King U-thongThe Royal Institute.'
List of monarchs Ayutthaya
''. (; ) or King Ramathibodi I (; ; , 1314–1369) was the first king of the kingdom Ayutthaya (now part of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

), reigning from 1351 to 1369.

Origins and Reign

He was known as Prince U Thong (meaning "Golden Cradle") before he ascended to the throne in 1350. There are many theories about Uthong's background, including possibly being a descendant of

Mangrai Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of Ngoenyang (r. 1261–1292) and the first king of Lanna (r. 1292–1311). He established a new city, Chiang Mai, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short Hi ...

. According to a better-known source, a seventeenth-century account by Dutchman Jeremias van Vliet, a ''Renowned Legend'' stated that Ramatibodi was an ethnic Chinese, having sailed down from China. After succeeding in trade, he became influential enough to rule the city of Phetchaburi, (or Vajrapur in sanskrit ) a coastal town of the Gulf of Thailand, before travelling up to Ayutthaya. Ramathibodi I established four Great Officers of State. These were the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

(''Wieng''), the Ministry of the Treasury (''Klang''), the Ministry for the King's Household (''Wang''), and the Ministry of Agriculture (''Na''). He also codified the T'ai laws. Finally, he formed an alliance with the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. He established his own capital in the new city of Ayutthaya. King Ramathabodi's reign included Korat, Chantaburi, Tavoy,

Tanintharyi Tanintharyi may refer to: * Tanintharyi (town) or Taninthayi (known during the British occupation as Tenasserim), a town in Tanintharyi Township, Myeik District, in the Tanintharyi Region of Burma (Myanmar) * Tanintharyi Region, formerly Tenasseri ...

, Tenasserim, and large parts of Malaya. In 1352 he laid siege to Yasodharapura. He was successful the following year and placed one of his sons on the throne. However, they were only able to keep the throne until 1357, when the Khmers were able to regain it.

Conflict of two dynasties

King Ramathibodi's death sparked a conflict over succession. Initially, his son King Ramesuan became ruler of Ayutthaya, but his son later abdicated in favor of Ramathibodi's brother-in-law and the ruler of Suvarnabhumi, King Borommarachathirat I.Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited In 1388 Ramesuan took revenge by taking Ayutthaya back from Borommarachathirat I's son, Thonglan. and followed by Borommarachathirat I's nephew Intharacha took Ayutthaya back for Suphannaphum dynasty in 1408. From then on Uthong dynasty was then purged and became a mere noble family of Ayutthaya until the 16th century.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Wyatt, David K., ''Thailand: A Short History'', New Haven (Yale University), 2003. *Srisak Vallipodom, ''Sheikh Ahmad Qomi and the History of Siam'', Cultural Center of the Islamic City, Republic of Iran, Bangkok 1995, p. 209 *Plubplung Kongchana, ''The Persians in Ayutthaya'', Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, Srinakharinwirot University.

Origins and Reign

Conflict of two dynasties

Notes

References

Bibliography

See also