japan. It was apparent that foreigners began taking part in the kingdom's politics. Ayutthayan kings employed foreign mercenaries who sometimes entered the wars with the kingdom's enemies. However, after the purge of the French in late seventeenth century, the major traders with Ayutthaya were the Chinese. The Dutch from the Dutch East Indies Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC), were still active. Ayutthaya's economy declined rapidly in the eighteenth century, until the Burmese invasion caused the total collapse of Ayutthaya's economy in 1788.[20]
[edit] Contacts with the West

Memorial plate in Lopburi showing king Narai with French ambassadors
In 1511, immediately after having conquered Malacca, the Portuguese sent a diplomatic mission headed by Duarte Fernandes to the court of King Ramathibodi II of Ayutthaya. Having established amicable relations between the kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Siam, they returned with a Siamese envoy with gifts and letters to the King of Portugal.[21] They were probably the first Europeans to visit the country. Five years after that initial contact, Ayutthaya and Portugal concluded a treaty granting the Portuguese permission to trade in the kingdom. A similar treaty in 1592 gave the Dutch a privileged position in the rice trade.
Foreigners were cordially welcomed at the court of Narai (1657–1688), a ruler with a cosmopolitan outlook who was nonetheless wary of outside influence. Important commercial ties were forged with Japan. Dutch and English trading companies were allowed to establish factories, and Thai diplomatic missions were sent to Paris and The Hague. By maintaining all these ties, the Thai court skillfully played off the Dutch against the English and the French, avoiding the excessive influence of a single power.[22]
In 1664, however, the Dutch used force to exact a treaty granting them extraterritorial rights as well as freer access to trade. At the urging of his foreign minister, the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon, Narai turned to France for assistance. French engineers constructed fortifications for the Thais and built a new palace at Lopburi for Narai. In addition, French missionaries engaged in education and medicine and brought the first printing press into the country. Louis XIV's personal interest was aroused by reports from missionaries suggesting that Narai might be converted to Christianity.[23]

Siamese embassy to Louis XIV in 1686, by Nicolas Larmessin.
The French presence encouraged by Phaulkon, however, stirred the resentment and suspicions of the Thai nobles and Buddhist clergy. When word spread that Narai was dying, a general, Phetracha, killed the designated heir, a Christian, and had Phaulkon put to death along with a number of missionaries. The arrival of English warships provoked a massacre of more Europeans. Phetracha (reigned 1688–93) seized the throne and expelled the remaining foreigners. Some studies said that Ayutthaya began a period of alienation from western traders, while welcoming more Chinese merchants. But other recent studies argue that, due to wars and conflicts in Europe in the mid-eighteenth century, European merchants reduced their activities in the East. However, it was apparent that the Dutch East Indies Company or VOC was still doing business in Ayutthaya despite political difficulties.[23]
[edit] The final phase

Three pagodas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet which house the remains of King Borommatrailokanat, King Borommarachathirat III and King Ramathibodi II
After a bloody period of dynastic struggle, Ayutthaya entered into what has been called the golden age, a relatively peaceful episode in the second quarter of the eighteenth century when art, literature, and learning flourished. There were foreign wars. Ayutthaya fought with the Nguyen Lords (Vietnamese rulers of South Vietnam) for control of Cambodia starting around 1715. But a greater threat came from Burma, where the new Alaungpaya dynasty had subdued the Shan states.
The last fifty years of the kingdom witnessed a bloody struggle among the princes. The throne was their prime target. Purges of court officials and able generals followed. The last monarch, Ekathat, originally known as Prince Anurakmontree, forced the king, who was his younger brother, to step down and took the throne himself.
In 1765 huge Burmese forces invaded the territories of Ayutthaya from the north and west. Major outlying towns quickly capitulated. The only notable example of successful resistance to these forces was found at the village of Bang Rajan. After a lengthy siege, the city of Ayutthaya capitulated and was burned in 1767.[24] Ayutthaya's art treasures, the libraries containing its literature, and the archives housing its historic records were almost totally destroyed,[24] and the Burmese brought the Ayutthaya Kingdom to ruin.[24]
The country was reduced to chaos. Famine attacked the capital. Its treasury foundation totally collapsed. Provinces proclaimed independence under generals, rogue monks, and members of the royal family. The subjugation did not last long, however, as a general, Phraya Taksin, former governor of Taak, began his counterstrike on the Burmese.
All that remains of the old city are some impressive ruins of the royal palace. General Taak-Sin, the governor of Taak, who fled the capital, gathering forces, began striking back at the Burmese. He finally established a capital at Thonburi, across the Chao Phraya from the present capital, Bangkok. Taak-Sin ascended the throne, becoming known as King Taak-Sin or Taksin.
The ruins of the historic city of Ayutthaya and "associated historic towns" in the Ayutthaya historical park have been listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site.[25] The city of Ayutthaya was refounded near the old city, and is now capital of the Ayutthaya province.[26]
[edit] Kings of Ayutthaya
[edit] 1st Uthong Dynasty (1350-1370)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Chao Uthong(Somdet Phra Ramathibodi I)
1314
1350
1369 (20 years)
• First King of Ayutthaya
Somdet Phra Ramesuan (First Reign)
1339
1369
1370 (less than one year)(abdicated)
1395
• Son of Uthong
[edit] 1st Suphannaphum Dynasty (1370-1388)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat I(Khun Luang Pha Ngua)
?
1370
1388 (18 years)
• Usurper • Former Lord of Suphanburi
Somdet Phra Chao Thong Lan(Chao Thong Chan)
?
1388 (7 days)(usurped)
• Son of Borommarachathirat I
[edit] 2nd Uthong Dynasty (1388-1409)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Ramesuan (Second Reign)
1339
1388
1395 (7 years)
• Former King reclaiming the throne • Son of Uthong
Somdet Phra Rama Ratchathirat
1356
1395
1409 (14 years)(usurped)
?
• Son of Ramesuan
[edit] 2nd Suphannaphum Dynasty (1409-1569)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Intha Racha(Phra Chao Nakhon Int)
1359
1409
1424 (15 years)
• Grandson of Borommarachathirat I • Former Lord of Suphanburi, offered crown
Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat II(Chao Sam Phraya)
?
1424
1448 (24 years)
• Son of Intha Racha
Somdet Phra Boromma Trailokanat
1431
1448
1488 (40 years)
• Son of Borommarachathirat II
Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat III
?
1488
1491 (3 years)
• Son of Trailokanat
Somdet Phra Ramathibodi II(Phra Chettathiraj)
1473
1491
1529 (38 years)
• Younger brother of Borommarachathirat III • Son of Trailokanat
Somdet Phra Borommarachathirat IV(Somdet Phra Borommaracha Nor Buddhankoon)(Phra Athitawongse)
?
1529
1533 (4 years)
• Son of Ramathibodi II
Phra Ratsadathirat
1529
1533 (4 months)(usurped)
• Son of Borommarachathirat IV • Child King, reign under regency
Somdet Phra Chairacha(Somdet Phra Chairacha Thirat)
?
1533
1546 (13 years)
• Uncle of Ratsadathirat • Son of Ramathibodi II • Usurper
Phra Yodfa(Phra Keowfa)
1535
1546
1548 (2 years)
• Son of Chairacha
Khun Worawongsathirat(Khun Chinnarat)(Bun Si)
?
1548 (42 days)(Removed)
• Usurper monarch, not accepted by some historians
Somdet Phra Maha Chakkraphat(Phra Chao Chang Pueak)
1509
1548
1568 (20 years)
• Son of Ramathibodi II • Younger brother of Borommarachathirat IV and Chairacha • Seized the throne from usurper
Somdet Phra Mahinthrathirat
1539
1568
1569 (1 year)
• Son of Maha Chakkrapat and Queen Suriyothai
First Fall of Ayutthaya
[edit] Sukhothai Dynasty (1569-1629)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Maha Thammarachathirat(Somdet Phra Sanphet I)
1517
1569
29 July 1590 (21 years)
• Former Lord of Sukhothai • Installed as vassal of Bayinnaung of Burma, declared independence in 1584
Somdet Phra Naresuan the Great(Somdet Phra Sanphet II)
25 April 1555
29 July 1590
7 April 1605 (15 years)
• Son of Maha Thammarachathirat
Somdet Phra Ekathotsarot(Somdet Phra Sanphet III)
1557
25 April 1605
1620 (15 years)
• Son of Maha Thammarachathirat
Somdet Phra Si Saowaphak(Somdet Phra Sanphet IV)
?
1620 (less than a year)
• Son of Ekathotsarot
Somdet Phra Songtham(Somdet Phra Borommaracha I)
?
1620
12 December 1628 (8 years)
• Minor relative, invite to take the throne after leaving the Sangha
Somdet Phra Chetthathirat(Somdet Phra Borommaracha II)
circa 1613
1628
1629 (1 year)(assassinated)
• Son of Songtham
Phra Athittayawong
1618
1629 (36 days)(usurped)
• Younger brother of Chetthathirat • Son of Songtham
[edit] Prasat Thong Dynasty (1630-1688)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Chao Prasat Thong(Somdet Phra Sanphet V)
1599
1629
1656 (27 years)
• Usurper, formerly the Kalahom • Rumored to be a son of Ekathotsarot
Somdet Chao Fa Chai(Somdet Phra Sanphet VI)
?
1656 (9 months)(usurped)
• Son of Prasat Thong
Somdet Phra Si Suthammaracha(Somdet Phra Sanphet VII)
?
1656 (2 months 17 Days)(usurped)
26 August 1656(executed)
• Usurper, Uncle of Chao Fa Chai • Younger brother of Prasat Thong
Somdet Phra Narai the Great(Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III)
1629
26 August 1656
11 July 1688 (32 years)
• Usurper, nephew of Si Suthammaracha • Son of Prasat Thong • Half-brother of Chao Fa Chai
[edit] Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty (1688-1767)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Somdet Phra Phetracha
1632
1688
1703 (15 years)
• Usurper, cousin of Narai • Former commander of the Royal Elephant Corps
Somdet Phra Suriyenthrathibodi(Somdet Phra Sanphet VIII)(Phra Chao Suea)
?
1703
1708 (5 years)
• Son of Narai
Somdet Phra Chao Yu Hua Thai Sa(Somdet Phra Sanphet IX)
?
1708
1732 (24 years)
• Son of Suriyenthrathibodi
Somdet Phra Chao Yu Hua Boromakot
?
1732
1758 (26 years)
• Brother of Thai Sa, Former Front Palace • Son of Suriyenthrathibodi
Somdet Phra Chao Uthumphon(Somdet Phra Ramathibodi IV)(Khun Luang Hawat)
?
1758 (2 months)(usurped)
1796
• Son of Boromakot
Somdet Phra Chao Ekkathat(Somdet Phra Chao Yu Hua Phra Thinang Suriyat Amarin)
?
1758
7 April 1767 (9 years)(removed)
17 April 1767
• Brother of Uthumphon • Usurper, Former Front Palace • Son of Boromakot

SRI INDRADITYA.

Pho Khun Sri Indraditya (Thai: พ่อขุนศรีอินทราทิตย์) (also Sri Intraditya, Si Inthratit) is said, according to the Number One Stone Inscription, to be the founder of the so-called Phra Ruang Clan, or 'dynasty' of the Sukhothai Kingdom. He ruled between the years of 1238 and circa 1270 C.E.
Initially, he served as the 'vassal' lord of Bang Yang, a territory which belonged to the westernmost regions of the Khmer Angkor kingdom in that time, and now lies in the northern-central region of Thailand. He assumed the name Khun Bang Klang Thao, or simply Hao, during his time in this office. Together with the Governor of Rad, Khun Pha Mueang, he declared independence from Angkor's control and its prohibitive taxes, a crucial motivating factor in the revolt. Extensive Khmer preoccupation with great architectural works weakened the ability and readiness of Khmer defenses, greatly aiding the rebellion indirectly.
Initially Khun Bang Klang Thao, or Khun Bang Klang Hao, Lord Who Rules Sky, was then declared the king of the new kingdom, taking a name of Sanskrit origin, Sri Intraditya, The Sun King with the Power of Indra, His skill and bravery greatly impressed the people of the kingdom, who thus conferred the title Phra Ruang (Glorious Prince). This surname was given to all kings of Sukhothai to follow, giving rise to the first Thai dynasty, the Phra Ruang.
Sri Intraditya and his queen, Queen Nang Suang, had three sons. The eldest died at a young age, the second was named Ban Mueang, and the third son defeated a Khmer prince in an encounter of mounted combat on elephants; he named this youngest son Ramkhamhaeng (Rama the Bold) in tribute to the feat. Sri Intraditya died around 1270 C.E., and was succeeded by his son, Ban Mueang.

SUKHOTHAI

The Sukhothai kingdom (Thai: ราชอาณาจักรสุโขทัย (Pronunciation)) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Mueang Kao, is in ruins and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage historical park.
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Liberation from Lavo
1.2 Expansions under Ramkamhaeng
1.3 Decline and Domination of Ayutthaya
2 The Kings of Sukhothai
2.1 Phra Ruang Dynasty (1238-1368-1438)
3 Comments: Sukhothai in Thai Historiography
//
[edit] History
[edit] Liberation from Lavo

Wat Si Sawai, Sukhothai Historical Park
Prior to the 13th century, Tai kingdoms had existed on the northern highlands including the Ngoen Yang (centered on Chiang Saen; predecessor of Lanna) kingdom and the Heokam (centered on Chiang Hung, modern Jinghong in China) kingdom of Tai Lue people. Sukhothai had been a trade center and part of Lavo, which was under the domination of the Khmer Empire. The migration of Tai people into upper Chao Phraya valley was somewhat gradual.
Modern historians stated that the secession of Sukhothai from the Khmer empire began as early as 1180 during the reign of Po Khun Sri Naw Namthom who was the ruler of Sukhothai and the peripheral city of Sri Satchanalai (now a part of Sukhothai Province as Amphoe). Sukhothai had enjoyed a substantial autonomy until it was re-conquered around 1180 by the Mons of Lavo under Khomsabad Khlonlampong.
Two brothers, Po Khun Bangklanghao and Po Khun Phameung (Po Khun was a Siamese title of high nobility) took Sukhothai from Mon hands in 1239. Bangklanghao ruled Sukhothai as Sri Inthraditaya – and began the Phra Ruang dynasty - he expanded his primordial kingdom to the bordering cities. At the end of his reign in 1257, the Sukhothai kingdom covered the entire Upper Chao Phraya valley.
Traditional Thai historians considered the foundation of the Sukhothai kingdom as the beginning of their nation because little was known about the kingdoms prior to Sukhothai. Modern historical studies demonstrate that Thai history began before Sukhothai. Yet the foundation of Sukhothai is still a celebrated event.

Wat Saphan Hin, Sukhothai Historical Park

Phra Achana, Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai Historical Park
[edit] Expansions under Ramkamhaeng
Po Khun Banmeaung and his brother Ramkhamhaeng expanded the Sukhothai kingdom at the expense of neighboring civilizations. For the first time a Tai state became a dominant power in Southeast Asia. To the south, Ramkamhaeng subjugated the kingdom of Supannabhum and Sri Thamnakorn (Tambralinga) and, through Tambralinga, adopted Theravada as state religion. Traditional history described the extension of Sukhothai in a great fashion and the accuracy of these claims is disputed. To the north Ramkamhaeng put Phrae, and Mueng Sua (Luang Prabang) under tribute.
To the west Ramkhamhaeng helped the Mons under Wareru (who is said to have eloped with Ramkamhaeng’s daughter) to free themselves from Pagan control and established a kingdom at Martaban (they later moved to Pegu). So, Thai historians considered the Kingdom of Martaban a Sukhothai tributary. However, in practice, such Sukhothai domination may not have extended that far.
On culture, Ramkhamhaeng requested the monks from Sri Thamnakorn to propagate the Theravada religion in Sukhothai. In 1283, the Thai script was invented by Ramkamhaeng, formulating into controversial Ramkamhaeng Stele discovered by Mongkut 600 years later. From the Stele is almost what we know about Sukhothai.
Ramkhamhaeng’s government characterized the governance of Sukhothai kingdom – the patrocracy – in which the king is considered “father” and people “children”. He also encouraged the free trade, stating those who wish to trade elephants, trade them then. Those who wish to trade horses, trade them then.
It was also his time that the first relation with Yuan dynasty was formulated and Sukhothai began sending trade missions to China. The well-known exported good of Sukhothai was the Sangkalok (i.e. Song dynasty pottery) – the only period that Siam produced Chinese-styled ceramics and fell out of use by the 14th century.
[edit] Decline and Domination of Ayutthaya
The Sukhothai domination was, however, short. After the death of Ramkhamhaeng, the Sukhothai tributaries broke away. Ramkhamhaeng was succeeded by his son Loethai. The vassal kingdoms, first Uttaradit in the north, then soon after the Laotian kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane (Wiangchan), liberated themselves from their overlord. In 1319 the Mon state to the west broke away, and in 1321 Lanna placed Tak, one of the oldest towns under the control of Sukhothai, under its control. To the south the powerful city of Suphanburi also broke free early in the reign of Loethai. Thus the kingdom was quickly reduced to its former local importance only. Meanwhile, Ayutthaya rose in strength, and finally in 1378 King Thammaracha II had to submit to this new power.

Replica of Silajaruek Pokhun Ramkhamhaeng
In 1378, the armies from Ayutthaya kingdom invaded and put Sukhothai under her tributary. Suffering the urban decline, Luethai moved the capital to Pitsanulok.
In 1424, after the death of Sailuethai, Paya Ram and Paya Banmeung the two brothers fought for the throne. Nagarindrathirat of Ayutthaya intervened and further divided the kingdom between the two. Their sister had married to Borommaracha II of Ayutthaya and produced a son, Prince Ramesuan. When Boromban died in 1446 without any heirs, the throne passed to Ramesuan or Trailokanat. Ramesuan was also crowned as the King of Ayutthaya in 1448, thus began the personal union between the Kingdom of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.
The Silajaruek Sukhothai are hundreds of stone inscriptions that form a historical record of the period. Among the most important inscriptions are Silajaruek Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng (Stone Inscription of King Ramkhamhaeng), Silajaruek Wat Srichum (an account on history of the region itself and of Srilanka), and Silajaruek Wat Pamamuang (a Politico-Religious record of King Loethai).
[edit] The Kings of Sukhothai
[edit] Phra Ruang Dynasty (1238-1368-1438)
Name
Birth
Reign From
Reign Until
Death
Relationship with Predecessor(s)
Pho Khun Sri Indraditya(Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao)
?
1239
1279 (30 years)
• First King of Sukhothai
Pho Khun Ban Muang
?
1279 (1 year)
• Son of Sri Indraditya
Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng the Great(Pho Khun Ram Racha)
circa 1237-1247
1279
1298 (19 years)
• Younger brother of Ban Muang • Son of Sri Indraditya
Phaya Lerthai
?
1298
1323 (25 years)
• Son of Ram Khamhaeng
Phaya Nguanamthom
?
1323
1347 (24 years)
• Cousin of Lerthai • Son of Ban Muang
Phaya Lithai(Phra Maha Thammaracha I)
?
1347
1368 (21 years)
• Cousin of Nguanamthom • Son of Lerthai
Under the suzerain of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya
Phaya Leuthai(Phra Maha Thammaracha II)
?
1368
1399 (31 years)
• Son of Lithai
Phaya Saileuthai(Phra Maha Thammaracha III)
?
1400
1419 (19 years)
• Son of Leuthai
Phaya Borommapan(Phra Maha Thammaracha IV)
?
1419
1438 (19 years)
• Son of Saileuthai
[edit] Comments: Sukhothai in Thai Historiography

Sukhothai royal temple, replica in Muang Boran
Sukhothai story was narrated into Thailand's "national history" in late nineteenth century by King Mongkut, Rama IV, as a historical work presented to the British diplomatic mission. King Mongkut is considered as the champion of Sukhothai narrative history, based on his found of the Number One Stone Inscription, the 'first evidence' telling the history of Sukhothai.
From then on, as a part of modern nation building process, modern national Siamese or Thai history comprises the history of Sukhothai. Sukhothai was said to be the 'first national capital', followed by Ayutthaya, Thonburi until Rattanakosin or today Bangkok. Sukhothai history was crucial among Siam/ Thailand's 'modernists', both 'conservative' and 'revolutionary'. Rama IV or King Mongkut, was said he found 'the first Stone Inscription' in Sukhothai, telling story of Sukhothai's origin, heroic kings such as Ramkhamhaeng, administrative system and other developments, considered as the 'prosperous time' of the kingdom.
Sukhothai history became important even after the Revolution of 1932. Researches and writings on Sukhothai history were abundant. Details derived from the inscription were studied and 'theorized'. One of the most well-known topics was Sukhothai's 'democracy' rule. Story of the close relationship between king and his people, vividly described as 'father-son' relationship, the 'seed' of Thai Democracy. However the change in ruling style took place when later society embraced 'foreign' tradition, Khmer's Angkor tradition, influenced by Hinduism and 'mystic' Mahayana Buddhism. The story of Sukhothai became the model of 'freedom'. Jit Bhumisak, a 'revolutionary' scholar, also saw Sukhothai period as the beginning of Thai people's liberation movement from foreign ruler, Angkor.
During military rule, from 1950s, Sukhothai was placed in Thai national curriculum. Sukhothai became model of 'father-son' rule, described as 'Thai Democracy', free from 'foreign ideology'; Angkorian tradition compared to communism. Other Sukhothai aspects were investigated seriously, such as commoner and slave status, and economic situation. These topics, said, were on stage of ideological thoughts fighting during the Cold war and civil insurgency times in 1960-1970s.
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